Xaverians in Indonesia

Indonesia: Country Profile

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Indonesia

Indonesia is an archipelago of nearly 13700 islands covering and area of about 735,310 sq mi. Jakarta is the capital and largest city. About half of the country is inhabited. The main islands are Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi. The country shares the island of Borneo with Malaysia and Brunei; Indonesia's portion is called Kalimantan. Indonesia also shares the island of New Guinea with Papua New Guinea; Indonesia occupies the western half of the island, known as Irian Jaya (formerly West Irian). Indonesia administers all of Timor Island, although its claim to East Timor is not recognized by the international community.

Indonesia has significant deposits of oil and natural gas, most of which are concentrated along the eastern coast of Sumatra and in and around Kalimantan. Tin, bauxite, copper, nickel, and coal are the country's major mineral resources. The seas surrounding Indonesia yield abundant saltwater fish, pearls, shells, and agar (a substance extracted from seaweed).

Indonesia's population is 209,774,138 (1997 estimate). Well over half of Indonesia's people live on Java. The next most populous islands are Sumatra, Sulawesi, and Kalimantan. The Javanese, who live mainly in central and eastern Java, are the largest ethnic group, constituting 45 percent of Indonesia's population. On the western end of Java are the Sundanese, who make up 14 percent of the population. Other significant ethnic groups include the Madurese, who hail from Madura, off the northeast coast of Java, and make up 7 percent of the population; and the ethnic Malay, who are dispersed throughout several areas, and also make up 7 percent of the population.

About 300 languages and dialects are spoken in Indonesia, but Bahasa Indonesia is the official and most widely spoken tongue. Other languages include Javanese, Sundanese, Acehnese, Batak, Minangkabau, Malay, Minahasan, Sasak, Sumbawan, and Malay dialects. Almost 90 percent of the people follow a form of Islam, making Indonesia the largest Islamic country in the world. Christians -mostly Protestants- represent about 10 percent of the population. Buddhists account for about 1 percent of the population. Hinduism is now significant only on Bali. Compulsory education includes elementary schooling and three years of lower secondary schooling. Besides Jakarta, principal cities include Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Palembang, and Ujungpandang.

Before Indonesia gained independence in 1945, the country's economy was oriented toward providing raw materials such as sugar and rubber for the Netherlands. To survive, most people relied on subsistence agriculture, primarily the production of rice. After independence, economic mismanagement was prevalent, but beginning in the 1960s economic restructuring became a priority. Since then, agriculture's part in the economy has shrunk, and services and manufacturing have grown. Some 17 percent of all land is under cultivation, mostly on Java. Along with rice, sugar, and rubber, important crops are tobacco, cassava, maize, sweet potatoes, coconuts, sugarcane, soybeans, peanuts, tea, and coffee. Indonesia's manufactures range from traditional crafts to aerospace products. The main products include food and beverages, tobacco products, textiles and garments, motor vehicle parts, and electrical appliances. Services -in restaurants and hotels, insurance, business services, and the like- are an important part of Indonesia's economy. Tourism is growing. Mineral products include tin, bauxite, nickel, copper, coal, manganese, and iron ore. Hardwoods make up almost all of the timber harvested in Indonesia; more than four-fifths of this harvest is used for fuel. Industrial woods produced in large quantities include teak, ebony, bamboo, and rattan. Indonesia is also the world's leading exporter of plywood. In fishing, the chief catches are shrimp and prawns, scad, carp, Indian mackerel, goldstripe sardinella, milkfish, anchovies, and skipjack tuna. The rupiah is the official monetary unit of Indonesia.

Indonesia's president is both chief executive and head of state. The president is elected to a five-year term by a national body called the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). The president is responsible for appointing a cabinet to carry out the administrative duties of the government. The MPR, which is in session at least once every five years, elects the president and vice president and approves the broad guidelines of government policy. In the mid-1990s its 1000 members were the 500 members of the House of Representatives, 253 representatives from various political organizations, 147 regional representatives, and 100 representatives from professional groups. The remaining legislative power is vested in the House of Representatives (DPR). The DPR approves all statutes and has the right to submit draft bills for ratification by the president. The DPR comprises 425 directly elected members and 75 members selected from the armed forces and appointed by the president.

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