Indonesia: Flag and Facts
Indonesia's flag is two equal horizontal bands, red over white, with red meaning courage and white meaning purity.
- Official name
- Republic of Indonesia
- Capital
- Jakarta
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia
- Population
- 284 million (2025)
- Languages
- Indonesian
- Currency
- Indonesian rupiah
- Area
- 1,904,569 km² (735,358 sq mi)
- People
- Indonesian
- Calling code
- +62
- Highest point
- Puncak Jaya 4,884 m
- Independence
- 17 August 1945 (declared independence from the Netherlands)
- National symbols
- garuda (mythical bird)
- Borders
- Timor-Leste, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea
About Indonesia
Those two colors go back a long way. They trace back to the flag of the Majapahit Empire, a Hindu power from Java that lasted from 1290 to 1527 and united most of what is now Indonesia and Malaysia. Before that, a Buddhist kingdom on Sumatra spread into Java and the Malay Peninsula. Islam arrived with traders around the 11th century and grew slowly over 500 years.
Portuguese and then Dutch colonizers followed, and Dutch control reached the full modern borders only in the early 20th century. Japan occupied the islands from 1942 to 1945. Independence was declared on 17 August 1945, but four more years of fighting and talks passed before the Netherlands handed over sovereignty in 1949. The land itself is mostly coastal lowland, with mountains in the middle of the larger islands. Its climate stays hot and humid, cooling off a bit in the highlands.
Did you know?
- The garuda, a mythical bird, serves as Indonesia's national symbol.
- Puncak Jaya climbs to 4,884 m, the highest point in the country.
- Indonesia shares land borders with Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, and Timor-Leste.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Indonesia
What is the capital of Indonesia?
Jakarta is the capital, with about 11.2 million people in its metro area in 2023.
What currency does Indonesia use?
Indonesia uses the Indonesian rupiah, written with the symbol Rp.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.