ly heavy traffic of petroleum and
petroleum products from the oilfields of the Persian Gulf and
Indonesia. Its fish are of great and growing importance to the
bordering countries for domestic consumption and export. Fishing
fleets from Russia, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan also exploit the Indian
Ocean, mainly for shrimp and tuna. Large reserves of hydrocarbons are
being tapped in the offshore areas of Saudi Arabia, Iran, India, and
western Australia. An estimated 40% of the world's offshore oil
production comes from the Indian Ocean. Beach sands rich in heavy
minerals and offshore placer deposits are actively exploited by
bordering countries, particularly India, South Africa, Indonesia, Sri
Lanka, and Thailand.
Communications
Telephone system:
international: submarine cables from India to UAE and Malaysia and
from Sri Lanka to Djibouti and Indonesia
@Indian Ocean:Transportation
Ports and harbors: Calcutta (India), Chennai (Madras; India), Colombo
(Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Jakarta (Indonesia), Melbourne
(Australia), Mumbai (Bombay; India), Richard's Bay (South Africa)
@Indian Ocean:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
______________________________________________________________________
INDONESIA
@Indonesia:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and
the Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 5 00 S, 120 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 1,919,440 sq km
land: 1,826,440 sq km
water: 93,000 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,602 km
border countries: Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km
Coastline: 54,716 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior
mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030 m
Natural resources: petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber,
bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 62%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 45,970 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional floods, severe droughts, tsunamis,
earthquakes
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