Geography of Indonesia

Indonesia is an archipelagic island country in South east Asia, lying between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It is in a strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean. Indonesia's different cultures have been shaped—although not specifically determined—by centuries of complex interactions with the physical environment.

Indonesia is an archipelagic country extending 5,120 kilometres (3,181 mi) from east to west and 1,760 kilometres (1,094 mi) from north to south. According to a geospatial survey conducted between 2007 and 2010 by National Coordinating Agency for Survey and Mapping (Bakosurtanal), Indonesia has 13,466 islands. However, according to earlier survey conducted in 2002 by National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), the Indonesian archipelago has 18,307 islands. According to the CIA factbook, there are 17,508 islands. The discrepancy of the numbers of islands in Indonesia was caused by the earlier survey includes "tidal islands"; sandy cays and rocky reefs that are appeared during low tide and submerged during high tide. There are 8,844 islands have been named according to estimates made by the government of Indonesia, with 922 of those permanently inhabited. It comprises five main islands: Sumatra, Java, Borneo (known as "Kalimantan" in Indonesia), Sulawesi, and New Guinea; two major archipelagos (Nusa Tenggara and the Maluku Islands); and sixty smaller archipelagoes.

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