The history of Indonesia has
been shaped by its geographic position, its natural resources, a series of
human migrations and contacts, wars and conquests, as well as by trade,
economics and politics. Indonesia is an archipelagic country
of 17,508 islands (6,000 inhabited) stretching along the equator in South East
Asia. The country's strategic sea-lane position fostered
inter-island and international trade; trade has since fundamentally shaped
Indonesian history. The area of Indonesia is populated by peoples of various
migrations, creating a diversity of cultures, ethnicities, and languages. The archipelago's landforms and
climate significantly influenced agriculture and trade, and the formation of
states. The boundaries of the state of Indonesia represent the 20th century
borders of the Dutch East Indies.
Fossilised remains
of Homo erectus and his tools, popularly
known as the "Java Man", suggest the Indonesian archipelago was
inhabited by at least 1.5 million years ago. Austronesian people, who form the majority of
the modern population, are thought to have originally been from Taiwan and
arrived in Indonesia around 2000 BCE. From the 7th century CE, the
powerful Srivijaya naval kingdom flourished bringing Hindu and Buddhist influences
with it. The agricultural Buddhist Sailendra and
Hindu Mataram dynasties subsequently thrived and
declined in inland Java. The last significant non-Muslim kingdom, the
Hindu Majapahit kingdom,
flourished from the late 13th century, and its influence stretched over much of
Indonesia. The earliest evidence of
Islamised populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in
northern Sumatra;
other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam which became the dominant
religion in Java and
Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and
mixed with existing cultural and religious influences.
Europeans arrived in
Indonesia from the 16th century seeking to monopolise the sources of
valuable nutmeg, cloves, and cubeb pepper in Maluku.
In 1602 the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and
became the dominant European power by 1610. Following bankruptcy, the VOC was
formally dissolved in 1800, and the government of the Netherlands established
the Dutch East Indies under government
control. By the early 20th century, Dutch dominance extended to the current
boundaries. The Japanese invasion and subsequent occupation in
1942-45 during WWII ended Dutch rule, and encouraged the previously suppressed
Indonesian independence movement. Two days after the surrender of Japan in
August 1945, nationalist leader, Sukarno,
declared independence and became president. The Netherlands tried to
reestablish its rule, but a bitter armed and diplomatic struggle ended
in December 1949, when in the face of international pressure, the Dutch
formally recognised Indonesian independence.
An attempted coup in 1965 led
to a violent army-led anti-communist
purge in which over half a million people were killed. General
Suharto politically outmanoeuvred President Sukarno, and became
president in March 1968. His New Order administration garnered the
favour of the West whose investment in Indonesia was a major factor in the
subsequent three decades of substantial economic growth. In the late 1990s,
however, Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the East Asian Financial Crisis which led
topopular protests and Suharto's resignation
on 21 May 1998. The Reformasi era following Suharto's
resignation, has led to a strengthening of democratic processes, including a
regional autonomy program, the secession of East Timor,
and the first direct presidential election in 2004.
Political and economic instability, social unrest, corruption, natural
disasters, and terrorism have slowed progress. Although relations among
different religious and ethnic groups are largely harmonious, acute sectarian
discontent and violence remain problems in some areas.
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