Geography Of Indonesia And Aus :: essays research papers

INDONESIA AND AUSTRALIA Indonesia and Australia are nations located southeast of Asia, separated by the Timor Sea and the Java Trench. Both have undergone challenges in economy, government, and demography that are both similar and quite different from the other. Indonesia is â€Å"the world’s most expansive archipelagic (fragmented) state† (Blij 503) with multiple heritages and cultures. Australia has been slowly declining over the past century and continues to economically disintegrate. According to records kept on the economy, government, and demography, both Australia and Indonesia are continuing to be recognized as similar and distinct in their own right. DEMOGRAPHY AND LAND STRUCTURE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The 275 million people of Indonesia are spread across the 13,000 islands it encompasses. It holds position as the fourth most populated nation in the world, containing a diversity of people including Javanese, Sudanese, Malays, and Balinese and other smaller groups which make up fifty-five percent of the population. Four of its largest islands are known as the Greater Sunda Islands. Jawa has the smallest area but is largest in population density (with about 120 million), Sumatera is in the west across from Malaysia, Kalimantan (which shares land space with Malaysia on Borneo), and Sulawesi, which is also called Celebes, the â€Å"wishbone – shaped† island of the east. The fifth largest island is New Guinea, which is not primarily a part of Indonesian cultural ties although half of its western side of the island is under Indonesian control.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Australia is approximately 10 times the size of Texas, with a population of eighteen million. 85 percent live in cities, with about 300,000 consisting in the Aboriginal population. Most of the population is concentrated in the core area to the east and southeast, facing the Pacific Ocean. This area is more humid and extends between the Great Dividing Range and the east coast. The eastern, less populous area consists of desert or steppe, which is not primary for living conditions but contains mineral deposits. RESOURCES AND PRODUCTION   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Indonesia has a wide variety of natural resources, consisting of petroleum, palm oil, rubber, lumber, tin, coffee, tea, and other cash crops. However, the population continues on an upward climb that will have a doubling time of 43 years. This creates a much longer-term threat to the country’s future than anything does else does. With this steep climb in population, the nation has already been forced to import large amounts of rice and wheat to feed its people.