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Geography of Indonesia

Location:Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates:5 00 S, 120 00 E
Map references:Southeast Asia
Area:total: 1,919,440 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:total: 2,830 km
border countries: Timor-Leste 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km
Coastline:54,716 km
Maritime claims:measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain:mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m
Natural resources:petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Land use:arable land: 11.03%
permanent crops: 7.04%
other: 81.93% (2005)
Irrigated land:45,000 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires
Environment - current issues:deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

Indonesia Quickstats

  • Population: 234,693,997 (July 2007 est.)
  • Area: 1,919,440 sq km
  • Density: 134 /km² (84th)
  • GDP (total): US$1,038 bn[²]
  • GDP (per capita): US$4,616[³]
  • Literacy: 90.4%

Languages of Indonesia

Useful to know

  • Currency: Rupiah (IDR)
  • Dial code: +62

International Trade

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