Indonesia: The 13,500+ Island Nation on the Equator—Capital Jakarta

The country described is Indonesia.

• Islands: ~17,000–18,000 (13,500+ is a common older estimate; 6,000 inhabited).
• Location: Southeast Asia / Oceania, straddling the Equator (crosses Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Halmahera).
• Neighbors: Malaysia (land/sea), Singapore (sea), Papua New Guinea (land), Timor-Leste (land), Australia (sea), Philippines (sea), Palau (sea), India (Andaman Sea).
• Capital: Jakarta (on Java, the world's most populous island).
• New Capital (in progress): Nusantara (East Kalimantan, Borneo) – legislated 2022, gradual move.

Indonesia is the world's 4th most populous nation (~275M), largest Muslim-majority country, G20 member, and a megadiverse archipelago.