Geography of Indonesia

Archipelago of 17,508 islands(6,000 inhabited); straddlesequator; strategic locationastride or along major sea lanesfrom Indian Ocean to PacificOceanLocation: Southeastern Asia, archipelagobetween the Indian Ocean andthe Pacific OceanGeographic coordinates: 5 00 S, 120 00 EArea: total: 1,904,569 sq km land:1,811,569 sq km water: 93,000sq kmSize comparison: slightly lessthan three times the size ofTexasLand Boundaries: total: 2,830 km border countries:Timor-Leste 228 km, Malaysia1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820kmCoastline: 54,716 kmMaritime claims: measured from claimedarchipelagic straight baselinesterritorial sea: 12 nm exclusiveeconomic zone: 200 nmClimate: tropical; hot, humid; moremoderate in highlandsTerrain: mostly coastal lowlands; largerislands have interior mountainsElevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030mNatural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas,nickel, timber, bauxite, copper,fertile soils, coal, gold, silverLand use: arable land: 11.03% permanentcrops: 7.04% other: 81.93%(2005)Irrigated land: 45,000 sq km (2003)Natural hazards: occasional floods; severedroughts; tsunamis;earthquakes; volcanoes; forestfiresCurrent Environment Issues: deforestation; water pollutionfrom industrial wastes, sewage;air pollution in urban areas;smoke and haze from forestfiresInternational EnvironmentAgreements: party to: Biodiversity, ClimateChange, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification,Endangered Species, HazardousWastes, Law of the Sea, OzoneLayer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, TropicalTimber 94, Wetlands signed, butnot ratified: Marine LifeConservation