History of Indonesia

Stretching the length of Southeast Asia across four time zones, Indonesia is in the centre of many archaeological discoveries that shape our understanding of the past.

Indonesia is an archipelagic country, composed of over 17,000 islands which can be divided into seven regions: Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, the Lesser Sundas, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua. Indonesia has a rich and diverse archaeological record, from evidence of early hominids, rock art, Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms and Islamic sultanates, to remains from Dutch colonization and recent wars. Several cultural sites are listed as Unesco World Heritage, namely: Borobudur, the cultural landscape of Bali, Prambanan, Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage and the Sangiran Early Man site.