Indonesia
Visited
At a glance
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia
- Capital
- Jakarta
- Population
- 283.5 million (2024)
- Area
- 1,904,569 km²
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah (IDR)
- Drives on the
- left
- Calling code
- +62
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Before you go
Overview
The Republic of Indonesia is located in Southeast Asia. It has more than 17 thousand islands such as Borneo, Sulawesi, New Guinea, Sumatra and Java which is the most populated. At 2018 it recorded a population of 267.7 million and covers an area of 1.905 million km2.
The capital city is Jakarta, which is the world’s second-most populous urban. The capital might be moved from Jakarta to Borneo since it was discovered that it is slowly sinking. The largest cities which are the country’s financial, government and business centre are Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung and Bekasi.
Mount Bromo (foreground) and Mount Semeru (background), two active volcanoes in eastern Java.
History
The Dutch were in control of the island between 1970 and 1900 which they protested against in a four-year war. It became independent in 1949 with Sukarno as the president. Then, it went ahead to attack East Timor and made it their province in 1976.
Food & culture
Its culture is influenced by the Islam religion, Hinduism and Buddhism.
The country produces palm oil, natural rubber, tea, cocoa, coffee, rice, cassava, corn, coconuts and many others.
The national dish is Nasi goreng which is fried rice with soy sauce.
Wildlife
The wildlife found here includes Sumatran tigers, Borneo elephant, Black macaque, Pygmy tarsier, Maleo and Sumatran orangutan.
Festivals & events
The most celebrated festivals include the Eid-ul-Fitr, Independence Day and Pasola. festival
Things to see
Indonesia has the world’s one of the most active volcanic mountains, like Mount Merapi.
Popular tourist attractions include Bali beaches, the national parks in Sumatra, Mount Bromo National Park and Lake Toba.
Interesting facts
Indonesia is the largest island country in the world.
It has the largest Muslim population in the world.
It also has the largest economy in Southeast Asia.
The education system comprises of six years of primary education, three years of junior secondary, three years of senior secondary and higher education.
Indonesian is the country’s official language.
