Southeast Asia · AsiaIndonesia
Discover Indonesia - the world's largest archipelago stretching 5,000 km across the equator, home to Komodo dragons, Bali's temples, volcanic landscapes, and 275 million people.
Where Is Indonesia?
Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia. Its capital is Jakarta.
- Capital Jakarta
- Population 286M
- Area 1,904,569 km²
Indonesia is staggering in scale. Over 17,000 islands stretched across 5,000 kilometers of equatorial ocean, from the tip of Sumatra to the jungles of Papua. It is the world's fourth most populous country with 275 million people, the largest Muslim-majority nation on Earth, and home to more active volcanoes than any other country. The diversity is almost incomprehensible - over 700 languages are spoken, Komodo dragons roam volcanic islands, orangutans swing through Borneo's rainforests, and Balinese Hindu temples share an archipelago with the world's largest Muslim population.
Indonesia is also the country that gave the world the concept of the Ring of Fire. Sitting on the collision zone of multiple tectonic plates, the archipelago has 130 active volcanoes, produces some of the most fertile soil on the planet, and generates earthquakes and tsunamis with terrifying regularity. But this geological violence created landscapes of extraordinary beauty - the terraced rice paddies of Bali, the crater lake of Kelimutu that changes color, the otherworldly blue flames of Ijen volcano. Jakarta is a megacity of 30 million people sinking so fast that the government is building an entirely new capital on Borneo. Bali receives millions of tourists a year. And beyond the famous spots lie thousands of islands that barely appear on maps, where traditional cultures thrive and coral reefs teem with life that scientists are still cataloging.
At a glance
Largest cities in Indonesia
Jakarta
Surabaya
Bandung
Yogyakarta
Denpasar
Famous people from Indonesia
Sukarno
PoliticsFather of Indonesian independence and first president who unified 17,000 islands and hundreds of ethnic groups into one nation
Pramoedya Ananta Toer
LiteratureIndonesia's greatest novelist whose Buru Quartet, written from memory in a prison camp, is considered a masterpiece of world literature
Kartini
PoliticsJavanese noblewoman who championed women's education and rights in the early 1900s, celebrated annually on Kartini Day
Anggun
MusicIndonesian-French singer who became the first Southeast Asian artist to break into the European and American pop charts
Garin Nugroho
FilmLeading Indonesian filmmaker whose opera and drama films have screened at Cannes, Venice, and Berlin festivals
Traditional cuisine of Indonesia
- Nasi Goreng
- Indonesia's national dish - fried rice with sweet soy sauce, shallots, chili, and a fried egg, eaten at every meal including breakfast
- Rendang
- Slow-cooked dry beef curry from West Sumatra, simmered for hours in coconut and spices, voted the world's most delicious food
- Satay
- Skewered and grilled meat served with peanut sauce, found on every street corner with regional variations across the archipelago
- Gado-Gado
- Blanched vegetables, tofu, and hard-boiled egg doused in a rich peanut sauce, Indonesia's most beloved salad
- Bakso
- Savory meatball soup with noodles, the quintessential Indonesian street food sold from pushcarts in every city and village
Nature and landmarks in Indonesia
- Komodo National ParkIsland
- UNESCO-listed volcanic islands home to the Komodo dragon, the world's largest lizard, plus spectacular coral reefs and manta rays
- BorobudurLandmark
- The world's largest Buddhist temple, a 9th-century pyramid of 2,672 relief panels and 504 Buddha statues rising from the Javanese jungle
- Mount BromoMountain
- Active volcano in East Java's Tengger caldera, a surreal moonscape of smoking craters and sea-of-sand landscapes
- Raja AmpatIsland
- Remote archipelago off Papua with the highest marine biodiversity on Earth - more fish and coral species than anywhere else in the ocean
- Lake TobaLake
- World's largest volcanic lake in Sumatra, formed by a supervolcanic eruption 74,000 years ago that nearly wiped out humanity
Sports in Indonesia
- Badminton
- Indonesia is a badminton superpower with multiple Olympic gold medals, including legendary players like Susi Susanti and Taufik Hidayat
- Football
- The most passionately followed sport in the country, with stadiums regularly filled by over 80,000 fans
- Pencak Silat
- Indonesia's indigenous martial art now practiced in over 50 countries, combining combat, art, and spiritual elements
Did you know?
Indonesia has 17,508 islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited - it is the largest archipelago nation in the world
Rendang, the slow-cooked beef curry from West Sumatra, was voted the world's most delicious food by CNN readers
Indonesia is building an entirely new capital called Nusantara on Borneo because Jakarta is sinking up to 25 cm per year
The Komodo dragon, found only in Indonesia, can grow over 3 meters long and is the largest living lizard species on Earth
Borobudur is the world's largest Buddhist monument with 2,672 carved relief panels telling the story of Buddha's path to enlightenment
Lake Toba was created by a supervolcanic eruption 74,000 years ago so massive that it caused a global volcanic winter
Over 700 languages are spoken across Indonesia, making it one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world
Read more about Indonesia
Can you find Indonesia on a map?
Drop a pin where you think it is and see how close you got. A few rounds and you will place Indonesia and its neighbours without a second thought.
