Indonesia

Buddhist maritime empire based in Sumatra that controlled trade through the Strait of Malacca.

The Shailendra dynasty builds the world's largest Buddhist monument in central Java.

Javanese Hindu-Buddhist empire; at its height under Gajah Mada it dominated much of the archipelago.

Javanese Islamic kingdom; split into Yogyakarta and Surakarta by the Treaty of Giyanti.

From its base at Batavia (Jakarta), the VOC monopolised the spice trade until its bankruptcy.

The Dutch state takes over VOC possessions; forced Cultivation System from 1830.

Long Dutch campaign to conquer the Aceh Sultanate in northern Sumatra.

Nationalist youth congress proclaims one motherland, one nation and one language: Indonesian.

First president; hosted the 1955 Bandung Conference and ruled by Guided Democracy from 1959.

War against the returning Dutch; ends with the transfer of sovereignty in 1949.

Sukarno and Hatta declare independence in Jakarta.

After a failed coup blamed on the communists, the army and militias kill an estimated 500,000 or more.

Army-backed authoritarian rule with rapid growth; occupied East Timor from 1975.

The Asian financial crisis and mass protests force Suharto to resign, opening a democratic transition.