dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute
over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear
proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to
Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and
confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse
tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005
earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of
the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with
portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin),
India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern
Areas); India and Pakistan have maintained the 2004 cease fire in
Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in
the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the
highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar
Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the
larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its
tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan
(UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949;
India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to
China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a
maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of
the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann
of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its
Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh
remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to
exchange territory for 51 Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111
Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, to allocate divided villages, and to
stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of
terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's
attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; dispute
with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the
Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks
cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam
separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint
Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary
sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source
of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to
keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border
activities from Nepal
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 77,200 (Tibet/China); 69,609 (Sri
Lanka); 9,472 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu
and Kashmir) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: India is a source, destination, and transit
country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of
forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; internal forced
labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men,
women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labor
working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroidery
factories; women and girls are trafficked within the country for the
purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage;
children are subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domestic
servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as
armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups; India is
also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh
trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Indian
women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual
exploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked
through India for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation in
the Middle East
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India is on the Tier 2 Watch List
for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence of
increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; despite the
reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, government
authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect
trafficking victims; government authorities continued to rescue
victims of commercial sexual exploitation and forced child labor and
child armed combatants, and began to show progress in law
enforcement against these forms of trafficking; a critical challenge
overall is the lack of punishment for traffickers, effectively
resulting in impunity for acts of human trafficking; India has not
ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical
trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit
international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics
produced in neighboring countries and throughout Southwest Asia;
illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money
laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor
production
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Indian Ocean (Oceans)
Introduction ::Indian Ocean
Background:
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's five oceans
(after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but larger than the
Southern Ocean and Arctic Ocean). Four critically important access
waterways are the Suez Canal (Egypt), Bab el Mandeb
(Djibouti-Yemen), Strait of Hormuz (Iran-Oman), and Strait of
Malacca (Indonesia-Malaysia). The decision by the International
Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth
ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Indian Ocean
south of 60 degrees south latitude.
Geography ::Indian Ocean
Location:
body of water between Africa, the Southern Ocean, Asia, and Australia
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 80 00 E
Map references:
Political Map of the World
Area:
total: 68.556 million sq km
note: includes Andaman Sea, Arabian Sea, Bay of Bengal, Flores Sea,
Great Australian Bight, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Java Sea,
Mozambique Channel, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Savu Sea, Strait of
Malacca, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative:
about 5.5 times the size of the US
Coastline:
66,526 km
Climate:
northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon (June to
October); tropical cyclones occur during May/June and
October/November in the northern Indian Ocean and January/February
in the southern Indian Ocean
Terrain:
surface dominated by counterclockwise gyre (broad, circular system
of currents) in the southern Indian Ocean; unique reversal of
surface currents in the northern Indian Ocean; low atmospheric
pressure over southwest Asia from hot, rising, summer air results in
the southwest monsoon and southwest-to-northeast winds and currents,
while high pressure over northern Asia from cold, falling, winter
air results in the northeast monsoon and northeast-to-southwest
winds and currents; ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Indian Ocean
Ridge and subdivided by the Southeast Indian Ocean Ridge, Southwest
Indian Ocean Ridge, and Ninetyeast Ridge
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Java Trench -7,258 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, shrimp, sand and gravel aggregates, placer
deposits, polymetallic nodules
Natural hazards:
occasional icebergs pose navigational hazard in southern reaches
Environment - current issues:
endangered marine species include the dugong, seals, turtles, and
whales; oil pollution in the Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Red Sea
Geography - note:
major chokepoints include Bab el Mandeb, Strait of Hormuz, Strait of
Malacca, southern access to the Suez Canal, and the Lombok Strait
Economy ::Indian Ocean
Economy - overview:
The Indian Ocean provides major sea routes connecting the Middle
East, Africa, and East Asia with Europe and the Americas. It carries
a particularly heavy traffic of petroleum and petroleum products
from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and Indonesia. Its fish are
of great and growing importance to the bordering countries for
domestic consumption and export. Fishing fleets from Russia, Japan,
South Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian Ocean, mainly for
shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are being tapped in
the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and western
Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil production
comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy minerals and
offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by bordering
countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka,
and Thailand.
Transportation ::Indian Ocean
Ports and terminals:
Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa),
Jakarta (Indonesia), Kolkata (Calcutta; India) Melbourne
(Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richards Bay (South Africa)
Transportation - note:
the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of
littoral states and offshore waters as high risk for piracy and
armed robbery against ships, particularly in the Gulf of Aden, along
the east coast of Africa, the Bay of Bengal, and the Strait of
Malacca; numerous vessels, including commercial shipping and
pleasure craft, have been attacked and hijacked both at anchor and
while underway; hijacked vessels are often disguised and cargoes
stolen; crew and passengers are often held for ransom, murdered, or
cast adrift; the presence of several naval task forces in the Gulf
of Aden and additional anti-piracy measures on the part of ship
operators have reduced the piracy incidents; in response local
pirates shifted operations farther south along the east coast of
Somalia and eastward along the coast of Oman
Transnational Issues ::Indian Ocean
Disputes - international:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
page last updated on October 22, 2009
======================================================================
@Indonesia (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Indonesia
Background:
The Dutch began to colonize Indonesia in the early 17th century;
Japan occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945. Indonesia declared its
independence after Japan's surrender, but it required four years of
intermittent negotiations, recurring hostilities, and UN mediation
before the Netherlands agreed to transfer sovereignty in 1949.
Indonesia's first free parliamentary election after decades of
repressive rule took place in 1999. Indonesia is now the world's
third-largest democracy, the world's largest archipelagic state, and
home to the world's largest Muslim population. Current issues
include: alleviating poverty, improving education, preventing
terrorism, consolidating democracy after four decades of
authoritarianism, implementing economic and financial reforms,
stemming corruption, holding the military and police accountable for
past human rights violations, addressing climate change, and
controlling avian influenza. In 2005, Indonesia reached a historic
peace agreement with armed separatists in Aceh, which led to
democratic elections in December 2006. Indonesia continues to face a
low intensity separatist movement in Papua.
Geography ::Indonesia
Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the
Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates:
5 00 S, 120 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 1,904,569 sq km
country comparison to the world: 16
land: 1,811,569 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,830 km
border countries: Timor-Leste 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New
Guinea 820 km
Coastline:
54,716 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain:
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper,
fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Land use:
arable land: 11.03%
permanent crops: 7.04%
other: 81.93% (2005)
Irrigated land:
45,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
2,838 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 82.78 cu km/yr (8%/1%/91%)
per capita: 372 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasional floods; severe droughts; tsunamis; earthquakes;
volcanoes; forest fires
Environment - current issues:
deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air
pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator;
strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian
Ocean to Pacific Ocean
People ::Indonesia
Population:
240,271,522 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.1% (male 34,337,341/female 33,162,207)
15-64 years: 66% (male 79,549,569/female 78,918,321)
65 years and over: 6% (male 6,335,208/female 7,968,876) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.6 years
male: 27.1 years
female: 28.1 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.136% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117
Birth rate:
18.84 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 108
Death rate:
6.25 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153
Net migration rate:
-1.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
Urbanization:
urban population: 52% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 3.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 29.97 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 74
male: 34.93 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 24.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.76 years
country comparison to the world: 137
male: 68.26 years
female: 73.38 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.31 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 109
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.2% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 99
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
270,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 25
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
8,700 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E,
and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, and malaria
note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in
this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases
possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Indonesian(s)
adjective: Indonesian
Ethnic groups:
Javanese 40.6%, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau 2.7%,
Betawi 2.4%, Bugis 2.4%, Banten 2%, Banjar 1.7%, other or
unspecified 29.9% (2000 census)
Religions:
Muslim 86.1%, Protestant 5.7%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 1.8%, other
or unspecified 3.4% (2000 census)
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: 90.4%
male: 94%
female: 86.8% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 12 years
female: 11 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.6% of GDP (2006)
country comparison to the world: 127
Government ::Indonesia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Indonesia
conventional short form: Indonesia
local long form: Republik Indonesia
local short form: Indonesia
former: Netherlands East Indies, Dutch East Indies
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Jakarta
geographic coordinates: 6 10 S, 106 49 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: Indonesia is divided into three time zones
Administrative divisions:
30 provinces (provinsi-provinsi, singular - provinsi), 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, Kepulauan Riau, Lampung, Maluku, Maluku Utara, Nusa
Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Papua, Papua Barat, Riau,
Sulawesi Barat, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi
Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera
Utara, Yogyakarta*
note: following the implementation of decentralization beginning on
1 January 2001, the 465 regencies and municipalities have become the
key administrative units responsible for providing most government
services
Independence:
17 August 1945 (declared); 27 December 1949 (by the Netherlands)
note: in August 2005, the Netherlands announced it recognized de
facto Indonesian independence on 17 August 1945
National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 August (1945)
Constitution:
August 1945; abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and
Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959; series of
amendments concluded in 2002
Legal system:
based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous
concepts and by new criminal procedures and election codes; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal and married persons regardless of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20 October
2004); Vice President BOEDIONO (since 20 October 2009); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO (since 20
October 2004); Vice President Muhammad Yusuf KALLA (since 20 October
2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president are elected for five-year
terms (eligible for a second term) by direct vote of the citizenry;
last held on 8 July 2009 (next to be held in July 2014)
election results: Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO elected president;
percent of vote - Susilo Bambang YUDHOYONO 60.8%, MEGAWATI
Sukarnoputri 26.8%, Jusuf KALLA 12.4%
Legislative branch:
People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or
MPR) is the upper house, consists of members of DPR and DPD, has
role in inaugurating and impeaching the president and in amending
the constitution, does not formulate national policy; House of
Representatives or Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR) (550 seats, members
elected to serve five-year terms), formulates and passes legislation
at the national level; House of Regional Representatives (Dewan
Perwakilan Daerah or DPD), constitutionally mandated role includes
providing legislative input to DPR on issues affecting regions
elections: last held 9 April 2009 (next to be held in 2014)
election results: percent of vote by party - PD 20.9%, GOLKAR 14.5%,
PDI-P 14.0%, PKS 7.9%, PAN 6.0%, PPP 5.3%, PKB 4.9%, GERINDRA 4.5%,
HANURA 3.8%, others 18.2%; seats by party - PD 148, GOLKAR 108,
PDI-P 93, PKS 59, PAN 42, PPP 39, PKB 26, GERINDRA 30, HANURA 15
note: 29 other parties received less than 2.5% of the vote so did
not obtain any seats; because of election rules, the number of seats
won does not always follow the percentage of votes received by
parties
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Mahkamah Agung is the final court of appeal but
does not have the power of judicial review (justices are appointed
by the president from a list of candidates selected by the
legislature); in March 2004 the Supreme Court assumed administrative
and financial responsibility for the lower court system from the
Ministry of Justice and Human Rights; Constitutional Court or
Mahkamah Konstitusi (invested by the president on 16 August 2003)
has the power of judicial review, jurisdiction over the results of a
general election, and reviews actions to dismiss a president from
office; Labor Court under supervision of Supreme Court began
functioning in January 2006; the Anti-Corruption Court has
jurisdiction over corruption cases brought by the independent
Corruption Eradication Commission; in 2006, the Constitutional Court
declared the mechanism by which the Anti-Corruption Court was
established unconstitutional and gave the parliament until the end
of 2009 to pass Anti-Corruption Court legislation
Political parties and leaders:
Democrat Party or PD [Hadi UTOMO]; Functional Groups Party or GOLKAR
[Aburizal BAKRIE]; Great Indonesia Movement Party or GERINDRA
[WIRANTO]; Indonesia Democratic Party-Struggle or PDI-P [MEGAWATI
Sukarnoputri]; National Awakening Party or PKB [Muhaiman ISKANDAR];
National Mandate Party or PAN [Sutrisno BACHIR]; People's Conscience
Party or HANURA [SUHARDI]; Prosperous Justice Party or PKS [Tifatul
SEMBIRING]; United Development Party or PPP [Suryadharma ALI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Indonesian Women's Coalition (Koalisi Perempuan - human rights
group); Islamic Defenders Front or FPI; National Alliance for
Freedom of Religion and Faith; Oil Palm Watch (environmental)
International organization participation:
ADB, APEC, APT, ARF, ASEAN, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-20, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,
ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PIF (partner), UN, UNAMID,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador SUDJADNAN Parnohadiningrat
chancery: 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 775-5200
FAX: [1] (202) 775-5365
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San
Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron R. HUME
embassy: Jalan 1 Medan Merdeka Selatan 4-5, Jakarta 10110
mailing address: Unit 8129, Box 1, FPO AP 96520
telephone: [62] (21) 3435-9000
FAX: [62] (21) 3435-9922
consulate(s) general: Surabaya
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the
flag of Monaco, which is shorter; also similar to the flag of
Poland, which is white (top) and red
Economy ::Indonesia
Economy - overview: