Republic of Indonesia (RI)

A Champion

17,000 Islands
1,300 Ethnic Groups
700 Languages
275mio people (4th most populous in the world)
50% of population lives in Java
Country with largest Muslim population
14th largest country by area
2mio square kilometres (735k square miles)
Largest archipelagic state
Presidential Republic with 37 Provinces
Capital: Jakarta

Republic of Indonesia (RI), is located between the Indian and Pacific oceans in Southeast Asia. Indonesia has land or sea borders with Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, the eastern part of Malaysia, The Philippines, Australia, Palau, and India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands). Even though it’s the 4th most populous country of the world, there are vast areas that are still wild and therefore Indonesia serves globally as an important region for biodiversity, on land and in the ocean.

Amazing Facts: True Size Comparison Indonesia, India, Australia, Europe, USA

Unity in Diversity

Indonesia: 275mio people, 17,000 islands thousands of native ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, an incredible cultural diversity; spanning an area from east to West that is larger than Australia or Europe. A country of superlatives.

One can imagine, it is not an easy task to create a common identity among its citizens of such a large and diverse country. Much smaller countries and regions have failed to unite their territory and became prone to separatist movements.

Indonesia embraced a motto that is taught already in kindergarden and schools and became a part of the Indonesian identity:

Unity in Diversity – “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika” (translated: many, yet one).

Bahasa Indonesia has been established firmly as the lingua franca and serves as the main national language. Even though the majority of the population is muslim, the state promotes a religious pluralism and tolerance.

Furthermore, the philosophical concept of PANCASILA, implemented by Indonesia’s first President, serves as foundation for unity.

PANCASILA Principles

State Philosophy

Belief in the Almighty God – Ketuhanan yang Maha Esa
Just and civilized humanity – Kemanusiaan yang adil dan beradab
The unity of Indonesia – Persatuan Indonesia
Democracy guided by the inner wisdom in the unanimity arising out of deliberations among representatives – Kerakyatan yang dipimpin oleh hikmat kebijaksanaan dalam permusyawaratan/perwakilan
Social justice for all of the people of Indonesia – Keadilan sosial bagi seluruh rakyat Indonesia

Sanskrit: pañca (“five”) and “śīla” (“principles”).

The Pancasila (consisting of 5 core principles) is the official philosophical theory of Indonesia that serves as a foundation for the nation.

The principles were derived from speeches given by Sukarno, Indonesia´s first President after Indonesia became an Independent State. The principles are taught to Indonesians already at a young age and are woven into the fabric of the political system and regulations.

The Future of Indonesia Shines Bright

The Indonesian archipelago has been a region rich in trade since at least the 7th century trading with mainland China and the Indian subcontinent overall. Although the Portuguese, the French and British ruled at some point in parts of this vast area, the Dutch were the main colonial power and were present for around 350 years.

The proclamation of Indonesia as an Independent State happened in 1945, but it was not until 1949 that the Dutch were willing to let go of their colonial claims and recognised Indonesia’s sovereignty.

Today, the economy of Indonesia is growing steadily and is scheduled to be the world’s 5th-largest by nominal GDP within a decade or two. It is a definite power in the South East Asian region and serves as a steady political and economic partner for its neighbours. Indonesia is a member of several multilateral organisations, including the United Nations, APEC, WTO (World Trade Organization), the G20 (holding the presidency in 2022), and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, East Asia Summit, D-8 and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Indonesia’s demographic, with tens of millions of young and reasonably well educated people pushing into the rising middle class is going to be the engine for economical growth. The country is incredibly rich in natural resources. With a relatively stable democracy and a very successful presidency of Joko Widodo (Jokowi) experts agree, that the country will prosper n the years to come.

INDONESIA (RI)

Interesting FACTS