Excerpts from Books and Wikipedia
World's largest archipelago (3100 miles) across the Pacific from the Malay Peninsula to New Guinea, Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan, Irian Jaya, and Sulawesi; Achieved independence from Dutch in 1949 under Sukarno; formerly the Dutch East Indies; Was dominated by the military for 3 decades, until fall of Suharto in 1998; [DK Timeline, p. 547] Islam began to penetrate Indonesia in the 12th century; Portuguese traders were the first to intrude for control of the Moluccan clove trade; The Dutch United East India Company (VOC) was formed under a charter issued by the Dutch parliament to monopolize the spice trade; Java Wars (1825-30) unsuccessful rebellion by natives against Dutch; Japanese occupation in 1942-45; Communist PKI alliance with military ended in 1965; in 1966 Sukarno gave power to General Suharto, who became President in 1968; In 1984, Muslim protests in Jakarta triggered Islamic movement; demonstrators in East Timor massacred by Indonesian troops in 1991; Suharto resigns in 1998; 1999 Christian-Muslim clashes across Maluku with thousands of deaths and refugees; East Timor became independent in 2002; Tsunami kills 170,000 in Aceh in 2004; [DK Timeline, p. 548]