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
5 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Religions
Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)
Roman Catholic (infused with indigenous beliefs), Protestant (mostly Church of the Nazarene)
Languages
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)
Portuguese, Crioulo (a blend of Portuguese and West African words)
Exports
oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber
fuel, shoes, garments, fish, hides
External Debt
$187,100,000,000 $
$741,300,000 US
Exchange Rate
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)
Cape Verdean escudos (CVE) per US dollar - 73.84 (2008 est.), 81.235 (2007), 87.946 (2006), 88.67 (2005), 88.808 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.900%
0.400%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
5
0
Location
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Western Africa, group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Senegal
Area
1,904,569 km sq
4,033 km sq
Coastline
54,716 km
965 km
Climate
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
temperate; warm, dry summer; precipitation meager and very erratic
