Indonesia

Indonesia, a country in Southeast Asia, is an archipelago consisting of 17,508 islands located between the Indian and Pacific Oceans.

An 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck the southern Sumatra on September 30, 2009 around 10:16 UTC. It was located at 33 miles from Padang, the capital of West Sumatra, and hit 80 miles deep. The quake caused extensive damage, and trapped thousands below the rubble of houses, hotels and hospitals. The death-toll is estimated to be at least 1100, but is likely to rise. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601081&sid=a0QIZstJ7gLo More detailed coverage on this page

On September 2, 2009 an earthquake of 7.4 magnitude hit the southern coast of the main island of Java. At least 74 people are reported dead, more than 110 are injured.http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-09/03/content_11986748.htmhttp://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601100&sid=ajwFtGjSgMUc

Java Man, the fossilized remains of Homo erectus, were discovered in Indonesia in 1891 and proved the existence of man in this area ranged from two million to 500,00 years ago.

Indonesia was colonized by the Dutch and the Dutch East India Company in 1602. World War II brought a Japanese invasion and the end of Dutch rule. In 1945, Indonesia declared independence and appointed Sukarno as its first president.

Today, Indonesia is divided into 33 provinces, each having its own political legislature. There are 300 ethnic groups and is the most populous Muslim-majority country. It boasts the second highest level of biodiversity, after Brazil, but continues to suffer from widespread poverty despite its natural resources.

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  Creative Commons image by "CIA World Factbook"

• Wikipedia: Demographics of Indonesia

• Wikipedia: Geography of Indonesia

• CIA World Factbook: Indonesia