Indonesia – home to incredible natural surroundings and residents that are culturally and spiritually fascinating. This captivating country of over 17,000 islands has a substantial potential for adventure. It’s a geological wonderland! Take a look below for 30 insane and interesting facts about Indonesia.

1. Indonesia is an archipelago consisting of 17,508 islands in Southeast Asia.

2. Despite containing such a vast number of islands, only 6,000 or so are inhabited! It also happens to be the largest archipelago in the world by both area and population!

3. Indonesia has a strategic location across major sea lanes connecting East Asia, South Asia, and Oceania.

4. Indonesia is an archipelago situated across the Equator covering a distance equivalent to one-eighth of Earth’s circumference.

5. It is bordered by Malaysia to the north, Papua New Guinea to the east and Timor-Leste to the south.

6. To experience the incredible scenery and wildlife that Indonesia has to offer, head for the coordinates of 6.1750° S, 106.8283° E.

7. The terrain here consists mostly of coastal lowlands, whilst some of the larger islands have interior mountains.

8. There are more than 400 active volcanoes in Indonesia!

9. The total land area of Indonesia is 742,308 square miles (1,922,570 square kilometres).

10. That’s almost 8 times the size of the UK!

11. Indonesia’s islands are spread across such a vast area that it actually covers three time zones!

12. Indonesia’s population was 267.7 million in 2018.

13. That’s around 4 times the UK population.

14. That makes it the 4th most populated country in the world, after China, India and the United States!

15. Residents here are known as Indonesians.

16. The capital is Jakarta; it covers an area of 286 square miles (740 square kilometres) and had a population of 10,323,000 in 2015.

17. Indonesians enjoy a tropical climate with hot and humid weather.

18. Indonesia boasts many endemic species of wildlife, including the Komodo Dragon, which on average grow up to an outstanding 10 feet in length and 14 stone in weight!

19. Indonesia has the second-longest coastline in the world after Canada, with a length of over 54,000km.

20. Situated near Puncak Jaya, the Grasberg mine is the biggest gold mine and the third biggest copper mine in the world.

21. Lake Toba in Indonesia is the largest volcanic lake in the world. The lake’s supervolcanic eruption that occurred 70,000 years ago was the greatest known explosive eruption on Earth in the last 25 million years.

22. The 2nd, 3rd, and 6th biggest Islands in the world are all parts of Indonesia. Guinea is the 2nd largest, Borneo is the 3rd and the island of Sumatra is the 6th biggest and is located entirely in Indonesia.

23. In the Papua Province of Indonesia, Puncak Jaya is the tallest peak of Mount Jayawijaya, standing 4,884 metres above sea level.

24. Indonesia is the hottest spot on the Ring of Fire, with roughly 130 active volcanoes, and around four small earthquakes daily.

25. Many Indonesians live dangerously close to active volcanoes, as a result of population density.

26. The country was previously known as the Dutch East Indies.

27. Even though Indonesia didn’t become the country’s official name until the time of independence, the name was used as early as 1884 by a German geographer.

28. It’s believed that the name Indonesia originates from the Greek indos, meaning “India,” and nesos, meaning “island.”

29. Indonesia declared its independence from the Netherlands in 1945, after a period of occupation by the Japanese during World War II.

30. Indonesia’s fight for independence continued until 1949 when the Dutch formally recognized Indonesian sovereignty.