Indonesia

Indonesia (/ˌɪndəˈniːʒə/ ( listen) IN-də-NEE-zhə), officially the Republic of

Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia [reˈpublik ɪndoˈnesia] ( listen)),[a] is a country
in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of more
than seventeen thousand islands, including Sumatra, Java, Borneo (Kalimantan), Sulawesi,
and New Guinea (Papua). Indonesia is the world's largest island country and the 14th largest
country by land area, at 1,904,569 square kilometres (735,358 square miles). With over 267
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, is home to more than half of the
country's population.
The sovereign state is a presidential, constitutional republic with an elected legislature. It has 34
provinces, of which five have special status. The country's capital, Jakarta, 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 one of the world's highest levels of biodiversity.
The Indonesian archipelago has been a valuable region for trade since at least the 7th century
when Srivijaya and later Majapahit traded with entities from mainland China and the Indian
subcontinent. Local rulers gradually absorbed foreign influences from the early centuries
and Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished. Sunni traders and Sufi scholars brought Islam,
while Europeans introduced Christianity through colonisation. Although sometimes interrupted by
the Portuguese, French and British, the Dutch were the foremost colonial power for much of their
350-year presence in the archipelago. The concept of "Indonesia" as a nation-state emerged in
the early 20th century[13] and the country proclaimed its independence in 1945. However, it was
not until 1949 that the Dutch recognised Indonesia's sovereignty following an armed and
diplomatic conflict between the two.
Indonesia consists of hundreds of distinct native ethnic and linguistic groups, with the largest one
being the Javanese. A shared identity has developed with the motto "Bhinneka Tunggal
Ika" ("Unity in Diversity" literally, "many, yet one"), defined by a national language, ethnic
diversity, religious pluralism within a Muslim-majority population, and a history of colonialism and
rebellion against it. The economy of Indonesia is the world's 16th largest by nominal GDP
and 7th by GDP at PPP. The country is a member of several multilateral organisations, including
the United Nations, World Trade Organization, International Monetary Fund, G20, and a founding
member of Non-Aligned Movement, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Asia-Pacific
Economic Cooperation, East Asia Summit, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank,
and Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.