About Indonesia

Ancient Indonesia saw the reign of hundreds of ancient kingdoms all over the archipelago. This gave birth to various traditional customs, arts, and culture, as well as historical sites and relics. For instance, by the Seventh Century, the powerful Buddhist Kingdom of Sriwijaya was expanding and it was during that period the spectacular Borobudur sanctuary was built in Central Java. The Thirteenth Century witnessed the rise of Hinduist Majapahit Empire in East Java, which united the whole of what is now modern day Indonesia and parts of the Malay Peninsula. The great empire fell after two centuries, leaving Indonesia back to separate, small kingdoms, which were easy prey for European invasions.

First, the Portuguese arrived in 1509, seeking for spices, and monopolized the trade route by force. Then, in the middle of 16th century, Dutch took over the occupation for about 350 years. The riches of Indonesian natural resources were brought over to Europe and traded for national funding. The Dutch East Indies, as it was known at the time, fell under British rule for the period of 1811-1816. Lastly, Japanese took over for three and a half years, until Indonesia proclaimed its independence at August 17th, 1945.

(article from http://www.budpar.go.id/region.html?menu1=&menu2=0501030000)

Please visit the The Official site of Indonesia Culture and Tourism