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Geography
Indonesia
is the largest archipelago in the world. It consists
of five major islands and about 30 smaller groups.
The figure for the total number of islands is 17,508
according to the Indonesian Naval Hydro-Oceanographic
Office. The archipelago is on a crossroad between
two oceans, the Pacific and the Indian, and bridges
two continents, Asia and Australia. This strategic
position has always influenced the cultural, social,
political, and economic life of the country.
The
territory of the Republic of Indonesia stretches from
6°08' north latitude to 11°15' south latitude,
and from 94°45' to 141°05' east longitude.
The Indonesian sea area is four times greater than
its land area, which is about 1.9 million sq. km.
The sea are is about 7.9 million sq. km (including
an exclusive economic zone) and constitutes about
81% of the total area of the country. The five main
islands are: Sumatra, which is about 473,606 sq. km
in size; the most fertile and densely populated islands,
Java/Madura, 132,107 sq. km; Kalimantan, which comprises
two thirds of the islands of Borneo and measures 539,460
sq. km; Sulawesi, 189,216 sq. km; and Irian Jaya,
421,981 sq. km, which is part of the world's second
largest island, New Guinea. Indonesia's other islands
are smaller in size.
The
archipelago is divided into three groups. The islands
of Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan, and the small islands
in between, lie on the Sunda Shelf which begin on
the coasts of Malaysia and Indo China, where the sea
depth does not exceed 700 feet. Irian Jaya which is
part of the island of New Guinea, and the Aru Isles
lie on the Sahul Shelf, which stretches northwards
from the Australian coast. Here the sea depth is similar
to that of the Sunda Shelf. Located between these
two shelves is the island group of Nusa Tenggara,
Maluku, and Sulawesi, where the sea depth reaches
15,000 feet. Coastal plains have been developed around
the islands of Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, and Irian
Jaya.
The
land area is generally covered by thick tropical rain
forest, where fertile soils are continuously replenished
by volcanic eruptions like those on the island of
Java.
