People
Indonesia’s most valuable asset is its people. They are driving force behind the rapid development of this nation. Indonesia is a mosaic of more than 300 ethnic groups and cultures, with dozens of languages and also with different social and cultural backgrounds. As in most other multi – ethnic nations, it is difficult to describe a “typical” Indonesian. But the present Indonesian is the product of political ties, and constitutes a union of all ethnic groups living in the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. These political ties and unity are based on the principle of one fatherland, one nation, and one language, bahasa Indonesia.
Population
Indonesia’s population ranks fourth in the world, after the People’s Republic of China, India and the United States of America. Based on the data gathered in 1998, Indonesia’s population totaled 202.1 million people.
Three-fifths of the people are concentrated on the islands of Java, Madura and Bali which all-together only account for around 7% of Indonesia’s total land area. The islands of Java is occupied by 690 persons per square km. Conversely, the province of Irian Jaya, having 21.99% of Indonesia’s land area, is only occupied by around 3 persons per square km.
The uneven distribution of the people constitutes a significant problem in the current development effort of the Indonesian nation. To solve the problem, Indonesia has not only a family-planning policy, but also a policy of transmigration, which provides land grants and financial incentives to those who are willing to move to thinly populated areas.
Language
Although there are over 583 ethnic-languages and dialects used daily in the country, the official language is “Bahasa Indonesia”; the Indonesian language. This language was sanctioned as the unifying language at the Indonesian Youth Congress, held on October 28, 1928, when Indonesia was still under Dutch colonial rule.
Religion in Indonesia
There are 5 majors’ religions in Indonesia; they are Muslim, Catholic, Protestant, Hindu and Buddha. Religious practices are important part of Indonesian daily lives as the people religious. 88% of Indonesians are Muslims; the followers of this religion can be found everywhere in the country. 5.7% of Indonesians are Protestants; the followers can be found generally in North Sulawesi, East Nusa Tenggara and North Sumatra. 2.9% of Indonesian are Catholics, and the followers can generally be found in Central Java and East Nusa Tenggara. Most of the Hindu’s people, which is around 2% of Indonesians, live in Bali. Another 2% of Indonesians, are the followers of the Buddhism.
Indonesia is not an Islamic state, but with 88% of the population being Muslim, you will experience quite a unique atmosphere. You can see that the practice of Islamic belief and values colors the daily life. In some part of Indonesia religion became the basic norms of society.
Freedom to be a follower of any of the five above-mentioned religions, including freedom to worship, are guaranteed by the state. The guaranty is stated in the Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia under Article 29, clause 2. It explicitly states that the state guarantees the freedom of every citizen of Indonesia to profess his or her religion and to exercise its rituals. Every citizen will be given the freedom to choose his or her religion and the state acknowledges and respects each religion without any discrimination. Besides, the state also holds in high esteem and makes obligatory religious tolerance and condemns any form of anti-religious propaganda.
Being a multi-cultural nation with a multi-religion society, Indonesian people have learned about the importance of tolerance and respect. People from different ethnicity and religions are able to live side by side in harmony.