Indonesia in 2004

In 2004, with about 220 million people, 85% of whom were Muslim, Indonesia was the largest Muslim country in the world, and the fourth most populous of any faith. It was one of the few countries in the world where democracy co-existed with Islam...

The first two centuries of Dutch colonization of Indonesia were administered by the Dutch East India Company. After taking over from the Dutch East India Company in 1800, the Dutch government ran the Netherlands East Indies directly. Local rulers were replaced or integrated into the colonial bureaucracy...

In 2004, after being elected to power, Yudhoyono raised new expectations. Compared to the darkest days of the Asian crisis, things looked better. The Rupiah, had appreciated dramatically, partly due to capital inflows attracted by the government's asset sales...

Till the late 1920s, the Indonesian economy had been dependent on exports of raw materials and agricultural goods. Nearly all manufactured goods were imported. Trade was primarily handled by Dutch firms...