Why is Indonesia Called a Maritime Country?
Why is Indonesia Called a Maritime Country?
Maritime country is one of the nicknames attached to Indonesia. What is maritime and why is Indonesia called a maritime country?
In the Big Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), the meaning of maritime is relating to the sea or relating to shipping and trade at sea.
Meanwhile, maritime affairs are matters relating to maritime issues. Quoting from the Gramedia.com page, a maritime country is a country that operates in the water sector. Maritime countries have abundant water supplies.
One of the maritime countries is Indonesia. Simply put, a maritime country is a country that has a very large maritime territorial area. Usually, the waters in a maritime country are wider than its land area.
Thus, a maritime country is a country surrounded by an area of ocean or waters that is wider than its land area.
Indonesia is called a maritime country because
The reason why Indonesia is called a maritime country is because Indonesia’s water area is wider than its land area. Indonesia has around 17,499 islands, with a coastline of 81,000 km (the second longest after Canada).
Quoted from the kkp.go.id page, Indonesia’s total area is around 7.81 million km2. Of the total area, 3.25 million km2 is ocean and 2.55 million km2 is the Exclusive Economic Zone. Only around 2.01 million km2 is land.
Meanwhile, in the book I am Indonesia, the Maritime Nation of My Country (2018) by Ayu Andriani, it is stated that one of the factors why Indonesia is called a maritime country is because of its strategic water position.
Indonesia has waters such as seas and straits, which are often used as transportation routes, both national and international.
This waterway connects Indonesia and surrounding countries with countries on other continents, such as the Americas and Europe.
5 reasons why Indonesia is called a maritime country
The following are five reasons why Indonesia is called a maritime country:
1. Indonesia has vast oceans
Indonesia is a country that has large islands. The islands stretch widely from Sabang to Merauke. The total number of islands owned by Indonesia is 17,499 islands.
The total area of Indonesia is approximately 7.81 million km2. An area of this size does not only consist of land. Most of the territory in Indonesia actually consists of waters or oceans.
This is the main reason why Indonesia is called a maritime country. With an area this large, of course the marine potential in Indonesia is very large.
2. Has a Geostrategic position
Second, the reason why Indonesia is called a maritime country is related to its strategic geographic location. Indonesia is located between two continents, namely the Asian continent and the Australian continent.
Indonesia is also located between two oceans, namely the Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. This is one of the advantages possessed by Indonesia.
Indonesia’s location is at the crossroads of international travel. Examples include trade between countries in Asia and Australia.
In fact, countries all over the world will pass through Indonesia’s territory. This international trade can pass through sea, land and air areas. Not only that, there are many other benefits to be gained from this strategic location.
3. Abundant marine wealth
In the vast sea area, there is a lot of potential marine wealth. It is common knowledge that Indonesia is famous for its very rich natural resources.
These natural resources include marine products. There are a lot of marine products in Indonesia. Apart from that, various marine products are also available in Indonesia.
According to research notes issued by LIPI, Indonesia has enormous potential for marine wealth. Its marine wealth can reach more than Rp. 1,700 trillion.
This figure is equivalent to 93% of the total Indonesian APBN in 2018. This is also the reason why Indonesia is called a maritime country. Indonesia has potential in the maritime sector. Marine natural resources in Indonesia are very abundant.
4. Advance in the fisheries and marine sector
Fourth, the reason why Indonesia is called a maritime country is because Indonesia has enormous potential for marine products. Moreover, 30 percent of the 70 percent of total fisheries in the Asia Pacific Region are in Indonesia.
According to data from the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries or KKP, there was a recorded increase of 10.8 percent in export value. This data is seen from fishery results in 2019. Overall, the profit reached IDR 73.6 billion.
The good quality of marine products means that Indonesia has been accepted by 158 countries for export. The main markets are the United States, Japan, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Italy, Vietnam and Hong Kong.
There are many main export commodities for marine products from Indonesia. Such as shrimp, tuna and other types of pelagic fish, octopus, squid, demersal fish, crab, seaweed, tilapia and others.
5. Has a maritime culture
There are not only many islands. Indonesia is also famous for having many cultures. One of them is maritime culture. Maritime culture exists because of the vast seas in Indonesia.
If you look at the social and economic aspects, many people in Indonesia use the sea to fulfill their needs. For example, people who live on the coast will work as fishermen.
If viewed from an ethnic and cultural perspective, Indonesia has several tribes that have maritime traditions. For example, the Bajo tribe. This tribe lives in the sea. Apart from that, there are Javanese people who have a tradition of sea alms. This is also one of the reasons why Indonesia is called a maritime country.
