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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:
2008 $3,900
2007 $3,700
2006 $3,500
GDP annual growth rate:
2008: 6.1%
2007:
6.4%
2006: 5.5%
Unemployment rate:
2008: 8.4%
2007: 9.1%
Military expenditures as a percentage of GDP: 3 (estimated for 2005).
Deaths: 6.24. Births: 19.24, down from 20.71 in 2005.
Estimate for July 2008: 237.5 million, up from 234.69 million in 2007. Growth rate estimated for 2008: 1.175 percent per year. Density for 2005: 132 persons per square kilometer.
More leaving than arriving, for a net loss of 1.25 persons per 1,000 population.
Infant mortality estimated for 2008: 31.04, down from 35.6 in 2005 (deaths before the age of one year, per 1,000 live births).
Average life expectancy at birth estimated for 2008: 70.46, up from 69.57 in 2005.
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 © 2008 by Frank E. Smitha. All rights reserved.