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Official Name: Republic of Indonesia
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Geography
The republic of indonesia lies in South-East Asia and there exists more than 13 600 partly
inhabited islands.The rest of the land bridge between Asia and
Australia which broke in long time ago. From Sumatra Island
in the west, the archipelago applies more than 5100 km to Irian Jaya
(western part of New Guinea) in the east.
Geologically the Indonesian state area can be split in three big areas:
The west part with Borneo and the whole southern island chain of
Sumatra in the west to Timor in the southeast belong to the so-called
Sunda-shelf. New Guinea and the northern Molukken belong to the Sahul
shelf,the northern continuation of Australia. In the middle of
Sulawesi (Celebes) and the southern Molukken which belong to a
long mountain chain which applies up to the Philippines.
On
Borneo, with just 747 000 km², the third-biggest island of the
world, the province of Kalimantan belongs in the south of
Indonesia,the remaining island area to Malaysia. The western part
of island New Guinea, Irian Jaya, is subordinated since 1960' of the
Indonesian management, the east part belongs to Papua New Guinea.
On New Guinea the
higgest elevation of Indonesia, the Puncak Jaya with 5029 m can be
found.Till this day, on the island there are countless active volcanoes.
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Balinese Women go to a ceremony
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Balinese Culture
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Rice fields on
Bali
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Climate
Altough
the whole island group lies in equator nearness different climate rules
on the single Islands. Four big islands, Borneo, Sumatra, Sulawesi and
Java, numerous smaller islands and Irian Jaya (West Guinea) have a
tropical monsoon climate which brings to the single area partly very
different amounts of rainfall which are often distributed about the
whole year. In the general on the precipitation decreases to the
east.The rule all year round high temperatures, snowfalls are known
only in the high-level positions more than 5000 m in Irian Jaya.
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Flora&Fauna
About
one quarter of the island is of volcanic origin and dispose of very
fertile grounds. Marshy lowlands with numerous bodies of water and
thick mangrove growth are found, above all, in the South Borneo
and the East Sumatra.Big parts of the island covered with
woods (tropical rain forest) which were already strongly decimated by
deforestation and by disastrous forest fires(e.g., in 1997 and 1999).in
the smaller island in the east savannas and steppes are found.
In
Indonesia a big biodiversity whose origins are found in Asia and
Australia can be found.The British zoologist Alfred Wallace divided in
the 19th century the animals of the Malay archipelago by the so-called
Wallace line between Bali and Lombock into an asian one and an
Australian empire. Many of the animal speciest are endemic which
signifies, they seem worldwide only in this region.
So,
for example, the Sumatra rhinoceros, Sumatra elephant (both kinds of
extinction threatened) or the goblin lemurs on Sulawesi. Endemic animal
species are also of the Komodo dragon one up to 3-m-long and
250-kg-saurian's kind which seems only on the island Komodo and the
neighbouring islands. The bird's world is unique in Indonesia also:
about 1480 kinds were counted (among them,the colour-splendit birds of
paradies),this 16% of all bird's kinds correspond worldwide.
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Sumatatra Nashorn
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Banana wood
on Komodo
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Balinese Wedding
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Population
With
219 900 000 inhabitants Indonesia has worldwide the fourth-biggest
population. She consists of more than 300 ethnic groups. The numerics
strongest population group are the Javanesen (just 45 %),followed by
Sundanesen,Maduresen,Balinesen and Minang. The biggest minority are the
about 4 million Chinese. Two thirds of the population live in Java.
There
is a huge number from languages and dialects, 15 different languages
are used only to Sumatra. Nearly 90% vom Buddhismus of the population
are Muslims and the Islam is marked in Indonesia strongly by
Hinduism and Buddhism.Since Islam had asserted itself in the 16.century
in Java, Bali became the centre of Hindu movement in Indonesia.
Since
the end of the 80' exists for all children of from 7 to 13 years of
compulsory education there are 49 state universities and several
private colleges.
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Political System
Since 1945
Indonesia is a presidential republic.The president is an owner of the
executive parliament and leads the cabinet appointed by him. The
parliament consists appointed representative from 462 after the
relation rather to choice elective and 38 of the president
from the rows of the military. The members are for five years in
the office, the parliament meets once a year.
The highest
constitutional body is the advisory public gathering (MPR) with 695
members,consisting of 500 members of the parliament, regional
representatives, members of political parties, the military, other
persons from functional groups and from the public life.She choose the
president.The military plays in the political Systems of Indonesia a
important role. From the presidency choices in the 2004 the president
is chosen in direct choice by the people and not more by the MPR. In
addition, armed forces and police should not be represented
more than a own group in the MPR.
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Borobodur Tempel
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Jakarta city centre
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Economy
Almost
half of the employed persons in Indonesia are occupied in the
agriculture. A main food is rice which grown, above all, on Java where
by the favorable climate three harvest are possible in the year.
Besides grain, soy, spices and peanuts are grown. On plantations India
rubber,tea, coffe and oil palmes are grown. The exportation of raw wood
is forbade, in the meantime, because the deforestation of the forest
supplies accepted a menacing magnitude.
Also
the industria companies are settled predominantly on Java. The most
important industrial branch is the food industry, folled by textiles,
artificial, fertilizer, wood paper, ripe industry and
leather industry. Indonesia is rich in mineral resources. Among the
rest tin, nickel, bauxit, copper and ores are diminished. Oil and
natural gas ( on Borneo, Sumatra and Java) cover the power deman and
bring important export income.
Indonesia
order more than three international airports(Java, Bali, Sumatra) , a
well developed road system only on Java and partially on Bali. Main
means of transportation between the islands is ships.
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