Indonesia

Indonesia formerly a Dutch colony was known as Indos Nesos, or the "Indian Islands". It is the world's largest archipelago comprising of seventeen thousand islands that stretch over five thousand miles along the equator with the total coastline exceeding 81,000 k.ms. Of these only 6000 islands are inhabited. It lies between latitudes 5 00 S and longitudes 12 00 E, between the Asian and the Australian continental plates. The five main islands are Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Irian Jaya.

 Two of the islands Kalimantan (known in the colonial period as Borneo, the world's third largest island) and New Guinea are shared with Malaysia and Brunei, and with Papua New Guinea respectively.

Indonesia is hot and humid most of the year round. It has two distinct seasons the dry season between June and September caused by the easterly monsoons and the wet season between December and March caused by the westerly monsoons which brings along with it the rains.

Vulnerability to Disasters:

Indonesia lies in one of the most unusual areas in the world, encompassing a major juncture of the Earth's tectonic plates. These factors make it most susceptibility to seismic and volcanic activity. Another reason for the vulnerability to disasters is that the human settlements are situated close to hazard prone regions. The major disaster affecting Indonesia earthquakes, tsunami, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, flood, and also technological failures.

Earthquakes:

Situated in the earthquake belt Indonesia is most subjected to earthquakes. The areas most vulnerable to earthquakes are Sumatera, Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Sulawesi and Irina Jaya to seismic activity. Sumatera, alone has suffered from over 15 earthquakes in the past 100 years

Volcanic Eruption:

Indonesia has 129 active volcanoes, 70 are classified as dangerous, and 500 inactive ones. Between 1972 and 1991 alone, twenty nine volcanic eruptions were recorded, mostly in Java. In 1815 a volcano at Gunning Tambora on the north coast of Sumbawa, Nusa Tenggara Barat Province, claimed 92,000 lives and created "the year without a summer" in various parts of the world.

Floods:

The western and central parts of Indonesia are annually inundated by floods.

Landslides:

The islands of Java and Sumatera are most prone to landslides because of its unstable land

Main source: Library of Congress Country studies

For latest updates on disasters in Indonesia and Country Legislation:

http://www.adrc.or.jp/nations/nationinformation.asp?NationCode=360&Lang=en