17 August 1945 (declared) note: recognized by the Netherlands on 27 December 1949; in August 2005, the Netherlands announced it recognized de facto Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945
Religions
Muslim (Shia and Sunni) 81.2%, Christian 9%, other 9.8% (2001 census)
Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)
Languages
Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)
Exports
petroleum and petroleum products, aluminum, textiles
oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber
External Debt
$14,930,000,000 $
$186,900,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Bahraini dinars (BHD) per US dollar - 0.376 (2008 est.), 0.376 (2007), 0.376 (2006), 0.376 (2005), 0.376 (2004)
Indonesian rupiah (IDR) per US dollar - 9,558.1 (2008 est.), 9,056 (2007 est.), 9,159.3 (2006), 9,704.7 (2005), 8,938.9 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.500%
3.000%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
5
Location
Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Area
760 km sq
1,904,569 km sq
Coastline
161 km
54,716 km
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers