Southeast Asia · The modern states
Indonesia
Republic · 1945–present
Indonesia proclaimed its independence on 17 August 1945, two days after Japan's surrender, when nationalist leaders Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta read the proclamation in Jakarta. The Netherlands attempted to restore colonial rule, sparking a four-year revolution of guerrilla war and diplomacy that ended with the transfer of sovereignty on 27 December 1949.
- Type
- Republic
- Existed
- 1945–present
- Shown on the map
- 1946–2024
- Peak area
- 2.1M km²
- Region
- Southeast Asia
Origins & foundation
Indonesia proclaimed its independence on 17 August 1945, two days after Japan's surrender, when nationalist leaders Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta read the proclamation in Jakarta. The Netherlands attempted to restore colonial rule, sparking a four-year revolution of guerrilla war and diplomacy that ended with the transfer of sovereignty on 27 December 1949. The federal structure imposed at independence was dissolved in favour of a unitary republic on 17 August 1950.
Political history & notable leaders
Sukarno dominated the early republic, but parliamentary instability after the 1955 election and the PRRI/Permesta regional rebellions of 1958 led him to impose "Guided Democracy" in 1959, ruling by decree with army and communist-party (PKI) support. After the abortive 30 September Movement of 1965, General Suharto sidelined Sukarno, oversaw the mass killing of at least 500,000 alleged communists, and ruled as president under the authoritarian "New Order" from 1966 to 1998, backed by the army and the Golkar party. The 1997–98 Asian financial crisis triggered mass protests that forced Suharto's resignation in May 1998, opening the democratic "Reformasi" era. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono won the first direct presidential election in 2004, followed by Joko Widodo (2014–2024) and Prabowo Subianto, elected in 2024.
Economy, culture & society
With roughly 288 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth-most-populous country and has the largest Muslim population of any nation. It spans about 1.9 million km² across more than 17,000 islands and is a founding member of ASEAN and a G20 economy.
Territorial extent & key events
The republic absorbed West New Guinea in 1962–63 (confirmed by the contested 1969 Act of Free Choice) and invaded Portuguese Timor in 1975. East Timor voted for independence in 1999 and separated in 2002; the Aceh separatist conflict was settled by the 2005 peace agreement following the devastating 2004 tsunami.
Conflicts & turning points
Key turning points include the 1965 coup and massacres, the 1975 East Timor invasion, the 1998 fall of Suharto, and the 2002 loss of East Timor. A plan to move the capital from Jakarta to the new city of Nusantara in Borneo has been underway since 2022.
Legacy & present-day status
Indonesia is today a vibrant if imperfect presidential democracy and Southeast Asia's largest economy, balancing Islam, nationalism and pluralism under the state ideology of Pancasila.
Common questions
- What was Indonesia?
- Indonesia proclaimed its independence on 17 August 1945, two days after Japan's surrender, when nationalist leaders Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta read the proclamation in Jakarta. The Netherlands attempted to restore colonial rule, sparking a four-year revolution of guerrilla war and diplomacy that ended with the transfer of sovereignty on 27 December 1949.
- When did Indonesia exist?
- Indonesia existed 1945–present. On this map it is drawn 1946–2024.
- How large was Indonesia?
- At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Indonesia covered about 2.1 million km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
- Where was Indonesia?
- The republic absorbed West New Guinea in 1962–63 (confirmed by the contested 1969 Act of Free Choice) and invaded Portuguese Timor in 1975. East Timor voted for independence in 1999 and separated in 2002; the Aceh separatist conflict was settled by the 2005 peace agreement following the devastating 2004 tsunami.
- Who ruled Indonesia?
- Sukarno dominated the early republic, but parliamentary instability after the 1955 election and the PRRI/Permesta regional rebellions of 1958 led him to impose "Guided Democracy" in 1959, ruling by decree with army and communist-party (PKI) support.
- What is the present status of Indonesia?
- Indonesia is today a vibrant if imperfect presidential democracy and Southeast Asia's largest economy, balancing Islam, nationalism and pluralism under the state ideology of Pancasila.
- What did the economy and culture of Indonesia rest on?
- With roughly 288 million people, Indonesia is the world's fourth-most-populous country and has the largest Muslim population of any nation. It spans about 1.9 million km² across more than 17,000 islands and is a founding member of ASEAN and a G20 economy.
Sources
Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.
- Wikipedia: Indonesia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia
- Wikipedia: Guided Democracy in Indonesia en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guided_Democracy_in_Indonesia
This entry was written from the sources above and last updated .
This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made
Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.
Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).
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