Indonesia, Republic of, island republic and largest
nation of South East Asia, constituting most of the Malay Archipelago
and including all of the former Netherlands Indies. Indonesia
comprises more than 13,670 islands straddling the equator, 6,000
of which are inhabited. From the island of Sumatra in the west
to that of New Guinea in the east, Indonesia stretches across
some 5,150 km (3,200 mi) of ocean, or almost one eighth of the
Earth's circumference; Indonesia's north-south spread is about
1,931 km (1,200 mi).
Population - 195,280,000
Ethnic groups - Javanese 45%, Sundanese
14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%
Religions - Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman
Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)
Languages - Bahasa Indonesia (official,
modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the
most widely spoken of which is Javanese
Indonesia is 7-9 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+7 through
+9 GMT)
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