A one-stop source for essential information on the history, geography, politics, religion, economy, and culture of the fourth most populous country in the world. It's the "little giant" of Southeast Asia, with beautiful temples, breathtaking scenery, and a rich culture. But it's also a widely dispersed island-nation with grinding poverty, endemic corruption, bloody secessionist movements, and growing Islamic militancy. Indonesia examines pre-colonial periods of the country's development, as well as its independence movement. It discusses the economic collapse of the 1990s and how the resultant civil chaos impacted Indonesia's present political and social problems, and its neighbors. This book also looks at the secessionist movements in West Papua and Aceh and the religious conflict in eastern Indonesia. In addition to current events, the coverage focuses on important individuals, from Javanese nobles to President Sukarno, who was a Japanese collaborator during World War II. This is the book to have for an intriguing and enlightening glance at Indonesia.