INDONESIA

Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia is a nation of islands consisting of 18,110 islands in the South East Asian Archipelago.Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic nation.

The name Indonesia was derived from "indos nesos", meaning islands near India, The country is in fact the largest archipelago in the world with a thousand islands, 17,508 to be precise, spread in an area between the Asian continent and Australia, and between the Pacific and the Indian oceans. The islands are inhabited by many tribes with diverse culture and languages, although there is a national language spoken throughout the country, namely Bahasa Indonesia. It is thus appropriate, that the country' s motto is Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, which means: Unity in Diversity. Our state philosophy is Pancasila, or the Five Principles. This year is the country' s fiftieth anniversary of independence.

Location

A Located in South-east Asia Indonesia is a group of13,667 islands off the coast of mainland. Only about 6,000 islands are inhabited. Main islands or parts of islands are Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi (Celebes), Maluku (Moluccas), Kalimantan (Borneo) and Irian Jaya (west Iran). In Borneo there is a border to the north with Malaysia (Sabah and Sarawak), in New Guinea a border to the east with Papua New Guinea and in Timor a border to the east with East Timor.

Geography

Archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean.