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Apr 2008: Chinese are feeling better about being citizens of Indonesia at the same time that they are identifying themselves more closely with mainland China and embracing Chinese culture. Chinese are starring on television, and there are Chinese in politics. It has been ten years since the last anti-Chinese riots, but fear among them has not completely dissipated.
Many islands in Southeast Asia, between Indian and Pacific Oceans, equivalent in size to 1,385 by 1,385 kilometers, or roughly 866 by 866 miles. Hot and humid. Capital: Jakarta.
Figures unless otherwise stated are from the CIA Factbook.
Factbook: "Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has made significant economic advances under the administration of President YUDHOYONO, but faces challenges stemming from the global financial crisis and world economic downturn. Indonesia's debt-to-GDP ratio in recent years has declined steadily because of increasingly robust GDP growth and sound fiscal stewardship. The government has introduced significant reforms in the financial sector, including in the areas of tax and customs, the use of Treasury bills, and capital market supervision. Indonesia's investment law, passed in March 2007, seeks to address some of the concerns of foreign and domestic investors."
Per capita GDP (2009 U.S. dollars)
2009: $4,000
2008: $3,900
2007: $3,700
2009: 4.5%
2008:
6.1%
2007: 6.3%
2009: 7.7%
2008: 8.4%
2007: 9.1%
2009: 29.8% of GDP
2005: 3%
Living in an urban area: 52% (2008)
July 2009: 240.3 million. Growth rate: 1.136% (ranks 117th)
July 2008:
237.5 million
July 2007 234.69 million
Density for 2005: 132 persons per square kilometer.
2009: 29.97
2008: 31.04
2005:
35.6
2009: 70.76 years
2008: 70.46
2005: 69.57
Living with HIV/AIDS, ages 15 to 49: 0.1 percent (2003)
Javanese 45 percent, Sundanese 14 percent, Madurese 7.5 percent, coastal Malays 7.5 percent, other 26 percent
Muslim 88 percent, Protestant 5 percent, Roman Catholic 3 percent, Hindu 2 percent, Buddhist 1 percent, other 1 percent (1998). Hinduism is prominent on the island of Bali.Buddhism was prevalent before the arrival of Islam. It became adhered to mostly by Indonesia's Chinese. When General Suharto acquired power in 1965 everybody was required to have a religion, or they would be considered Communist, and Communists were being exterminated. So many Chinese made a show of adopting Christianity.
SOURCES:
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
Copyright © 2010 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.