INDONESIA

Indonesia (/ˌɪndəˈniːʒə/ ( listen) IN-də-NEE-zhə, /-ziə/ -zee-ə; Indonesian: [ɪndoˈnesia]), officially the
Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia or the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik
Indonesia [reˈpublik ɪndoˈnesia]), is a country in Southeast Asia, between the Indian and Pacific
oceans. It is the world's largest island country, with more than seventeen thousand islands,[11] and at
1,904,569 square kilometres (735,358 square miles), the 14th largest by land area and the 7th
largest in combined sea and land area.[12] With over 261 million people, it is the world's 4th most
populous country as well as the most populous Muslim-majority country. Java, the world's most
populous island,[13] contains more than half of the country's population.

The sovereign state is a presidential, constitutional republic with an elected parliament. It has 34
provinces, of which five have special status. Jakarta, the country's capital, is the second most
populous urban area in the world. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East
Timor, and the eastern part of Malaysia. Other neighbouring countries include Singapore, Vietnam,
the Philippines, Australia, Palau, and India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Despite its large
population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support a
high level of biodiversity.[14] The country has abundant natural resources like oil and natural gas, tin,
copper and gold. Agriculture mainly produces rice, palm oil, tea, coffee, cacao, medicinal plants,
spices and rubber.[15] Indonesia's major trading partners are China, United States, Japan, Singapore
and India.[16]

History of the Indonesian archipelago has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural
resources. It has been an important region for trade since at least the 7th century, when Srivijaya
and then later Majapahit traded with Chinese dynasties and Indian kingdoms. Local rulers gradually
absorbed foreign cultural, religious and political models from the early centuries and Hindu and
Buddhist kingdoms flourished. Muslim traders and Sufi scholars brought Islam,[17][18] while European
powers brought Christianity and fought one another to monopolise trade in the Spice Islands of
Maluku during the Age of Discovery. Indonesia experienced a long period of Dutch colonialism that
started from Amboina and Batavia, eventually covering all of the archipelago including Timor and
Western New Guinea, and at times interrupted by Portuguese, French and British rule. During the
decolonisation of Asia after World War II, Indonesia achieved independence in 1949 following an
armed and diplomatic conflict with the Netherlands.