Brief Introduction Capital: Jakarta Area: total: 1,904,443 sq km The important Festival: National day: August 17 Population: 0.215billion Language: Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese. Currency: IDR

Indonesia

Geography

Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

Administrative divisions

27 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular - propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular - daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Banten, Bengkulu, Gorontalo, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Yogyakarta*; note - with the implementation of decentralization on 1 January 2001, the 357 districts (regencies) have become the key administrative units responsible for providing most government services.

Economy – overview

Jakarta is not reaping the benefits of high world oil prices, and the cost of subsidizing domestic fuel prices has placed an increasing strain on the budget. Keys to future growth remain internal reform, building up the confidence of international and domestic investors, and strong global economic growth. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took nearly 127,000 lives, left more than 93,000 missing and nearly 441,000 displaced, and destroyed $4.5 to $5.0 billion worth of property.

Culture and media

Newspaper:

Analisa, Bernas , Bisnis Indonesia, Bola, Jakarta Post, the , Kontan , Sinar Indonesia Baru , Sinar Pagi, Suara Pembaruan .

TV Stations:

Indiosar , MetroTV News, Trans-TV , TVRI