By Tim Lambert
Early Indonesia
c. 2,500 BC People in Indonesia learn to farm. They grow taro, bananas, millet and rice
c. 700 BC Bronze and iron are first used in Indonesia
400 BC The Indonesians trade with China and India
8th century AD Civilization in Indonesia is flourishing. The kingdom of Sriwijaya exists in south Sumatra. The kingdom of Sailendra exists in central Java.
13th century The Sriwijaya Empire breaks up
1292 The Majapahit Empire is founded
Early 15th Century The Majapahit Empire goes into a rapid decline
1511 The Portuguese capture Melaka
1602 The Dutch East India Company is founded
1619 The Dutch capture Batavia
1641 The Dutch take Melaka
1799 The Dutch government take over the territories Dutch East India Company
1825 The Javanese War begins. The Dutch take Pelambang in Sumatra.
1830 The Dutch win the Javanese War
1894 The Dutch capture Lombok
1905 The Dutch capture Sulawesi
1906 The Dutch conquer Bali
1942 The Japanese invade Indonesia
1945 August Sukarno declares Indonesian independence but the Dutch fight to subdue Indonesia
1946 The Dutch recognize the new republic but only in Java and Sumatra. They still claim the rest of Indonesia.
1947-48 Fighting continues
Modern Indonesia
1949 The Dutch recognize Indonesian independence
1957 President Sukarno introduces ‘Guided Democracy’
1965 The Communists attempt a coup in Indonesia. It is crushed.
1966 Suharto becomes dictator of Indonesia
1973 Indonesia benefits from the high price of oil
1997 Indonesia suffers from a financial crisis
1998 Suharto resigns
1999 Elections are held
2004 Susilo Bambang Yudho is elected president of Indonesia
2016 The population of Indonesia is 261 million
