Indonesia

Formerly known as the Spice Islands, Indonesia stands at the crossroads of trade between Asia and Australia. Spanning five main islands and some 13, 000 smaller ones, Indonesia is one of the most sprawling countries in the world. Indonesia stretches 3,200 miles east to west, (1/4 wider than the U.S.) and 1,000 miles north to south (roughly the distance from Maine to Georgia.) Although most of Indonesia's people are Muslim, they represent a variety of ethnic groups, including Malay, Japanese, Chinese and Indian. Maintaining unity in far-flung diversity is its leaders' greatest challenge.

Indonesia has the fifth largest population in the world. Tribal peoples sparsely populate the remote islands. More than 60 percent of the population live on the major islands, Java and Bali, where the land is fertile. Java is one of the most densely populated areas in the world with 1,500 persons to the square mile (compared to the U.S. figure of 75). A rapidly growing population and unequal distribution of wealth contribute to making Indonesia one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries.

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