Location:
Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates:
5 00 S, 120 00 E

Area:
total: 1,919,440 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km

Are Comparative Size:
Slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Land Borders:
total: 2,830 km
border countries: East Timor 228 km, Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

Coastline:
54,716 km

Maritime Claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic straight baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate :
tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain:
mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

Elevation Extremes:
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m

Natural Resources:
Petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

Land Use:
Arable land 11.03% ; Permanent crops 7.04% ; Others 81.93% (2005)

Irrigated Land:
45,000 sq km (2003)

Natural Hazards:
Occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, forest fires

Environment - Current Issues:
Deforestation; water pollution from industrial wastes, sewage; air pollution in urban areas; smoke and haze from forest fires

Environment – International Agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note:
Archipelago of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited); straddles equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean