Republic of Indonesia

Republic of Indonesia is the abbreviated RI or country in Southeast Asia, which is crossed by the equator and located between Asia and Australia as well as between the Pacific and Indian Ocean. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic country consisting of 17,508 islands, therefore he is also called the Nusantara (Archipelago Between).With a population of 222 million souls in 2006,  Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world and the largest Muslim populated country in the world, although officially not an Islamic state. Indonesia is a republic form of government, with the House of Representatives, the Regional Representative Council and the President are directly elected. Capital city is Jakarta. Indonesia is bordered by Malaysia on Borneo island, with Papua New Guinea in Guinea and Timor Leste in the Timor Island. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, Philippines, Australia, and the union territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands in India.

History of Indonesia heavily influenced by other nations. Indonesian archipelago became an important trade region since at least the 7th century, when the kingdom of Sriwijaya in Palembang religion and trade relations with China and India. Kingdoms Hinduism and Buddhism have been growing in the early centuries AD, followed by the traders who brought Islam, and various European powers fought one another to monopolize the spice trade in the Moluccas during the era of ocean exploration. Once under Dutch colonial rule, Indonesia which was then called the Dutch East Indies declared its independence at the end of World War II. Furthermore, Indonesia had a variety of obstacles, threats and challenges of natural disasters, corruption, separatism, a democratization process and the period of rapid economic change.

From Sabang to Merauke, Indonesia consists of various ethnic, linguistic and religious groups. The Javanese are the largest ethnic group and most politically dominant. Indonesia's national motto, "Unity in Diversity" ("Diversity remains one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. Besides having a dense population and vast territory, Indonesia has a natural area that supports the level of biodiversity in the world's second largest.