Glossary · Oceania
Every Southeast Asian and Pacific territory on the map
Java, Bali, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Pacific.
- Entries
- 33
- Span
- AD 741 – today
- Eras
- 5
What this region covers
Java, Bali, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Pacific — the classical Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms of Medang, Kediri and Singhasari, the Islamic sultanates of Demak, Gowa, Bone and Banjar, the Balinese kingdoms and their puputans, Dutch colonial rule, and the island states of today.
Nothing matches that.
Classical Hindu-Buddhist Java and Bali
AD 700 – 1450 6 entries- 732–1006 Mataram Kingdom Javanese Hindu-Buddhist kingdom founded by King Sanjaya, whose Sailendra rivals built the great Buddhist monument of Borobudur.
- 914–1343 Early Balinese kingdoms Early Balinese kingdom of the Warmadewa line, whose first named king left a bilingual victory pillar at Blanjong harbor.
- 1019/1028–1045 Kahuripan Javanese kingdom built by Airlangga after fleeing his uncle's destroyed realm, reuniting the Brantas region around a new capital.
- 1042–1222 Kediri Kingdom East Javanese kingdom succeeding Kahuripan from its capital Daha, flourishing under King Jayabhaya before its final defeat.
- 1042–1130s Kingdom of Janggala Eastern Javanese kingdom formed when Airlangga divided Kahuripan, the weaker twin later conquered and reunited with rival Kediri.
- 1222–1292 Singhasari East Javanese kingdom founded by low-born Ken Arok after defeating Kediri, its bloody succession preceding a Mongol invasion.
The Islamic sultanates
1450 – 1700 12 entries- 1475–1554 Demak Sultanate First Muslim state on Java's coast, founded by Raden Patah and legitimized by the Wali Sanga as successor to fallen Majapahit.
- 1330s/1512–1905 Sultanate of Bone Bugis sultanate of southern Sulawesi centered on Watampone, made a dominant maritime power by prince-turned-king Arung Palakka.
- to 1669 Sultanate of Gowa Makassarese kingdom that with ally Tallo formed the trading power of Makassar, defeated by the Dutch VOC in the Makassar War.
- 1383/1519–1686 Balinese Kingdom Bali's classical Gelgel-based kingdom, a Majapahit vassal dynasty whose golden age spread Hindu culture across neighboring isles.
- to 1743/1767 Blambangan Kingdom Last Hindu kingdom on Java, holding out in the island's eastern salient between Islamic Mataram and Hindu Balinese realms.
- 1526–1860 Sultanate of Banjar Islamic sultanate of South Kalimantan founded at Banjarmasin, trading pepper and diamonds before Dutch intervention sparked war.
- 1572–1587 Kingdom of Pajana Unverified Bugis kingdom absent from reputable sources, most plausibly a garbled echo of the Javanese Sultanate of Pajang.
- 1587–1755 Mataram Sultanate Last major independent Javanese Muslim state, founded by Sutawijaya and brought to its height by the conqueror Sultan Agung.
- 1619–1833 Sultanate of Sukadana Islamic-era capital of the old Tanjungpura realm in West Kalimantan, a diamond-trading Malay sultanate later under Dutch control.
- 1620–1958 Sultanate of Bima Sultanate of eastern Sumbawa converted to Islam through Makassar influence, later self-governing under Dutch VOC overlordship.
- 4th–5th century Kutai Kingdom Indonesia's oldest known Hindu kingdom, recorded on ancient Sanskrit stone pillars beside the upper Mahakam River in Borneo.
- 1687–1908 Bali Fragmented island of nine rival kingdoms under Klungkung's precedence, ending in mass puputan charges against Dutch conquest.
Dutch expansion and the colonial era
1700 – 1900 8 entries- 1300s–1960s Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara Coastal Mahakam kingdom that absorbed the ancient Kutai Martadipura, drawing wealth from river tolls, opium, salt and coal.
- from 1755 Sultan of Yogyakarta Javanese sultanate created when a treaty split Mataram, preserving refined court arts and later backing Indonesian independence.
- from 1745 Surakarta Sunanate Javanese sunanate of the Pakubuwono line, formed when the Mataram court moved to Surakarta and flourished as a cultural center.
- 1795–1806 Batavian Republic Dutch client state proclaimed after French revolutionary conquest, under which the bankrupt East India Company was dissolved.
- 1800–1949 Dutch East Indies Dutch colonial state across the Indonesian archipelago, ruled through the exploitative Cultivation System until independence.
- 1856–1859 New Caledonia Melanesian archipelago annexed by France and run as a penal colony for convicts, its Kanak people dispossessed of their land.
- 1871–1874 Kingdom of Fiji Short-lived Fijian constitutional monarchy under paramount chief Cakobau, ceded to Britain as a colony amid debt and instability.
- 1906–1980 New Hebrides Anglo-French condominium over a Pacific archipelago run under a cumbersome dual administration, gaining independence as Vanuatu.
Colonial rule and the world wars
1900 – 1945 1 entryThe modern island states
1945 – today 6 entries- from 1975 Papua New Guinea Highly multilingual Pacific nation independent from Australia, scarred by conflict over the Panguna copper mine on Bougainville.
- from 1840 New Zealand Pacific nation founded on the disputed Treaty of Waitangi between the British Crown and Maori chiefs, pioneer of women's suffrage.
- from 1970 Fiji Pacific island nation independent from Britain, its politics repeatedly upended by coups amid iTaukei and Indo-Fijian tension.
- from 1978 Solomon Islands Melanesian nation independent from Britain, wracked by conflict between Guadalcanal and Malaita until an Australian-led mission.
- from 1980 Vanuatu Melanesian republic formerly the New Hebrides, independent under Father Walter Lini and marked since by chronic coalition churn.
- from 2002 Timor-Leste Former Portuguese colony on Timor island, occupied brutally by Indonesia for decades before a referendum won its independence.
Common questions
- How many Southeast Asian and Pacific states are in this glossary?
- 33 — every Southeast Asian and Pacific territory the atlas draws, from the Mataram Kingdom (732–1006) to the states on the map today. Each entry lists its dates, its peak extent and the sources it was written from.
- Which is the oldest Southeast Asian and Pacific state on the map?
- The Mataram Kingdom, 732–1006 — the first territory the atlas draws in Oceania. The most recent to appear is Timor-Leste (from 2002).
- Which Southeast Asian and Pacific state covered the most ground?
- Of the territories mapped here, the Commonwealth of Australia reached the largest area — about 8.4M km² at its peak, as drawn by the border data.