shrimp, fish, and other seafood to
countries.
Exploration
Sailors from India, Egypt, and Phoenicia
(in the Middle East) were the first to
explore the Indian Ocean. They did this
between 3000 and 1000 BC. Europeans
did not begin to explore the ocean until
the 1500s. The Spanish first crossed the
ocean from east to west in 1521. Captain
James Cook of Great Britain
explored the southern waters of the
Indian Ocean in 1772.
Environmental Issues
Waste from factories and cities has polluted
the Indian Ocean. In addition,
there is concern about the amount of oil
being transported in ships on the ocean.
Oil spills have harmed fish and other
animals.
#More to explore
Atlantic Ocean • Ocean • Pacific Ocean
Fishing boats dot a bay off an Indonesian
island in the Indian Ocean.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Indian Ocean 129
Indonesia
The country of Indonesia is made up of
about 13,670 islands. It is the largest
country, both in area and in population,
in Southeast Asia. The capital is Jakarta.
Geography
Indonesia’s islands lie along the equator
between the Indian and Pacific oceans.
Five of the islands make up more than
90 percent of the land area. These are
Sumatra; Java; Sulawesi; southern
Borneo, known as Kalimantan; and
western New Guinea, known as Papua.
Most of the islands are mountainous.
Indonesia has many active volcanoes.
The area is also known for earthquakes.
Indonesia’s climate is hot and humid.
Plants and Animals
Tropical rain forests cover much of
Indonesia. Swamps with mangrove trees
are found in coastal lowlands. Indonesia’s
wildlife includes rhinoceroses, orangutans,
tapirs, tigers, and elephants. A
giant lizard, the Komodo dragon, lives
on a few small islands. The Komodo
dragon can be more than 10 feet (3
meters) long. Among Indonesia’s birds
are cockatoos, bowerbirds, and birds of
paradise. Peacocks live on the island of
Java.
People
Indonesia has more than 300 different
ethnic groups. Most of the groups have
East Asian roots. The largest group is the
Javanese, who live mainly on Java. On
the eastern islands most of the people
are related to the Melanesians of Oceania.
Chinese people form a small but
important group. About 250 languages
are spoken, but Indonesian (also called
Bahasa Indonesia) is the main language.
130 Indonesia BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Most of the population practices Islam.
Other religions include Christianity,
Hinduism, Buddhism, and traditional
beliefs. Most people live in rural areas,
but the cities are growing. More than
half of Indonesia’s population lives on
Java.
Economy
Industry is a major part of Indonesia’s
economy. Manufactured products
include machinery, chemicals, clothing,
electronics, and wood products. Indonesia
also produces oil and natural gas. Its
mines provide bauxite (from which aluminum
is made), copper, nickel, silver,
and gold.
Agriculture employs about 40 percent of
the workforce. The staple crop is rice.
Indonesia is also a major supplier of
natural rubber, made from rubber trees.
Other cash crops include palm oil, sugarcane,
coffee, and coconuts. Goats,
cattle, and sheep are raised. The waters
surrounding Indonesia allow for a fishing
industry.
History
The ancestors of modern Indonesians
migrated to the islands from mainland
Asia thousands of years ago. From the
600s to the 1500s Buddhist and Hindu
kingdoms existed in Indonesia. In the
1200s Muslim traders from India
brought Islam to Sumatra. The religion
spread to the other islands, except for
Bali, which remained Hindu.
Dutch Rule
The Portuguese arrived in Indonesia in
the early 1500s. The Dutch (people
from The Netherlands) and the English
followed. By the late 1600s the Dutch
controlled almost all the islands. They
lost control of Indonesia in 1942, when
the Japanese invaded duringWorldWar
II. After the Japanese surrendered in
1945, The Netherlands tried to regain
control. In 1949, however, the Dutch
granted Indonesia independence.
Independence
In 1965 Indonesia’s first president,
Sukarno, was overthrown. General
Suharto came to power.Widespread
protests forced him to resign in 1998.
Indonesia held free elections in 1999.
Later presidents faced the problems of
terrorism and rebellion in parts of
Indonesia.
In late 2004 one of the largest earthquakes
ever recorded struck off the
northwestern coast of Sumatra. It caused
a giant wave, called a tsunami, that
killed more than 200,000 people.
..More to explore
Jakarta • Tsunami
A boy carries jackfruit on a pole across his
shoulders in Sumatra, Indonesia.
Facts About
INDONESIA
Population
(2008 estimate)
234,342,000
Area
730,024 sq mi
(1,890,754 sq
km)
Capital
Jakarta
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Jakarta, Surabaya,
Bandung,
Medan, Bekasi
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Indonesia 131
Indus River
One of the great rivers of the world, the
Indus has long been a vital feature of the
land now covered by India and Pakistan.
The Indus Valley was the site of one of
the world’s earliest civilizations. The
hymns of ancient India speak of the
river, which is the source of the country’s
name.
The Indus River is about 1,800 miles
(2,900 kilometers) long. It starts high in
the Himalayas in the Tibet region of
