Indonesia

Background: The world's largest archipelago, Indonesia achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1949. Current issues include: implementing IMF-mandated reforms of the banking sector, effecting a transition to a popularly-elected government after four decades of authoritarianism, addressing charges of cronyism and corruption, holding the military accountable for human rights violations, and resolving growing separatist pressures in Aceh and Irian Jaya.
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. Area: Total: 1,919,440 sq km, water: 93,000 sq km, land: 1,826,440 sq km. Area - comparative: Slightly less than three times the size of Texas. Land boundaries: Total: 2,830 km, border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km. Coastline: 54,716 km.

Climate and Terrain: Climate: Tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands. Terrain: Mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains.
People: Population: 231,328,092. Ethnic groups: Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%. Religions: Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1%. Languages: Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese.
Government: Government type: Republic. Capital: Jakarta. Independence: on 27 December 1949, Indonesia became legally independent from the Netherlands)
Economy overview: Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, faces severe economic development problems, stemming from secessionist movements and the low level of security in the regions, the lack of reliable legal recourse in contract disputes, corruption, weaknesses in the banking system, and strained relations with the IMF. I

Statistics: Telephones - main lines in use: 5,588,310. Telephones - mobile cellular: 1.07 million. Radio broadcast stations: AM 678, FM 43, shortwave 82. Radios: 31.5 million. Television broadcast stations: 41. Televisions: 13.75 million. Internet users: 2 million. Railways: Total: 6,458 km. Highways: Total: 342,700 km, paved: 158,670 km. unpaved: 184,030 km. Airports: 490, with paved runways: 156, with unpaved runways: 339. Heliports: 6.