History Of Indonesia

 History

Main article: History of Indonesia

Early history

A carved Borobudur boat on Borobudur temple. 800 AD. Boats with large output from the islands were able to travel to the east coast of Africa as early as the 1st century CE.

Fossilized remains of Homo erectus, known as "Java Man," suggest the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited between two million and 500,000 years ago. Homo sapiens arrived in the region around 43,000 BCE.[24] Most of the modern population, Australasians, migrated from what is now Taiwan to Southeast Asia. Around 2,000 BC they arrived in the archipelago and confined the native Melanesians to the far eastern regions. By the early eighth century BC, ideal agricultural conditions and the mastery of wet rice cultivation[26] In the first century AD, villages, It allowed small towns and nations to flourish. The strategic sea-lane position of the archipelago in B.C.E. For centuries, inter-island and international trade has been encouraged, including by the Indian and Chinese dynasties. Trade has fundamentally shaped Indonesian history.[28][29]

From the seventh century CE, the naval kingdom of Srivijaya flourished due to trade and the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism. Between the eighth and tenth centuries CE, the agrarian Buddhist Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties rose and declined in inland Java, leaving great religious monuments such as Sailendra's Borobudur and Mataram's Prambanan. The Hindu Majapahit kingdom was established in East Java in the late 13th century, and under Gajah Mada, its influence spread over much of present-day Indonesia. This period is often referred to as the "Golden Age" in Indonesian history.

The earliest evidence of Islam in the archipelago dates from the 13th century in North Sumatra. Other parts of the archipelago gradually adopted Islam, and by the end of the 16th century it had become the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra. For the most part, Islam blended with existing cultural and religious influences that shaped it most prominently in Indonesia, especially in Java.

Indonesia maintains 132 diplomatic missions abroad, including 95 embassies.[140] The country adheres to what it calls a "free and active" foreign policy, seeking a role in regional affairs in proportion to its size and location but avoiding involvement in conflicts among other countries.[141]

Indonesia was a significant battleground during the Cold War. Numerous attempts by the United States and the Soviet Union,[142][143] and the People's Republic of China to some degree,[144] culminated in the 1965 coup attempt and subsequent upheaval that led to a reorientation of foreign policy.[145] Quiet alignment with the Western world while maintaining a non-aligned stance has characterised Indonesia's foreign policy since then.[146] Today, it maintains close relations with its neighbours and is a founding member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the East Asia Summit. In common with most of the Muslim world, Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and has actively supported Palestine. However, observers have pointed out that Indonesia has ties with Israel, albeit discreetly.[147]

Indonesia has been a member of the United Nations since 1950[c] and was a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC).[149] Indonesia is a signatory to the ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement, the Cairns Group, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and an occasional OPEC member.[150] Indonesia has been a humanitarian and development aid recipient since 1967,[151][152] and recently, the country established its first overseas aid program in late 2019.[153]