ABSTRACT
The Republic of Indonesia is the largest and most potential country in Southeast Asia and comprises more than 17,500 islands spread over an area of 5,193,250 square km. 1 It is the largest multi-ethnic archipelago in the world with 583 distinct languages and dialects 2 in vogue. It is also the world’s most extended archipelago forming at once a “bridge” between Asia and Australia and a “gate” from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific Ocean. Indonesia also assumes importance because of its geostrategic location which controls crucial sea lanes at the cross-roads of East-West trade routes. It has a population of about 197 millions 3 and is the fourth largest in the world and in Asia it is next to China and India. Besides, Indonesia is richly endowed with several natural resources such as petroleum, nickel, tin, coal and manganese and its agriculture mainly comprises rice, tobacco, palm oil, coffee and rubber. Though the Republic of Indonesia is sprawling into the vast sea territory, the people of Indonesia not only enjoy cultural unity but also experience greater political stability than any other Southeast Asian state.
