My Indonesia

Indonesia, the largest archipelago and the fifth most populous nation in the world, has a total of 17,508 islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited. Indonesia extends 3,198 miles (5,150km) between the Australian and Asian continental mainland and divides the Pacific and Indian Oceans at the Equator. With a total land area of 767,777 square miles (1,919,443 sq. km), its 190 million inhabitants are made up of 300 ethnic groups who speak an estimated 583 different languages and dialects. There are five main islands in Indonesia. These are: Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.

Across its many islands, Indonesia consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The Javanese are the largest and most politically dominant ethnic group. Indonesia has developed a shared identity defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism within a majority Muslim population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" ("Unity in Diversity" literally, "many, yet one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. However, sectarian tensions and separatism have led to violent confrontations that have undermined political and economic stability. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the world's second highest level of biodiversity. The country is richly endowed with natural resources, yet poverty is a defining feature of contemporary Indonesia.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

Islands of Indonesia

Posted by minie's world at 6:20 PM

List of Islands of Indonesia

This is a list of islands of Indonesia. Indonesia comprises more than 17,000 islands ^[1] according to estimates made by the Government of Indonesia, with 922 of those permanently inhabited. The country extends from adjacent the Malay Peninsula in its west and into Melanesia in its east. According to a 2002 survey by National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), Indonesia has 18,306 islands. Counting tidal islands (periodically submerged) doubles the island figure, and many islands have no name or share names, all of which makes tabulation very confusing even to the government of Indonesia.

Management of the islands sometimes includes a regency which covers a small island chain.

On September 21, 2007, an 8.4 earthquake struck Sumatra near South Pagai Island, producing a cluster of six small new islands, and enlarging others by uplift.^[2] A large portion of Indonesia is seismically active; the number, size, and shape of islands continues to evolve.

Main islands

Greater Sunda Islands
- Borneo — divided between Indonesian Kalimantan, Brunei, and Malaysia's states of Sabah and Sarawak
- Java (formerly Jawa Dwipa)
- Sumatra (formerly Swarna Dwipa)
- Sulawesi (formerly Celebes)
New Guinea — divided between Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua and the independent nation of Papua New Guinea