List of Countries that Have Similarities to Indonesia

VIVA – Indonesia is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of a lot of islands, such as Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea. Indonesia is the world’s fourth-most populous country. It turns out, there are some countries that have similarities to Indonesia.

This similarity can happen because of natural factors, humans, heredity, flag colors, and others. So, here is the explanation.

1. Madagascar

Madagascar is located in East Africa. This country is inhabited by people who look like Indonesian. Even the ancestors in Madagascar came from Indonesia, according to research by Murray Cox of Massey University in New Zealand.

The first 30 women to land on the island were from Indonesia. They arrived in the 9th century or more than 1,000 years ago, and from generation to generation became a colony of Malagasy tribes, until now it continues to grow to a population of 29.6 million, with the capital in Antananarivo.

2. Monaco

Monaco has the same flag color as Indonesia. The red and white flag color, as well as the red top and white bottom layout, make the two national flags of the two countries difficult to distinguish.

However, there are differences in size, the width-length ratio of the Indonesian flag is 2:3 so it looks long and thin, while the width-length ratio of the Monaco flag is 4:5 so the shape is almost close to a square.

3. Hessen

Not only Monaco, but also Hessen has the same flag as Indonesia. The same goes for the flag of Morocco, but the flag of Hessen is indistinguishable due to its resemblance to the Indonesian flag.

4. Christmas Island

Christmas Island is a dependent territory country that has not achieved full independence for some reason. The country, located in the south of Java, has a population similar to that of Indonesia. Most of the population is of Malay descent and almost 20% of the population is Muslim.

5. New Caledonia

New Caledonia is a country located in the Pacific Ocean. Uniquely, the population of this country is similar to the population of Indonesia. In 1896, Javanese workers came to the island to settle and work.  There are many people of Javanese descent and even Javanese is used as a daily language. 

6. Suriname

Suriname has many Javanese descendants. Almost 15% of Suriname's 618,000 inhabitants are Indonesian. Around 33,000 Javanese migrated to Suriname between 1890-1939. There are even people of Javanese descent who became government officials, one is Raymond Sapoen, a Javanese native from Banyumas who become president in 2015.

7. Cocos Islands

Cocos Islands are located southwest of Java Island, adjacent to Christmas Island, and the population is mostly of Javanese and Borneo Malay descent. Captain John Clunies-Ross, the King of Cocos Islands, brought workers from Java and Malay Borneo to Cocos Islands to harvest cocoa beans in 1827.

They eventually remained on Cocos Island until the island grew to include 75% of the total population, the majority of whom are Muslims.