Republic of. Formerly, Netherlands East Indies, Dutch East Indies.a republic in the Malay Archipelago consisting of 13,677 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, the S part of Borneo, the W part of New Guinea, the Moluccas, the Lesser Sunda Islands, Bali, and Madura: gained independence from the Netherlands in 1949. 209,774,138; 741,098 sq. mi. (1,919,443 sq. km). Capital: Jakarta.
Former name (until 1949): Batavia, Former spelling: Djakarta the capital of Indonesia, in N West Java: founded in 1619 and ruled by the Dutch until 1945; the chief trading centre of the East in the 17th century; University of Indonesia (1947). Pop: 8 347 083 (2000)