The word Indies comes from Latin: Indus (Names for India). The original name Dutch Indies (Dutch: Nederlandsch-Indië) was translated by the English as the Dutch East Indies, to keep it distinct from the Dutch West Indies.

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Company rule
Centuries before Europeans arrived, the Indonesian archipelagosupported various states, including

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Law and administration
Since the VOC era, the highest Dutch authority in the colony resided with the 'Office of the Governor

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In 1898, the population of Java numbered 28 million with another 7 million on Indonesia's outer islands. The first half of 20th century saw large-scale immigration of Dutch and other

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The economic history of the colony was closely related to the economic health of the mother country. Despite increasing returns from the Dutch system of land tax, Dutch finances had been severely affected by the cost of the Java War and the Padri War, and

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Language and literature
Across the archipelago, hundreds of native languages are used, and Malay or Portuguese Creole,

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When the Dutch Royal Family was established in 1815, much of its wealth came from Colonial trade.
Universities such as the Royal Leiden Universityfounded in the 16th century have developed into leading knowledge centres about Southeast Asian

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