Place · region

East Indies

Also known as Dutch East Indies

The East Indies is a historical term for the islands of South-East Asia, especially the Indonesian archipelago. The Dutch East Indies formed the centre of the Dutch Empire, valued for spices and later plantation crops, until the Empire of Japan occupied them during the Second World War, after which Indonesia gained independence.

East Indies — Image: Jodocus Hondius I · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 6 profiles

Dutch EmpireFoundation, Military, Decline Empire of JapanMilitary Kingdom of the NetherlandsMilitary, Impact, Summary Aceh SultanateSummary Dutch East IndiesFoundation, Impact, Summary IndonesiaFoundation, Summary

Mentioned in 3 state histories

Dutch Gold Coast Dutch Mauritius Dutch Cape Colony

See also

Cite this entry

APA: The Epoch Institute. (2026). East Indies. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/east-indies
MLA: “East Indies.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/east-indies. Accessed .
Chicago: The Epoch Institute. “East Indies.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/east-indies.
Harvard: The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘East Indies’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/east-indies (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻