THE REPUBLIC OF Indonesia covers an archipelago of 13,667 islands, and has a land area of 735,355 sq. mi. (1,904,569 sq. km.), with a population of 231,627,000 (2006 est.), and a population density of 347 people per sq. mi. (134 people per sq. km.), although this reflects a massively overpopulated Java, and many underpopulated islands. Jakarta, the capital and the largest city, has a population density of 33,049 per sq. mi. (12,738 per sq. km.).

Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, with 10 percent of the land arable, 7 percent used for meadows and pasture, and 62 percent of the country covered by forests. Indonesia is a significant oil producer, and 81 percent of its electricity production comes from fossil fuels, mainly petroleum, ...