The Republic of Indonesia comprises the world's largest archipelago, spanning 3,200 miles from east to west along the Equator-roughly equivalent to the expanse of United State from coast to coast-and 1,100 miles from north to south. Indonesia's 17,000 islands are nestled between two continents, Asia and Australia, and two oceans, the Indian and the Pacific.
Main Islands: Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Bali, Kalimantan, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, and Irian Jaya (the western part of New Guinea).
Area: Indonesia's land are totals 782,665 square-miles and its sea territory 1,222,466 square-miles. Indonesia shares land border with Malaysia and Papua New Guinea and sea border with Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines and Australia.
Major Cities: Jakarta (the capital; 1990 Census population: 8.2 million), Surabaya (2.5 million), Bandung (2.0 million), Medan (1.7 million), Semarang (1.2 million).
Climate: Equatorial, but cooler in the highlands. Temperatures generally range from 68 to 89 degrees. Humidity ranges from 60 to 90 percent. Indonesia's "wet season" lasts from November through April and its "dry season" from May through October, with slight variations in its regional sub-climatic zones.
