Indonesia

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. Home to over 10 million people, Jakarta is always bustling, from the sound of the wheel of government turning to the sight of the economy churning. Skyscrapers, single story residential houses, modern apartment complexes, survivalists shanties - all coexist in this city. So, why should you visit Jakarta? Well, for the same reasons you would visit New York, or London, or Paris, or Singapore, or any other big city.

Like many other major Asian capitals, Jakarta is a polyglot of ethnic groups that all contribute to making up the city's collective culture. The history and culture of Jakarta has many elements of India, Arabia, other parts of Asia, and the colonial powers of Europe, interwined with its own.

Jakarta has more than its share of diverse ethnic influences as it is also the capital of a nation with over 17,000 islands and 300 cultural groups, many of which speak their own language as well as the national language, Bahasa Indonesia.

As the prime gateway to Indonesia, Jakarta offers the culture of various regions and groups in the archipelago, in line with the national motto "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" or Unity in Diversity.

The city's dominant populations come from the surroundings areas of Java, many parts of Sumatra, Bali, and Sulawesi. Also making themselves known area those hailing from Irian Jaya, Indonesia's most eastern province, and Kalimantan, home of the Dayak and one of the largest rainforest in the world. Over the centuries, these groups have kept their cultural roots, yet some have also intermixed, including with non-Indonesians, to form a special group in their own known as Orang Betawi.

Above all its mix of races and cultures probably still the most dominant in Jakarta is that of central Java, the source of art, music and dance - albeit Indian influenced - that represents much of what little most outsiders know of Indonesia. An important example is the highly stylized wayang.

Jakarta is the port of entry for many tourists and business people. It is home to a dynamic contrast between Western-style skyscrapers, modern urban life-styles and traditional Indonesian culture. Its rapid growth into a metropolitan city reflects the economic, political, social and industrial development of the nation.

In recent years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with luxury hotels, fine restaurants, exciting nightlife and modern shopping centers. It contains many tourist attractions such as Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Beautiful 'Indonesia in Miniature' Park), restored colonial period buildings, island resorts in the Pula Seribu (Thousand Island), and an extensive beach recreation complex called Ancol Dreamland.

General Information

Indonesia is an archipelago of over 17,000 islands with a population of more than 200 million, scatterd over a land area of some 2.02 million square kilometers. Lying across a region of immense volcanic activity, Indonesia has some 400 volcanoes, with at least 70 still active.

Bahasa Indonesia is the official language. English is frequently used in commerce. The people are predominantly Muslim, minority religious groups being Christians, Hindus and Buddhists.

Climate

Although Indonesia is hot and humid throughout the year, the official wet season runs from October to August and is marked by heavy, short rainstorms after which the air is fresher. Temperatures range from 21 to 33°C in the lowlands. Higher altitudes enjoy cooler conditions.

Population:

241,973,879 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 29.1% (male 35,823,456/female 34,590,631)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 79,447,560/female 79,449,399)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 5,526,389/female 7,136,444) (2005 est.)

Median age:

total: 26.48 years
male: 26.03 years
female: 26.93 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:

1.45% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:

20.71 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:

6.25 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:

total: 35.6 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 40.72 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 30.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Ethnic groups:

Javanese 45%, Sundanese 14%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26%

Religions:

Muslim 88%, Protestant 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1998)

Languages:

Bahasa Indonesia (official, modified form of Malay), English, Dutch, local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese

Literacy:

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.9%
male: 92.5%
female: 83.4% (2002)

Economy - overview:

Indonesia, a vast polyglot nation, has restored financial stability and pursued sober fiscal policies since the Asian financial crisis, but many economic development problems remain, including high unemployment, a fragile banking sector, endemic corruption, inadequate infrastructure, a poor investment climate, and unequal resource distribution among regions. Indonesia became a net oil importer in 2004 due to declining production and lack of new exploration investment. As a result, 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 over 237,000 lives in Indonesia and caused massive destruction of property.

GDP:

purchasing power parity - $827.4 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:

4.9% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:

purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:

agriculture: 14.6%
industry: 45%
services: 40.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

111.5 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 45%, industry 16%, services 39% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:

9.2% (2004 est.)

Labor force:

111.5 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:

agriculture 45%, industry 16%, services 39% (1999 est.)

This is a scene in the center of Jakarta, just west of Jalan Thamrin. The center of the city has rows and rows of high-rises, but just next door there are regular neighborhoods with red-tiled roofs, warungs, and neighborhood mosques. Notice the children going to school. The little orange three-wheeled vehicle is called a "bajaj". They have a small gasoline engine. It's an inexpensive way to get around.

This is Jalan Thamrin, the main route through the heart of Jakarta. Traffic in this photo is surprisingly light.

The National Monument or MONAS is right in the center of the city. It's in the middle of a big square with fountains and lawns. The Merdeka Palace is on the north side of the square, the National Museum is on the west, and Gambir railway station and the Istiqlal Mosque are on the east.

The Istiqlal Mosque was built by Sukarno back in the early 60s. It's certainly the largest Mosque in Indonesia, and one of the largest in the world. This picture is from a telephone card wishing you "Happy Ramadan".

Just to the west is the National Museum. This is a view of the central courtyard, which is full of sculptures from many different periods of Indonesia's ancient history. You can see MONAS just over the roof to the left.

The National Museum has beautiful examples of all sorts of arts and handicrafts, too. This cloth was used for ceremonies in a Sultan's court. It is woven with real gold threads.

This is the saddle and lance of Prince Diponegoro, in the National Museum. Diponegoro, a prince of the Hamengkubuwono house of Yogya, led a brave resistance against the Dutch in 1825-1830. M.C. Ricklefs describes him this way: "As a senior prince he had access to the aristocracy, as a mystic to the religious community, and as a rural dweller to the masses of the countryside." Today all sorts of things from streets to universities are named after him.