Isabella Carter
The term Indies broadly refers to various lands in the Eastern or Western Hemisphere. The East Indies refer to the Malay Archipelago, which includes the Philippines, Indonesia, Borneo, and New Guinea. The East Indies may also include former colonies of European powers, such as French Indochina, British territories of Brunei, Hong Kong, and Singapore, and the Portuguese territories of Macau and Timor. The West Indies, on the other hand, is a crescent-shaped group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, including the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago. The term Indies was historically used to refer to the coasts and islands in and around the Indian Ocean and the Indian subcontinent.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Historical Name | The Indies |
| Modern Name | The East Indies and The West Indies |
| Location | Eastern and Western Hemispheres |
| Regions | East Indies, West Indies |
| East Indies | Malay Archipelago, Indian Subcontinent, Indochinese Peninsula |
| West Indies | Caribbean, North Atlantic Ocean |
| East Indies Countries | Indonesia, Malaysia, India |
| West Indies Countries | 13 independent island countries and 19 dependencies |
| West Indies Islands | Greater Antilles, Lesser Antilles, Lucayan Archipelago |
| East Indies Inhabitants | Not called East Indians |
| West Indies Inhabitants | West Indians |
| West Indies Population | ~44 million |
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What You'll Learn
The East Indies: Malay Archipelago, Indian subcontinent, Indochinese Peninsula
The term "The Indies" broadly refers to various lands in the Eastern Hemisphere, including islands and mainland territories in and around the Indian Ocean. Over time, the term was used more specifically to refer to three distinct regions: the East Indies, the West Indies, and the Spanish East Indies.
The East Indies, in particular, encompassed a vast geographical expanse in South and Southeast Asia, stretching from the Indian subcontinent to the Malay Archipelago, the world's largest island group. The Malay Archipelago, also known as the Philippine Archipelago, includes Indonesia, Borneo, and New Guinea.
Historically, the East Indies also encompassed the coasts of the Indian subcontinent and the Indochinese Peninsula. This region was highly sought-after by European colonial powers due to its rich natural resources, such as rubber, spices, cotton, and indigo, as well as its strategic location along important trading routes.
The term "East Indies" was first used by Portuguese explorers in the 15th century during the Age of Discovery. However, the demarcation of territories later became more refined, and the East Indies came to specifically refer to the British East Indies (including India and Malaysia), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), and the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines). It is important to note that the inhabitants of the East Indies are not referred to as "East Indians" to distinguish them from the cultural and linguistic associations with South Asia.
The distinction between the East Indies and the West Indies came about due to Christopher Columbus's miscalculation of westward navigation routes from Europe to Asia, which resulted in his arrival in the Americas. To differentiate between the regions, Europeans began using the terms "East Indies" and "West Indies," with the latter referring to the Americas.
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Spanish East Indies: Philippines
The East Indies is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies referred to various lands in the Eastern Hemisphere, including the Malay Archipelago, which today comprises the Philippine Archipelago, Indonesian Archipelago, Borneo, and New Guinea. The term was also used to refer to the coasts of the Indian subcontinent, the Indochinese Peninsula, and the Malay Archipelago.
During the era of European colonization, territories of the Spanish Empire in Asia were known as the Spanish East Indies. The Spanish East Indies were the colonies of the Spanish Empire in Asia and Oceania from 1565 to 1901. The Spanish East Indies included the present-day Philippines, Guam, the Mariana Islands, Palau, and parts of Micronesia. The Philippines became the center of operations for further Spanish wars in Asia, including the Castilian War against the Sultanate of Brunei and campaigns in Cambodia and Taiwan.
The Spanish first viewed the Philippines as a stepping stone to the riches of the East Indies (Spice Islands). The Portuguese navigator and explorer Ferdinand Magellan led the first Spanish expedition to the Philippines in 1521, making landfall on Cebu before meeting his demise on the nearby island of Mactan. In 1542-43, Antonio de Mendoza encouraged the exploration of these Asian territories and commissioned the expedition of Ruy López de Villalobos to the Philippines. In 1565, Miguel López de Legazpi established the first Spanish settlement in the Philippines, which became the town of San Miguel in present-day Cebu. That same year, Andrés de Urdaneta discovered a maritime route from the Philippines to Mexico, leading to the important transpacific transport link of the Manila-Acapulco Galleons. In 1571, the Spaniards captured the city-state of Maynila, renaming it Manila, and making it the seat of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines.
During the first half of the 17th century, there were several clashes with the Dutch in and around the Spanish East Indies as the Dutch expanded their interests in Southeast Asia. In 1646, local Spanish forces defeated a concerted Dutch effort to take control of the Philippines. In 1668, Blessed Diego Luis de San Vitores established the first mission on Guam, where he and Saint Pedro Calungsod were later martyred. In 1762, a British expeditionary force captured and occupied Manila for twenty months as part of the Seven Years' War.
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Dutch East Indies: Indonesia
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies, was a Dutch colony that constituted most of modern-day Indonesia. The term 'Indies' comes from the Latin 'Indus', which means 'Names for India'. The Dutch East Indies were formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which came under the administration of the Dutch government in 1800.
The Dutch East India Company was granted a charter in March 1602 to wage war, build fortresses, and make treaties across Asia. The company established a capital in Batavia (now Jakarta), which became the centre of its Asian trading network. The company introduced non-indigenous cash crops like coffee, tea, cacao, tobacco, rubber, sugar, and opium, and safeguarded its commercial interests by taking over the surrounding territory.
The Dutch colonial state in Indonesia was governed by two key figures: Herman Willem Daendels, Governor-General from 1808 to 1811 during the French occupation of Holland, and British Lieutenant Sir Stamford Raffles, Governor-General from 1811 to 1816 during the British occupation of Java. Daendels reorganised the central and regional colonial administration by dividing Java into districts, each headed by a European civil servant who reported directly to the Governor-General. Raffles continued these reforms by overhauling Java's judicial, police, and administrative systems.
The Dutch colonial system in Indonesia was both direct and dualistic. Alongside the Dutch hierarchy, there existed an indigenous power structure that served as an intermediary between the Javanese peasants and the European civil service. The top of this indigenous hierarchy was composed of the Javanese aristocracy, who were previously the officials of the Mataram administration. However, under Dutch rule, they were now subordinate to the Dutch Governor-General.
The Dutch East Indies was one of the most valuable colonies under European rule, contributing significantly to the Dutch global prominence in the spice and cash crop trade in the 19th century, and coal and oil exploration in the 20th century. The colony was marked by a rigid racial social order, with the Dutch elite living separately from but linked to their native subjects.
Indonesia declared independence on 17 August 1945, and after the Indonesian War of Independence, Indonesia and the Netherlands made peace in 1949. In 1962, the Dutch ceded their last possession in Southeast Asia, Dutch New Guinea, to Indonesia, marking the end of the Dutch colonial presence in the region.
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British East Indies: Malaysia, India
The term "Indies" broadly refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern Hemisphere, specifically islands and mainlands in and around the Indian Ocean. The term was used by explorers in the Age of Discovery, particularly by the Portuguese. Over time, the term was used to refer to specific regions, depending on the European colonial power they were associated with. The East Indies, for instance, included the Spanish East Indies, Dutch East Indies, and British East Indies.
The British East Indies specifically referred to Malaysia. The British involvement in the Malay Peninsula began in 1771 when Great Britain attempted to establish trading posts in Penang, formerly a part of Kedah. In 1819, the British established a trading post in Singapore and gained complete control of the island in 1824. The Anglo-Siamese Treaty of 1909 resulted in the surrender of Perlis, Kedah, Kelantan, and Terengganu by Siam. In 1946, after World War II, the Malayan Union was formed, which included Malacca and Penang, but Singapore was excluded and became a separate Crown colony. The Malayan Union was unpopular and was replaced by the Federation of Malaya in 1948, which gained independence in 1957. In 1963, the Federation of Malaya, along with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore, formed the larger federation of Malaysia.
The term "Indies" was also used to refer to the Indian subcontinent and the coasts of the landmasses comprising it. In the context of the Age of Discovery, the Indies referred to the regions of Hindustan, Indochina, and Insulindia, which are now within the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia. During the era of European colonization, the East India Company, formed in 1600, acted as an agent of British imperialism in India from the early 18th century to the mid-19th century. The company was involved in the trade of cotton, silk, indigo, saltpeter, tea, and slaves. After the Indian Mutiny in 1858, the East India Company was dissolved, and British India came under the direct rule of the Crown.
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West Indies: Caribbean islands, Bahamas, Greater Antilles
The term "Indies" broadly refers to various lands in the Eastern or Western Hemisphere, specifically islands and mainlands found in and around the Indian Ocean. The term was used during the Age of Discovery, when Portuguese explorers set out to find new territories. The Indies were further distinguished by the European colonial power they belonged to, with the West Indies including the Spanish, Dutch, French, British, and Danish West Indies.
The West Indies is a crescent-shaped group of islands in the Americas, surrounded by the North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is often used interchangeably with the Caribbean, although the latter may also include coastal regions of Central and South American mainland nations. The West Indies comprises 13 independent island countries and 19 dependencies across three archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago.
The Greater Antilles is the oldest of the three archipelagos and includes the largest islands and tallest mountains in the Caribbean. It comprises Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Navassa Island), and Puerto Rico. The islands of the Greater Antilles are composed of strata of different geological ages, including Precambrian fragmented remains of the North American Plate and Jurassic-aged limestone.
The Lesser Antilles is a volcanic island arc that runs north from the coast of Venezuela to the Anegada Passage, separating it from the Greater Antilles. It includes 19 active volcanoes and islands such as the Virgin Islands, Anguilla, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Antigua and Barbuda, Montserrat, and many others.
The Lucayan Archipelago, also known as the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, is a chain of barrier reefs and low-lying islands atop the Bahama Platform, a carbonate block formed of marine sediments fixed to the North American Plate.
The West Indies has a rich history, with various European colonial powers vying for control of the region. Enslaved Africans were brought to the region, joining or replacing the indigenous Caribs and European settlers. The region has also experienced demographic shifts, with South Asians constituting a substantial minority in some areas, and a diverse range of cultural and linguistic influences, including French, English, Dutch, and Spanish.
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Frequently asked questions
The term "Indies" broadly refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern Hemisphere. The term was used by explorers in the Age of Discovery to refer to islands and mainlands in and around the Indian Ocean. Over time, the term was used to refer to two distinct regions: the East Indies and the West Indies.
The East Indies cover a wide geographical expanse in South and Southeast Asia, ranging from the Indian subcontinent to the Malay Archipelago. The term initially referred to India, but later encompassed more than thirteen thousand islands located across the Indian and Pacific Oceans between mainland Southeast Asia and Australia. The East Indies included the Spanish East Indies (the Philippines), the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia), the British East Indies (India and Malaysia), and former colonies of France, the United Kingdom, and Portugal.
The West Indies is a crescent-shaped group of islands separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea from the Atlantic Ocean. It comprises 13 independent island countries and 19 dependencies in three archipelagos: the Greater Antilles, the Lesser Antilles, and the Lucayan Archipelago. The West Indies include all the islands in the Antilles, as well as The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, the European colonial territories of the West Indies included the French West Indies, British West Indies, Danish West Indies, Netherlands Antilles (Dutch West Indies), and Spanish West Indies.
