A scene of destruction following the tsunami which struck South Asia on 26/12/2004, Banda Aceh, Northern Sumatra.© Tim A. Hetherington (Panos)
The island nation of Indonesia is of immense importance. It contains a substantial part of the world's untapped resources in energy, minerals and agriculture, and its huge tropical forests could have a substantial impact – negative or positive – on global efforts to combat climate change.
Indonesia has been a democracy since 1999, and the current president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, is its first democratically elected leader. However, much of the population remains poor – more than half of Indonesians live below the international poverty line – and vulnerable to natural disaster: since December 2004, Indonesia has suffered from a massive tsunami and two major earthquakes.