Geography of East Indies Island
East Indies, a vaguely defined geographical term that has changed in meaning during the past several centuries. Originally it was used to designate India, the peninsular lands of southeastern Asia, and the Pacific islands as far east as the Philippines and New Guinea. Later the name was restricted to the Malay Archipelago (the large group of islands between Australia and Southeast Asia). Finally, the name was applied to the islands of the Malay Archipelago that were under Dutch control and popularly known as the Dutch, or Netherlands, East Indies. In 1949 these islands became the independent country of Indonesia.