Indonesia

In brief

Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia. Its capital is Jakarta. A new capital, Nusantara, is being built on Borneo. With 285.7 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 4th in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 1,904,569 km². It shares land borders with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Timor-Leste.

GDP per capita stands at $5,060 (2025), 119th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 71.3 years (2024). 59% of the population lives in cities.

History of Indonesia

The archipelago saw the maritime kingdom of Srivijaya flourish on Sumatra, then the Majapahit Empire on Java; the Buddhist temple of Borobudur dates from the 9th century. Islam spread from the 13th century. Colonised by the Dutch from the 17th century and then occupied by Japan, Indonesia declared independence on 17 August 1945 under Sukarno; the Netherlands recognised it in 1949. The Suharto regime (1967-1998), born in the massacres of 1965-1966, gave way to democracy. It has the largest Muslim population in the world.

Geography of Indonesia

The world’s largest archipelago, with about 17,000 islands, Indonesia stretches for more than 5,000 km on either side of the equator. Lying on the Pacific Ring of Fire, it has many active volcanoes. Java is the most populous island in the world; Borneo and Sumatra are home to the last orangutans.

Map of Indonesia

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Flag of Indonesia

The flag of Indonesia is red and white. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• Red50%
• White50%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

Red over white, the “Sang Saka Merah-Putih”, heir to the colours of the Majapahit Empire: red for courage, white for purity. It differs from Monaco’s only in its proportions.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Indonesia” and “Flag of Indonesia”.

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Fact file

Economy and society