LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Indonesia: Countries
built 664 days ago
An ethnically diverse country, Indonesia is ... plagued by recurring political and inter-communal conflict, particularly in the outlying regions of Kalimantan (Borneo), Central Sulawesi, Aceh and Papua. Conflicts in these areas have left tens of thousands dead and have traumatized and displaced populations on a massive scale. The vast majority of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are women and children, thought to number around 1.4 million.
Source:
In 1997 and 1998, Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the Asian Financial Crisis.[30] This increased popular discontent with the New Order[31] and led to popular protests. Suharto resigned on 21 May 1998.[32] In 1999, East Timor voted to secede from Indonesia, after a twenty-five-year occupation, which was marked by international condemnation of repression and human rights abuses.[33] The Reformasi era following Suharto's resignation, has led to a strengthening of democratic processes, including a regional autonomy program, and the first direct presidential election in 2004. Political and economic instability, social unrest, corruption, and terrorism have slowed progress. Although relations among different religious and ethnic groups are largely harmonious, acute sectarian discontent and violence remain problems in some areas.[34] A political settlement to an armed separatist conflict in Aceh was achieved in 2005.[35]
Source:
Today, Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world. Within this vast archipelago live over 200 million people, scattered across the country's thousands of islands. More than 300 distinct ethnic groups have found and made their homes here, speaking hundreds of different languages and dialects. The nation's diversity owes much ta history and geographic position. Located on major international trade routes for more than two millennia, all of the world's major religions and cultures have brought their influences into the archipelago.
Source:
Across its many islands, Indonesia consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The Javanese are the largest and politically dominant ethnic group. As a unitary state and a nation, Indonesia has developed a shared identity defined by a national language, a majority Muslim population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka tunggal ika" ("Unity in Diversity" lit. "many, yet one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. However, sectarian tensions and separatism have led to violent confrontations that have undermined political and economic stability. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the world's second highest level of biodiversity. The country is richly endowed with natural resources, yet poverty is a defining feature of contemporary Indonesia.
Source:
The majority of Indonesia's producing oil fields are located in the central and western sections of the country. Therefore, the focus of new exploration has been on frontier regions, particularly in eastern Indonesia. Sizable, but as of yet unproven, reserves may lie in the numerous, geologically complex, pre-tertiary basins located in eastern Indonesia. These regions are much more remote and the terrain more difficult to explore than areas of western and central Indonesia.
Source:
In the summer of 1997, Indonesia suffered a major economic setback, along with most other Asian economies. Banks failed and the value of Indonesia's currency, the rupiah, plummeted. Antigovernment demonstrations and riots broke out, directed mainly at the country's prosperous ethnic Chinese. As the economic crisis deepened, student demonstrators occupied the national parliament, demanding Suharto's ouster. On May 21, 1998, Suharto stepped down, ending 32 years of rule, and handed over power to Vice President B. J. Habibie.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Countries