When Indonesia’s first president, Sukarno, proclaimed his nation’s independence over the radio on 17 August 1945, he did so in fewer than 25 words. But if the declaration was simple, the nation which it conjured into existence was anything but. Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, made up of over 17,000 islands which span a distance equivalent to that between London and Riyadh. Home to over 1,300 ethnic groups, it is the second most linguistically diverse country in the world.
The first states to emerge in this region were the Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of Java-based Mataram in the 4th century, and Sumatra-based Srivijaya about 300 years later. By the 16th century, most of the archipelago was ruled by a Mataram descendent, the Majapahit. Islam arrived with traders from India and Arabia from the 1200s, before similar commercial opportunities attracted Portuguese then Dutch ships around 300 years later. By the late 18th century, the Dutch directly controlled most of the archipelago. Japan then replaced the European colonialists during World War Two, until its surrender provided Indonesians the opportunity to declare and fight for independence.
