Name: The Republic of Indonesia, from the Greek, Indos Nesos, or Islands of the Indies (Columbus' original destination).
Motto: Bhinneka Tunggal Ika: Unity in Diversity.
National Language: Bahasa Indonesia. All laws are issued in this language. It is spoken by 195 million people who also speak one of the hundreds of local languages. English is the first foreign language taught in school.
National Emblem: The Garuda, a mythological bird, is an endemic Indonesian bird from the eagle species. Each of the five compartments of the Garuda's shield represents one of the five national principles, collectively known as Pancasila.
Date of Independence: August 17, 1945.
Physical Description: An archipelago consisting of 17,508 islands spread over 3,000 miles east to west. The five largest are: Kalimantan, Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and Irian Jaya. The remaining island are divided into two major chains and sixty minor ones.
Climate: Tropical, due to its equatorial location, with a dry season and a rainy season. Temperatures and lengths of day and night are equal throughout the year.
Currency: Rupiah.
