A Brief Overview of Indonesia

Republic of Indonesia or commonly abbreviated RI or Indonesia is a country located in Southeast Asia. Indonesia is crossed by the equator and located between Asia and Australia and between the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world comprising of 13 466 islands. Alternative names used for Indonesia is Nusantara.

Indonesia has a population of over 237 million people in 2010. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and the most populous Muslim country in the world, with over 207 million people, although officially not an Islamic state.

Indonesia is a republic form of government, the House of Representatives, Regional Representatives Council and the President are elected directly by the people.

The capital of Indonesia is Jakarta. Indonesian land borders with Malaysia on Borneo island, with Papua New Guinea on the island of Papua and East Timor on the island of Timor (former part of the Indonesian province). Other neighboring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.

Indonesia consists of various ethnic groups, languages, and religions from Sabang to Merauke. Indonesia based clump nation (race) consisting of the indigenous Malay indigenous peoples and Papua, where the Malays are the largest in number and more inhabit the western part of Indonesia.

Based on more specific nation, ethnic group is the Javanese ethnic groups included in the grove of the Malays and the Second largest by population reaches 41.7% of the Indonesian population.

Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" ("Different but still one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. Indonesia has a dense population and vast territory and natural areas that support high levels of biodiversity in the world's second largest.

Indonesia's history is heavily influenced by other nations in the world. The Indonesian archipelago became an important trade region since at least the 7th century, when the kingdom of Srivijaya in Palembang religion and trade relations with China and India.

In the early centuries CE, and Hindu kingdoms Buddha has grown, followed by the traders who brought Islam, as well as various European powers fought one another to monopolize the spice trade in the Moluccas during the era of ocean exploration. Indonesia declared its independence at the end of World War II.