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Overview
Indonesia, known formally as the Republic of Indonesia, is an island nation composed of a total of 17,508 islands extending 5,150 km (3,200 miles) between the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean occupying an area between Asia and Australia. It is one of 17 "Megadiversity Countries" that together contain 70% of the world’s biodiversity [2].
The country is made up of six major islands and approximately 30 smaller groups of islands. However, only around 6,000 of those islands are inhabited.
It is a country of many mountains, some of which are over 4,000 metres (13,123 feet). A significant percentage of them are active volcanoes. Some of the habitats here are tropical rainforests, jungles, and swampy mangrove areas [1].
Major Island Groups of Indonesia
Indonesia has 6 main island groups. [1]
Sumatra
Sumatra comprises 473,606 sq. km/182,860 sq miles in area.
Java / Madura
Java / Madura comprises 132,107sq. km (51,006 sq miles) in area.
West Java is the home of the Gede Pangrango National Park with all it has to offer.
Kalimantan
Kalimantan with 539,460 sq. km (20,8286 sq miles) in area, makes up 2/3 of the island of Borneo.
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is 189,216 sq. km (73,056 sq miles) in area. This is roughly two-thirds the size of New Zealand, a quarter the size of Texas or ten times the size of Wales.
Maluku Islands - Moluccas
The Moluccan islands are divided into two provinces, North Maluku and Maluku. As with Sulawesi (also to the east of Wallace's Line), the faunas are a mixture of south east Asian and Australasian elements although here the latter predominates.
Papua
The Western half of the island of New Guinea forms the Indonesian province of West Papua or Papua (Papua Barat).
References
- Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia - https://www.embassyofindonesia.org/index.php/basic-facts/
- Johnson, T. R., Budiarjo, A., Halperin, J., Catharina, C., Rachmansah, A., Ridlo, M., H. Adyas, A.,and Indarjo, M. (2019) Indonesia Tropical Forest and Biodiversity Analysis (FAA 118 & 119). Report for Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS): 2021-2025. US AID Indonesia. Available from https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00W7RT.pdf
Recommended Citation
- BirdForum Opus contributors. (2024) Indonesia. In: BirdForum, the forum for wild birds and birding. Retrieved 20 April 2024 from https://www.birdforum.net/opus/Indonesia
External Links
Maps
GSearch checked for 2020 platform.
Pages in category ‘Indonesia’
The following 8 pages are in this category, out of 8 total.
