Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia,is a nation of 17,508 islands in the South East Asian archipelago, making it the world's largest archipelagic state. With a population of over 200 million, it is the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation. Indonesia is the world's third largest democracy after India and the U.S. Its capital is Jakarta and it shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia.
The Indonesian Archipelago, home of the Spice Islands, has been an important trade destination since Chinese sailors first profited from the spice trade in ancient times. Indonesia's history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to the archipelago by its wealth of natural resources; Indian-influenced Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished, Muslim traders who spread Islam in medieval times, and Europeans during the Age of Exploration, who fought for monopolization of the spice trade.