14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
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
Jewish 76.4%, Muslim 16%, Arab Christians 1.7%, other Christian 0.4%, Druze 1.6%, unspecified 3.9% (2004)
Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)
Languages
Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects (the most widely spoken of which is Javanese)
Exports
machinery and equipment, software, cut diamonds, agricultural products, chemicals, textiles and apparel
oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, textiles, rubber
External Debt
$104,200,000,000 $
$187,100,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
new Israeli shekels (ILS) per US dollar - 3.56 (2008 est.), 4.14 (2007), 4.4565 (2006), 4.4877 (2005), 4.482 (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
7.400%
0.900%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
1
5
Location
Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean
Area
20,770 km sq
1,904,569 km sq
Coastline
273 km
54,716 km
Climate
temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
