Indonesia Through History: Who Ruled Its Lands
The land of today's Indonesia appears on 39 historical border maps from 500 BC to today. Over that time it was held, in whole or in part, by 14 different states, among them Dutch East Indies, Indonesia, Netherlands Indies, Malaysian Islamic states, Srivijaya Empire.
IndonesiaExplore the history of Indonesia in the interactive map
Compare 1000 with today · Indonesia as a state on the map
Who ruled the land of Indonesia, map by map
Share of sample points inside today's borders held by each state on each map. Areas with no organised state on the map are left out.
Landmarks
BorobudurStanding · AD 825
Questions
Which empires and states ruled the territory of Indonesia?
On the border maps from 500 BC to today, the largest shares of the territory of modern Indonesia belonged to Dutch East Indies, Indonesia, Netherlands Indies, Malaysian Islamic states, Srivijaya Empire, East Java, along with 8 other states.
What was Indonesia part of in 1000?
On the border map for 1000, most of the territory of today's Indonesia lay within Srivijaya Empire.
What was Indonesia part of in 1500?
On the border map for 1500, most of the territory of today's Indonesia lay within Malaysian Islamic states.
What was Indonesia part of in 1900?
On the border map for 1900, most of the territory of today's Indonesia lay within Netherlands Indies.
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.