Country Information on Indonesia

Terrain Stretching like a backbone down the western coast of Sumatra is a line of active and extinct volcanoes. These continue through Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara and then loop through the Banda Islands of Maluku to north-eastern Sulawesi. Less than 10% of the total land area is suitable for farming, while two-thirds consist of forests and mangrove swamps (mostly found in Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya). Climate Draped over the equator, Indonesia tends to have a fairly uniform climate - hot. It's hot and wet during the wet season (October to April) and hot and dry during the dry season (May to September). Temperatures climb to about 31°C in coastal regions, dropping further inland. Fauna/Flora Indonesia's rich natural environment encourages a diversity of flora and fauna. The archipelago is home to elephants, tigers, leopards, and orang-utans. Sea turtles are found in the waters around Bali and the world's largest flowers - Rafflesias - grow in Sumatra. The islands of Irian Jaya, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Sumatra have national parks, while other parks protect special areas such as Komodo, home to the Komodo dragon. History/Politics By the 15th century, a strong Muslim empire had developed with its centre at Melaka (Malacca) on the Malay Peninsula. Its influence was short-lived and it fell to the Portuguese in 1511. The Dutch displaced the Portuguese and began making inroads into Indonesia. The Dutch East India Company based in Batavia (Jakarta) dominated the spice trade and took control of Java by the mid-18th century, when its power was already in decline. By the early 20th century, the entire archipelago - including Aceh and Bali - was under Dutch control. Burgeoning nationalism combined with Japanese occupation of the archipelago during World War II served to weaken Dutch resolve and they finally transferred sovereignty to the new Indonesian republic in 1949. Achmed Sukarno, the foremost proponent of self-rule since the early 1920s, became President. In 1957, after a rudderless period of parliamentary democracy, Sukarno overthrew the parliament, declared martial law, and initiated a more authoritarian style of government, which he dubbed "Guided Democracy". Events came to a head in 1965 when an attempted coup, allegedly by Communist groups, left several army generals dead and threatened Sukarno's hold on power. General Suharto, who was responsible for quashing the coup, eventually seized presidential control. In stark contrast to the turbulent Sukarno years, Suharto sought to address Indonesia's economic problems, forge national unity, promote openness, and curb the worst excesses. But the contentious invasion and annexation of East Timor in 1975, the 1991 Dili massacre in East Timor, the prevalence of cronyism and nepotism in government and business and persistent human rights abuses showed that many of those excesses were still running rampant. Many Indonesians believed that an economic crisis in the 1990s was brought on by government nepotism, and a few brave souls suggested Suharto should quit his post. Suharto was replaced by his (none-too-popular) vice-president, Jusuf Habibie in accordance with Indonesia's constitution. Things cooled down for a short while but then heated up again in October 1999 when Abdurrahman Wahid, a moderate Islamic leader, was elected as Indonesia's first democratically elected president over the populist candidate, Mrs Megawati Sukarnoputri. Economy In 1997 and '98 Indonesia's economy took a dramatic downturn, 2.5 million people had lost their jobs and the International Monetary Fund was imposing austerity measures in return for sizeable loans. The major industrial products are oil, gas, textiles, timber, coffee, rubber, coal, tin, copper, rice, pepper, and palm oil. The collapse of the rupiah in late 1997 and early 1998 caused gross domestic product to contract by an estimated 13.7% in 1998. Culture With such a multiplicity of ethnic groups, Indonesia has, unsurprisingly, a surfeit of cultural events throughout the year. On Sumba, mock battles that go back to the era of internecine warfare are held in February and March. The day before Balinese Caka New Year (March-April) temple icons are taken to the sea to be bathed and drummers drive evil spirits back to the spirit world. There's a dramatic Easter Parade on the island of Larantuka, whip duels in Ruteng, Flores in August and Torajan funeral feasts are held in central Sulawesi, mainly between August and October.