|
|
|
GEOGRAPHY
Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and
the Pacific Ocean
Map
references: Southeast Asia
total
area: 1,919,440 sq km
land
area: 1,826,440 sq km
comparative
area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land
boundaries: total 2,602 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea
820 km
Maritime
claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive
economic zone: 200 nm
International
disputes: sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province)
disputed with Portugal and not recognized by the UN; two islands
in dispute with Malaysia
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate, cooler in highlands
Terrain:
Archipelago of more than 17,000 islands but only 1,000 permanently
settled; Islands are mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have
interior mountains; islands straddle Equator; strategic location
astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific
Ocean
Cities: Capital--Jakarta (est. 8.8 million). Other cities--Surabaya
3.0 million, Medan 2.5 million, Bandung 2.5 million plus an additional
3 million in the surrounding area
Natural
resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite,
copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
current
issues: deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes,
sewage; air pollution in urban areas
natural
hazards: occasional floods, severe droughts, and tsunamis
international
agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Marine Life Conservation,
Tropical Timber 94
|
|
|
