Indonesia consists of 13,000 islands along the equator between Australia and Asia. The larger islands have central mountain ranges and fertile plains and lowlands. The climate is tropical with a rainy season from October to April.
With the fourth largest population in the world, Indonesia is a diverse nation with many resources. More than 300 languages are spoken, but the common tongue is Bahasa Indonesia. Islam claims 90 percent of Indonesians; however, Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, and animism are also followed.
When Columbus sailed from Spain in 1492, he sought a new route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia. The Portuguese arrived in the sixteenth century but were soon outnumbered by the Dutch, who, beginning in 1602, slowly gained control of the islands. Following Japanese occupation during World War II, the country, led by Sukarno, proclaimed independence in 1945. Suharto ousted Sukarno in 1965 and held the presidency of the military-controlled republic until 1998, when a collapsing economy fueled riots and demands for reforms.