Indonesia is the largest archipelago in the world. It consists of five major islands and about 30 smaller groups. There are total number of 17,508 islands of which about 6000 are inhabited.

What are the 5 islands of Indonesia?

It comprises five main islands: Sumatra, Java, Borneo (known as Kalimantan in Indonesia), Sulawesi, and New Guinea; two major island groups (Nusa Tenggara and the Maluku Islands) and sixty smaller island groups.

What are the main 6 islands of Indonesia?

Broadly, there are six major Indonesia islands that are worth mentioning about – namely, Sunda Islands, Sumatra, Java, Borneo, Maluku Island, and New Guinea.

Why does Indonesia have so many islands?

Indonesia has so many islands it has never been able to fully count or name them. A 1996 law estimated the number of islands in the world's biggest archipelago at 17,508.

Which country owns the most islands?

Website worldatlas.com claims that out of all countries on the planet, Sweden has the most islands with 221,800, the majority of which are uninhabited. Even the capital of Stockholm is built across a 14-island archipelago with more than 50 bridges.

How Did The Islands Of Indonesia Get Their Names?

23 related questions found

Is Indonesia named after India?

Although Indonesia did not become the country's official name until the time of independence, the name was used as early as 1884 by a German geographer; it is thought to derive from the Greek indos, meaning “India,” and nesos, meaning “island.” After a period of occupation by the Japanese (1942–45) during World War II, ...

How were the Indonesian islands formed?

Indonesian archipelago was formed due to convergence between Sunda oceanic plate (part of the Eurasian plate) and Indo-Australian plate whereas Philippine archipelago was formed due to convergence between Sunda oceanic plate and Philippine Sea plate. In ocean-ocean convergence, two oceanic plates converge or collide.

Why Indonesia is called archipelago?

It originated from Old Javanese and literally means "archipelago". The name derived from the Old Javanese words of Sanskrit origin nusa ("island") and antara ("in between") or antero ("the whole of" or "the collection of"); the combined word therefore connotes "collection of islands" or "archipelago".

How many islands Philippines have?

Located in the Pacific Ocean near the equator, the Republic of the Philippines consists of around 7,640 islands — about 2,000 of which are inhabited — that form an archipelago.

What is the old name of Indonesia?

Formal Name: Republic of Indonesia (Republik Indonesia; the word Indonesia was coined from the Greek indos—for India—and nesos—for island). Short Form: Indonesia. Former Names: Netherlands East Indies; Dutch East Indies.

Is Malaysia part of Indonesia?

Both Malaysia and Indonesia have many common characteristic traits, including standard frames of reference in history, culture and religion. Although both countries are separate and independent states, there are also profoundly embedded similarities.

Why Indonesia has thousands of islands in the Philippines?

Both Indonesian and Philippines archipelagos are a result of a combination of volcanic activity and tectonic plate movement. ... The shifting tectonic plates and existence of subduction zone in the area where the Indonesian and Philippines Islands are located causes the formation of an island arc or archipelago.

Why is Indonesia so volcanically active?

Indonesia is the country that contains the most active volcanoes of all countries in the world. The Eurasian Plate, Pacific Plate and Indo-Australian Plate are three active tectonic plates that cause the subduction zones that form these volcanoes.

Is Indonesia in the Ring of Fire?

Indonesia is the country of Ring of Fire volcanic belt and holding about 40% of the world's geothermal reserves. More than 200 volcanoes are located along Sumatra, Java, Bali and the islands of eastern part of Indonesia, which is known as The Ring of Fire.

How is Indonesia related to Ramayana?

The epic of Ramayana came to Indonesia around the 8th or 9th century. Written in the old Javanese language, it became known as the Kakawin Ramayana. It was used to revive Hinduism at a time when Buddhism was well established in Sumatra, West and Central Java through shadow puppetry (Wayang Kulit and Wayang Purwa).

What is Indonesia nickname?

Bumi Pertiwi or Ibu Pertiwi. This name means “Mother Earth,” suggesting the country and land is where the people were born. Indonesians also often refer their country as Tanah Air (literally soil and water), an idiomatic expression for “homeland.”

What is Indonesia religion?

Share of population Indonesia 2010 by religion

Indonesia has the largest Islamic population in the world and for this reason is often recognized as a Muslim nation. ... The archipelago is a multifaith country and officially recognizes six religions – Islam, Protestantism, Catholicism, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism.

What country has the most islands in Asia?

The CIA World Factbook states that Indonesia has 17,508 islands but other sources put the number over 18,000.

What is the old name of Jakarta?

Jakarta, formerly (until 1949) Batavia or (1949–72) Djakarta, largest city and capital of Indonesia.