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• Ancient & Colonial Indonesia
• Modern Indonesia
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Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania.  Indonesia comprises 13,466 islands and 33 provinces. With over 238 million people, it is the world's 4th most populous country, and has the world's largest population of Muslims.

Indonesia is a republic, with an elected legislature and president.  The nation's capital city is Jakarta.

The Indonesian archipelago has become an important trade region since at least the 7th century, when Srivijaya and then later Majapahit traded with China and India. Local rulers gradually absorbed foreign cultural, religious and political models from the early centuries of the first millennium, and Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished. Indonesian history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural resources.  Muslim traders brought Islam, and European powers brought Christianity.

Ancient & Colonial Indonesia:

Fossilized remains of Homo erectus, popularly known as the "Java Man", suggest that the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited two million to 500,000 years ago.  Homo sapiens reached the region by around 45,000 years ago.

Austronesian peoples, who form the majority of the modern population, migrated to South East Asia from Taiwan.  They arrived in Indonesia around 2000 BCE, and as they spread through the archipelago, confined the native Melanesian peoples to the far eastern regions.  Ideal agricultural conditions, and the mastering of wet-field rice cultivation as early as the 8th century BCE, allowed villages, towns, and small kingdoms to flourish by the 1st century CE.

From the 7th century CE, the powerful Srivijaya naval kingdom flourished as a result of trade and the influences of Hinduism and Buddhism that were imported with it. Between the eighth and 10th centuries CE, the agricultural Buddhist Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties thrived and declined in inland Java, leaving grand religious monuments such as Sailendra's Borobudur and Mataram's Prambanan. The Hindu Majapahit kingdom was founded in eastern Java in the late 13th century, and under Gajah Mada, its influence stretched over much of Indonesia.

Although Muslim traders first traveled through South East Asia early in the Islamic era, the earliest evidence of Islamized populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra. Other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam, and it was the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences, which shaped the predominant form of Islam in Indonesia, particularly in Java.

The first regular contact between Europeans and the peoples of Indonesia began in 1512, when Portuguese traders, led by Francisco Serrão, sought to monopolize the sources of nutmeg, cloves, and cubeb pepper in Maluku. Dutch and British traders followed. In 1602 the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and became the dominant European power. Following bankruptcy, the VOC was formally dissolved in 1800, and the government of the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalized colony.

Following three and a half centuries of Dutch colonialism, Japanese occupation during World War II ended Dutch rule, and encouraged the previously suppressed Indonesian independence movement. Two days after the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Sukarno, an influential nationalist leader, declared independence and was appointed president.  The Netherlands tried to reestablish their rule, and an armed and diplomatic struggle ended in December 1949, when in the face of international pressure, the Dutch formally recognized Indonesian independence. Indonesia's history has since been turbulent, with challenges posed by natural disasters, corruption, separatism, a democratization process, and periods of rapid economic change.

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Modern Indonesia:

Indonesia is a republic with a presidential system. The president may serve a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. In contrast to Sukarno's anti-imperialistic antipathy to western powers and tensions with Malaysia, Indonesia's foreign relations since the Suharto "New Order" have been based on economic and political cooperation with Western nations.  Indonesia maintains close relationships with its neighbors in Asia, and is a founding member of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit.  The nation restored relations with the People's Republic of China in 1990 following a freeze in place since anti-communist purges early in the Suharto era.  Indonesia has been a member of the United Nations since 1950.

The Indonesian Government has worked with other countries to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of major bombings linked to militant Islamism and Al-Qaeda.  The deadliest killed 202 people (including 164 international tourists) in the Bali resort town of Kuta in 2002.  The attacks, and subsequent travel warnings issued by other countries, severely damaged Indonesia's tourism industry and foreign investment prospects.

Economy:

Indonesia has a mixed economy in which both the private sector and government play significant roles.  The country is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and a member of the G-20 major economies. The Indonesian economy is the world's eighteenth largest economy by nominal GDP and fifteenth largest by purchasing power parity.  Since 2010, service sector has employed more people than other sectors, accounting 48.9% of the total labor force, this has been followed by agriculture (38.3%) and the industry sector (12.8%).  Agriculture, however, had been the country's largest employer for centuries.  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 remains widespread in contemporary Indonesia.

According to World Trade Organization data, Indonesia was the 27th biggest exporting country in the world in 2010, moving up three places from a year before. Indonesia's main export markets (2009) are Japan (17.28%), Singapore (11.29%), the United States (10.81%), and China (7.62%). The major suppliers of imports to Indonesia are Singapore (24.96%), China (12.52%), and Japan (8.92%).

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Demographics:

The population of Indonesia according to the 2010 national census is 237.6 million; 58% living on the island of Java, the world's most populous island.  There are around 300 distinct indigenous ethnic groups in Indonesia, and 742 different languages and dialects, but Indonesian is the official national language.  The largest ethnic group is the Javanese, who comprise 42% of the population, and are politically and culturally dominant.  The Sundanese, Malay, and Madurese are the next largest groups in the country.  A sense of Indonesian nationhood exists alongside strong regional identities.  Society is largely harmonious, although social, religious and ethnic tensions have triggered horrendous violence.

Chinese Indonesians are an influential ethnic minority comprising 3–4% of the population.  Much of the country's privately owned commerce and wealth is controlled by these Indonesians of Chinese descent, which has contributed to considerable resentment, and even anti-Chinese violence.  Other foreign ethnic minorities include Indonesians of Arab, Indian, Japanese, and Korean descent.

Although it is not an Islamic state, Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation.  Based on the 2010 census, approximately 85.1% were Muslims consisting of Sufis, Shias and Sunnis, 9.2% Protestant, 3.5% are Catholic, 1.8% Hindu, 0.4% Buddhist and other or unspecified. Most Indonesian Hindus are Balinese, and most Buddhists are ethnic Chinese.  With many different religions practised in Indonesia, conflicts between believers are often unavoidable.

Indonesian Culture:

Indonesian culture has been shaped by long interaction between original indigenous customs and multiple foreign influences. Indonesia is central along ancient trading routes between the Far East and the Middle East, resulting in many cultural practices being strongly influenced by a multitude of religions, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Islam, all strong in the major trading cities. The result is a complex cultural mixture very different from the original indigenous cultures. Indonesian art-forms express this cultural mix.

Western culture has greatly influenced Indonesia in modern entertainment such as television shows, film and music, as well as political system and issues. India has also notably influenced Indonesian songs and movies. Despite the influences of foreign culture, some remote Indonesian regions still preserve uniquely indigenous culture. Indigenous ethnic groups Mentawai, Asmat, Dani, Dayak, Toraja and many others are still practising their ethnic rituals, customs and wearing traditional clothes.

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Tourism:

Tourism in Indonesia is an important component of the Indonesian economy.  In 2010, foreign tourists visiting Indonesia reached 7 million.  Both nature and culture are major components of Indonesian tourism.  The beaches in Bali, diving sites in Bunaken, Mount Rinjani in Lombok and various national parks in Sumatra are just a few examples of popular scenic destinations. These natural attractions are complemented by a rich cultural heritage that reflects Indonesia's dynamic history and ethnic diversity.  The ancient Prambanan and Borobudur temples, Toraja, Yogyakarta, Minangkabau, and of course Bali, with its many Hindu festivities, are some of the popular destinations for cultural tourism.

Surfing is also a popular water activity in Indonesia and the sites are recognized as world class.  The well-known spots are mostly located on the southern, Indian Ocean side of Indonesia, for example, the large oceanic surf breaks on southern Java.  Sumatra is the second island with the most number of surf spots, with 18 altogether.  Two well-known surf breaks in Indonesia are the G-Land in the Bay of Grajagan, East Java, and Lagundri Bay at the southern end of Nias island.

Indonesia has a well-preserved, natural ecosystem with rainforests that stretch over about 57% of Indonesia's land, approximately 2% of which are mangrove systems.  There are 50 national parks in Indonesia, of which six are World Heritage listed. The largest national parks in Sumatra are Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park, all three recognized as Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra on the UNESCO World Heritage list.  Other national parks on the list are Lorentz National Park in Papua, Komodo National Park in the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Ujung Kulon National Park in the west of Java.  Many native species such as Sumatran elephants, Sumatran tigers, Sumatran rhinoceros, Javan rhinoceros and Orangutans are listed as endangered or critically endangered, and the remaining populations are found in national parks and other conservation areas.

Hiking and camping in the mountains are popular adventure activities. Some mountains contain ridge rivers, offering rafting activity. Though volcanic mountains can be dangerous, they have become major tourist destinations. Popular active volcanoes are the 2,329-metre (7,641 ft) high Mount Bromo in the East Java province with its little desert, the upturned boat shaped Tangkuban Perahu on the outskirts of Bandung, the most active volcano in Java, Mount Merapi and the legendary Krakatau with its new caldera known as anak krakatau (the child of Krakatau).