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The archipelago is divided into three groups:
- The islands of Java, Sumatra, and Kalimantan, and the small islands in- between,
situated on the Sunda Shelf stretching from the coast of Malaysia to Indo China
- Irian Jaya which is part of the islands of New Guinea, and the Aru Islands lie
on the Sahul Shelf, which stretches northwards from the Australian coast
- Located between these two shelves is the island group of Nusa Tenggara, Maluku,
and Sulawesi, where the sea depth reaches 15,000 feet. Coastal plains have been developed around the islands of
Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan and Irian Jaya.
The five main islands are :
- Sumatra, 473,606 sq km
- Java/Madura, 132,107sq km the most fertile
and densely populated islands,
- Kalimantan,539,460 sq km, which comprises
two-thirds of the islands of Borneo
- Sulawesi, 189,216 sq km
- Irian Jaya, 421,981sq km, which is part
of the world's second largest island, New Guinea.
Source : "INDONESIA 1996 : AN OFFICIAL
HANDBOOK", Department of Information, Directorate of Foreign Information Services, Perum Percetakan Negara
RI, 1995/1996
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