INDONESIA,
the largest archipelago in the world to form a single state,
consists of five main islands and some 30 smaller archipelagoes,
totaling about 17,508 islands and islets of which about 6,000
are inhabited.
The name "INDONESIA" is composed of the two Greek words: "Indos"
meaning India and "Nesos" meaning islands. The Indonesian
archipelago forms a crossroad between two oceans, the Pacific
and Indian oceans and a bridge between two continents, Asia and
Australia. Because of its strategic position, therefore,
Indonesia's cultural, social, political and economic patterns
have always been conditioned by its geographical position.
GEOGRAPHICAL FEATURES
The territory of the Republic of Indonesia stretches from 608'
north latitude to 11015' south latitude and from 94045'to
141065, east longitude. Its estimated total area is 9.8 million
sq km (including Exclusive Economic Zone -EEZ), which consists
of a land territory of 1.9 million sq km and a sea territory of
7.9 million sq km.
Indonesia's five main islands are: Sumatra is about 473,606 sq
km in size, lava 132,187 sq km, the most fertile and densely
populated island, Kalimantan or two-thirds of the island of
Borneo measuring 539,460 sq km, Sulawesi 189,216 sq km and Papua
421,981 sq km which forms part of the world's second biggest is
and of New Guinea. The other
islands are smaller in size. The Indonesian archipelago is
divided into three divisions. The island of lava, Sumatra and
Kalimantan, together with the small islands in between, stand on
the Sunda Shelf which extends from the coast of Indonesia's land
area is generally covered by thick tropical rain forests where
fertile Kerinci Mountain, Jambi soils are continuously
replenished by volcanic eruptions like that on the island of
Java. The island of Java has 112 volcanic centers of which 15
are active. The lava ejected has a high degree of fertility.
An additional advantage of the island of Java is that its
coastal plains are not edged by wide swamps as in the case of
Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua, not bordered by coral reefs as in
the case of the island of Sulawesi. On the island of Sumatra
there is plenty of evidence of past volcanic activities,
although the ejected material contained acid which is of less
fertility compared with lava.
CLIMATE AND WEATHER
Indonesia's climate and weather is characterized by an
equatorial double rainy season. Its variation is caused by the
equatorial circulation (Walker circulation) and the meridional
circulation (Hardley circulation). The displacement of the
latter circulation is closely related to the north-south
movement of the sun and its position at a certain period with
regard to the earth and the continents of Asia and Australia.
These factors contribute to the displacement and intensity of
the Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) being an equatorial
through of low pressure. This characterizes the weather of
Indonesia, while the prevalence of the West monsoon and the East
monsoon (the rainy and dry seasons) are characterizing
Indonesia's climate.
Indonesia's monsoon-type climate changes approximately every six
months although in recent years weather patterns have been
somewhat disrupted as part of global changes in weather.
Humidity and temperatures are vary according to the season but
temperatures are affected additionally by time of day, height
above sea level and proximity to the sea and exception. The dry
season is from June to September and the rainy season from
December to March. Intervening periods are transition months in
which the weather will be mixed.
Average temperatures are classified as follows: Coastal plains:
280C; inland and mountain areas: 260C; higher mountain areas:
230C, varying with the altitude.
Indonesia has an average relative humidity between 70 percent
and 90 percent, with a minimum of 73 percent and a maximum of 87
percent.
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RIVERS AND LAKES
Besides the great number of mountains and hills, there are still
many rivers scattered throughout the country. They serve as
substantial transportation means in certain islands; the Musi,
Batanghari, Indragiri, and Kampar Rivers in Sumatra, the Kapuas,
Barito, Mahakam, and Rajang Rivers in Kalimantan; and Memberamo
and Digul Rivers in Papua. In lava, rivers are very important
for irrigation means, for instance the Bengawan Solo, Ciliwung
and Brantas Rivers.
A number of unique lakes are also found in some islands. All of
them are located amidst of islands, such as the Toba, Maninjau
and Singkarak Lakes in Sumatra; the Tempe, Towuti, Sidenreng,
Poso, Limboto and Tondano Lakes in Sulawesi, the Paniai and
Sentani Lakes in Papua.
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FAUNA AND FLORA
FAUNA
Within the Indonesian archipelago lies one of the most
remarkable zoogeographical boundaries in the world, which dates
back to the glacial period when the sea level fell worldwide. In
that glacial period, Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan lay on the
Sunda Shelf and were joined to each other and to the mainland of
Asia, but Papua and the Australian continent at that time, lay
on the Sahul shelf. This original geographical segregation
explains why the typical oriental fauna species found in Java,
Sumatra and Kalimantan are completely lacking in Papua.
Similarly, the marsupials, which occur in Papua, are not found
in the Oriental Region.
The region between these two shelves (Maluku, Sulawesi and the
Lesser Sunda Islands) has another type of fauna. The bulk of
Oriental fauna does not occur in Sulawesi, although it is only
50 km from Kalimantan across the Makassar Strait, and the
islands, such as Seram and Halmahera, closest to Papua, lack the
major part of the latter's fauna. This may be the result of the
ancient presence of a deep strait between Kalimantan and
Sulawesi and the depth of the Banda Sea so that this group of
islands may never have been connected with either shelf during
the glacial period. Scientists represent this situation in terms
of three faunal lines Wallace's (a line drawn from south to
north through the Lombok and Makassar straits, ending at the
southeast of the Philippines), Weber's (a line drawn and passing
through the sea between Maluku and Sulawesi) and Lydekker's (a
line drawn at the edge of the Sahul shelf, which skirts the
western border of Papua and the Australian continent) although
some of them prefer to characterize the zone itself as a
"subtraction -transition zone."
Information obtained from the paleontological record reveals
that the number of species known today is much smaller in the
past. The extinction of many species of animals was probably due
to normal ecological and evolutionary processes related to such
factors as shifting sea levels, climatic changes and habitat
alterations. For example, in Java, out of at least 75 species of
mammals known as fossils, 35 are extinct, 20 still survive and
20 are extinct in Java but found elsewhere in Asia. The more
recent process of extinction of certain animals in Java may have
been closely related to human influences on the ecosystem.
At the present stage of Indonesian social and economic
development, wildlife is considered as being incapable of caring
for itself. In order to safeguard and protect wildlife in
Indonesia, the Directorate of Nature Conservation and Wildlife
Management (Direktorat Perlindungan dan Pengawetan Alam) or PPA
as abbreviated has set the target of designating about 10
percent of land as preserve areas. There are at present 320
natural preserves and natural parks in Indonesia, and more being
proposed.
The PPA has adopted the modern natural conservation practice,
which emphasizes the conservation of the entire ecosystem. This
is necessary, as it is often not possible to preserve wildlife
without its habitat. For example, the orangutan (Pongo py_qmaeus),
found only in Sumatra and Kalimantan, is very dependent on
primary forest habitat. Therefore, to protect their habitat, the
PPA in cooperation with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) has
established "Orang Utan Rehabilitation" Projects in Bohorok and
in Tanjung Putting reserve, in Sumatra and Kalimantan
respectively, for retraining illegally captured orangutans for
life in the wilderness.
The Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis) which is the largest
lizard in the world, reaching a length of 2 to 3 meters, has its
home in the Komodo group of reserves, comprising Komodo, Padar,
and Rinca Islands, eastward of Java, off the west coast of
Flores.
Due to its geographical isolation from other land masses for a
longer period than the other major islands, Sulawesi has a
unique fauna comprising many endemic species and many variations
thereof. The babirusa or pigdeer (Babyroussa-babyroussa) and the
anoa, a forestdwelling dwarf buffalo are among the interesting
endemic animals of Sulawesi. Other endemic mammals of Sulawesi
are the giant pam civet (Macro!gafidia musschenbroeki), the
largest of all civets, a species of tarsier (Tarsius spectrum),
and several forms of the Sulawesi macaque (Cynopithecus ni_qer).
Among the many species of birds in Sulawesi, two species of the
megapode birds, the maleo fowl and the Sulawesi shrubhen, are
very interesting. Papua and Maluku areas are rich in colorful
birds, ranging from the great flightless cassowaries (Casuarius-casuarius)
to brilliantly plum-aged birds of paradise of the family
Paradiseidae and Ptilinorhynhidae( -more than 40 species
altogether) and many numbers of the parrot famOther members of
the Oriental fauna are the hornbills of the family Bucerotidae,
which are noted for their enormous beak topped by a bony casque,
elephants (Elephas indicus), roaming the forest of Sumatra and
Kalimantan, the Surnatran tigers (Panthera tigris Sumatrae), and
the very small number of remaining lava tigers (Panthera tigris
Sondaica), the Mentawai macaquel and leaf monkey Mentawai (Macoca
pagensis and Prebystis potenziani) only found on the Mentawai
Islands, off the west coast of Sumatra, the small number of
one-horned rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus) found only in the
Ujung Kulon reserve in West lava.
Besides, many interesting animals are worthy to note, such as
the banteng (Boss Javanicus), three kangaroo (Dorcopsis mulleri)
from Papua, fresh-water dolphin (Orcaella brevirostris) from
Mahakam River in Kalimantan and the proboscis monkey also from
Kalimantan. In addition there are the great variety of birds
including egrets, herons, kingfishers, hawks, eagles, and many
others, thousands of species of insects, tortoises, turtles, and
many kinds of lizards and snakes, and also exotic species of
fishes, crabs, mollusks and other aquatic animals living both in
salt and fresh water.
Some parts of the Indonesian archipelago are still unexplored
and open for botanical and zoological surveys and discoveries.
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ORNAMENTAL FISH
Indonesia is also known for its ornamental fish species which
are now being exported to the United States, Japan, and Germany.
These ornamental fish species which are known for their colorful
shape and beauty include: the Amphiprion fish, the Dascyllus,
the red colored Labriclae and the Coris Aygula species found in
plenty around the Bali strait.
Doctor fishes or Labroidae dimidiatus are ornamental fishes,
which behave like doctors, examining their patients or pecking
the body of other fishes. The most common species among
Indonesia's ornamental fishes are the Thalassoma lunare. The
Chaetotontidae have small beaks, but the Forcipiger longirostris
and the Rostratus fish are characteristic for their long snouts.
The Heniches acuminatus have very long back-fins exceeding their
body length and the Monish idol or Zanclus canescens can have a
size of 20 cm.
Pamancanthus imperator, Pamancanthus semicirculatus
Pygoplites-diacanthus and Auxiphipos navarchus or angle fishes
belonging to the Pamancanthidae families are collected because
of their beautiful colors.
The Acarthuridaes and Paracunthurus hepatus fishes are very
attractive due to their specific bleish color. Other attractive
species are the Acunthurus-leucostemon fish, the
Zebrazoma-veliverum and the Naso-literature fishes. Fishes
living solitary are the Triggerfishes or Balistidaes.
Sea Horses or Hippocampus-coronatus of the syngnathidae family
are also among the ornamental fishes collected in Indonesia. The
Peacock fishes called so after their long fins, found in
Indonesian waters are the Ptrerois-zebra, Pterois-bachiopterus,
A Volitans, A Rusel/ii, A Miles and the Radiatas, all of them
belonging to the Scorpanidae family. There are still many other
species of ornamental fish in Indonesia, too many to be
mentioned.
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PEARLS SHELLS
Pearl oysters found in Indonesia are the Pictada maxima,
Pmagaritifera and Rteria penguin species. The seas of
Indonesia's eastern part around Halmahera Island, the Maluku and
Aru islands are the habitat of these species.
Pearl oysters became an important marine product after the
setting up of the Marine Fisheries Research Institute (LPPL) in
1960 which started to conduct research and making experiments on
the cultivation of pearl bearing oysters on the island of Aru
and in Sulawesi. The series of successful experiments have given
rise to the establishment of several pearl cultivation companies
in the country. Indonesian pearls are in great demand because of
their large size and superb quality. Pearl shells are found
plentifully in Maluku. People used to dive for these shells for
their iridescent colors and make of them beautiful ornamental
articles and jewelry.
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FLORA
Indonesia lies within the botanical region of Melanesia,
covering the Malay Peninsula south of the Isthmus of Kra, the
Indonesia archipelago; the Philippines and the whole of Papua
New Guinea and Papua except the Solomon Islands. For the most
part the Melanesian region is covered by the luxuriant growth of
the characteristics tropical rainforest vegetation, a type of
ever-wet vegetation containing a large number of timber species
harboring various kinds of epiphytes, saprophytes and lianas.
These characteristic features and the high number of genera and
species endemic within this region make the flora of Indonesia
completely different from that of neighboring continental Asia
and Australia, as well as from the flora of other tropical areas
in the world. The richness of the Melanesian region of which
Indonesia represents the major portion, is reflected in the
accommodation of close to 40,000 species of pants, or about
10-12 percent of the estimated number of plant species in the
whole world.
Above an altitude of 1,000 m, a better development of what is
normally considered temperature families can be seen, such as
the Rosaceae, Lauraceae, Fogaceae, etc. Higher still, elfin or
mossy forest and alpine vegetation are found, but comparatively
speaking this is insignificant since the major part of
Indonesian land-mass consists of lowland.
As might be expected, the rich flora of Indonesia contains many
unique examples of tropical plant life and manifestations
Rafflesia arnoldif which is found only in certain parts of
Sumatra is the plant with the largest flower in the world; this
parasitic plant grows on certain lianas but does not produce
leaves. From the same area in Sumatra comes another giant,
Amorphoplalus titanum, with the largest inflorescence of its
kind. The insect trapping pitcher plants (Nepenthea Spp.) are
represented by different kinds of species from many areas in
western Indonesia. The myriad or orchids found in Indonesia are
rich in species, varying in size from the largest of all
orchids, the tiger orchid Grammatophyllum speciosum, to the tiny
and leafless species of Taeniophyllum used by the local people
as a source of food, medicine and handicraft. The forest ground
in Indonesia is so rich in litter enabling a multitude of fungi
to grow luxuriantly, including the horsehair blight, the
luminescent species, the sooty mould and the black mildew.
Moreover, the flora making up the Indonesian vegetation abounds
in timber species. The Dipterocarp family is world famous as the
main source of timber (the meranti) as well as resin and
vegetable fat, tengkawang or illipe nuts. Ramin, a valuable kind
of timber for furniture, is obtained from species of Gonystylus,
whereas sandalwood, ebony, ulin and the kayu Palembang are taken
directly from the forest. Besides, Indonesia is also known for
its teakwood, a product of man-made forest in 3ava.
In view of the richness of the Indonesian flora it isn't
surprising that the Indonesian people are depending heavily on
these natural resources to support their daily life.
Approximately 6,000 species of Indonesian plants are known to be
used directly by the local people. Most characteristics in this
modern time is probably the use of plants as the source of raw
material for Indonesia's traditional herbal medicine (jamu) and
as indispensable part in ceremonies, customs and traditions.
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INDONESIA STANDARD TIME
Indonesia's three time zones are as below:
1. Western Indonesia Standard Time equals GMT plus 7 hours
(meridian 1050E), covering all provinces in Sumatra and 3ava,
and the provinces of West and Central Kalimantan.
2. Central Indonesia Standard Time equals GMT plus 8 hours
(meridian 120E), covering the provinces of East and South
Kalimantan, all provinces in Sulawesi, and the provinces of
Bali, West and East Nusa tenggara. *
3. Eastern Indonesia Standard Time equals GMT plus 9 hours
(meridian 1350E), covering the provinces of Maluku and Papua.
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EXCLUSIVE ECONOMIC ZONE
When independence was proclaimed and sovereignty gained,
Indonesia had to enact laws to govern the seas in accordance
with the geographic structure of an archipelagic state. This,
however, did not mean that the country would bar international
passage. The laws were necessary instruments for the unity and
national resilience of the country, with a territory that
embraces all the islands, the islets and the seas in between.
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|
Area |
1,904,000 sq km |
|
Land Area |
1,010,443 sq km |
|
Climate |
Tropical |
|
Average temperature |
21 - 33 oC |
|
Mean annual rainfall |
700 mm |
|
Population |
216 million (growth rate 1.5%)
|
|
Capital city |
Jakarta (pop 9.3 million) |
|
People |
There are 365 ethnic and tribal
groups. The principal ones are Acehnese, Bataks, Minangkabaus
(Sumatra); Javanese, Sundanese (Java); Balinese (Bali); Sasaks
(Lombok); and Dani (Irian Jaya) |
|
Language |
Bahasa
Indonesia (plus 583 dialects), English |
|
Religion |
87% Muslim, 9% Christian, 2%
Hindu |
|
Life expectancy |
62 years |
|
GDP |
US$67 billion |
|
GDP per head |
US$550 |
|
Annual growth |
-4% |
|
Inflation
|
0.02% |
|
Major products/industries |
Oil, gas, textiles, timber,
coffee, rubber, coal, tin, copper, rice, pepper, palm oil |
|
Major trading partners |
Japan, USA, Singapore |
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