Economy
Main article: Economy of Indonesia
Indonesia suffered of major economic problems in the late 1990s, but economy has recently stabilised.
The country has extensive natural resources like oil and natural gas, tin, copper and gold. Agriculture mainly produces rice, tea, coffee, spices and rubber.
Indonesia's major trading partners are Japan, the United States and the surrounding nations of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.
Demographics
'\'Main article: Demographics of Indonesia''
The Indonesian population can be roughly divided into two groups. In the west of the country, the people are mostly Malay, while the people of the east are Papuan. However, the ethnic structure is rather diverse, with several traditional tribes still living in the inlands of Borneo and Irian Jaya. The Chinese form a large ethnic minority (2 to 3 million). Although important to Indonesian economy, they are generally disliked by indigenous Indonesians.
Islam is Indonesia's main religion, with almost 87% of the people adhering to it. The remainder of the population is Christian (9%), Buddhist (2%), and Hindu (1%), the latter mainly on the island of Bali. Religious conflicts have been numerous in recent years, especially in the Moluccas.
The official language, Bahasa Indonesia - a dialect of Malay - is spoken by almost everybody, although local dialects are usually the primary language.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Indonesia
Art forms in Indonesia have been influenced by several cultures. The famous Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology.
Also well-known are the Javanese wayang kulit shadow theatre shows, displaying several mythological events.
In the book Max Havelaar, Dutch author Multatuli criticised the Dutch treatment of the Indonesians, which gained him international attention.
Miscellaneous topics
Further reading
External link
Countries of the world | Asia