Demographical Overview
Indonesia
Ethnic Variety
Indonesia is home of about 240 million people, which makes it the world's fourth-most populous nation. The population consists of over 300 ethnic groups. Many of them, particularly in Kalimantan and Papua, have only some hundreds of members.
The different groups have highly diverse cultures, languages and traditions. While the population of Java, Bali and Madura is said to be the most developed, you can still find "untouched" peoples in the mountainous areas of Kalimantan and Sulawesi. In Irian Barat (West Papua) some tribes even use tools made of stone.
Following the 2000 census, the biggest ethnical group within the population is Malay consisting of Javanese, Sundanese, Madurese, Batak, Minangkabau, Buginese, Bantenese, Banjarese, Balinese, Sasak, Makassarese, Cirebon and others. In the east related melanese-polynese peoples and Papuans are living. Finally Chinese make up only about one percent.
"Transmigrasi"
Almost two third of Indonesia's population live on Java, while other islands are almost uninhabited. Therefore the country's government started the Transmigrasi program in the late 1960s, a kind of resettlement supported by the state. People of the densely populated islands like Java, Madura, Bali and Lombok are moved to Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya. Each family of resettlers gets a certain amount of land, food and seed, costing the state some percents of its gross domestic product.
However, this program has not been very successful. Population in the densely populated regions is growing faster than people can be resettled. And the birth rate in the transmigration families is the highest in Indonesia. Furthermore the concentrated influx of Javanese and Balinese people often causes cultural problems in their new home provinces: Traditions and cultural and religious originality often are diluted or vanish complitely.
Additionally a campaign called "Dua anak cukup" meaning "two children are enough" was started to reduce population growth, which is quite successful in the more modern areas of Indonesia.
Religion
Constitution guarantees religious freedom for believers of the five religions recognized by the state, namely Islam (87 percent), Protestantism (5 percent), Catholicism (2 percent), Hinduism (3 percent) and Buddhism (2 percent). In remote areas also animism is still practiced.
Language
The official language of the archipelago is Bahasa Indonesia, a modified form of Malay. For most Indonesians it is a second language, which they have to learn at elementary school. Mother tongue is one of the numerous regional languages and dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese.
Almost 90 percent of the population aged 15 and over can read and write. Education is not free. However, it is compulsory for children to attend school through grade 9.
Sulawesi
The approximately 16 million inhabitants on the island of Sulawesi are concentrated around Makassar in the southwest and around Manado in the north. While Makassar's population is mainly Muslim, Manado's inhabitants are chiefly Christian, with about 70 percent Protestants and 30 percent Catholics.
The population varies ethnographically. Makassars and Bugis on the southwest peninsula were feared pirates in former times and are still known as the best seafarers of the archipelago. The Christian Toraja in the central highland are famous for their funeral rites and the also mainly Christian Minahasa around Manado build a cultural bridge to the Philippines.
But also minorities like the Bajo sea nomads have played an important role in the island's history.
External Links
CIA World Factbook: Additional facts and figures on Indonesia's population.