For more than 200 years, the Dutch were colonists there and ruled over the Indonesians. The Dutch controlled the farmers and made money by taking the tea and spices the farmers had grown and selling them to other countries. From 1942 to 1945, during World War II, the Japanese occupied the islands. After the war, the Dutch ruled again. Indonesia finally became a free country in 1949.
Agriculture is the biggest part of Indonesia's economy.
Rice is grown on coastal plains and mountain terraces. Coconuts, tea, rubber, oil, tin, and timber are also produced. The Indonesian monetary unit is called rupiah for money. About 10,850 rupiahs equal one dollar. Huge plumes spew from the Mount Merapi volcano, as seen from Babadan, Central Java, Indonesia, in February.