In the ancient era, the Indonesian archipelago with a variety of names. In the note area of the archipelago nation Tionghoa land named Nan-hai (South Sea Islands). Many of the ancient records of the nation India named this archipelago Dwipantara (across land Islands), the name derived from the Sanskrit word Dwipa (island) and between (outside, opposite). Poet of the Ramayana story recounts the search for Walmiki Sinta, wife of Rama Rahwana rapt, to Suwarnadwipa (Island of Gold, which is now Indonesia), located in the Islands Dwipantara.
Arab region, which was then called into Australia with a Jaza'ir al-ox (Java Island). Latin name for the incense, benzoe, the name comes from the Arabic language luban cow ( "Java incense"), the Arab traders obtain incense trees of the Styrax sumatrana first grown only in Sumatra. Until this day we still Hajj congregation often called "Java" by the Arabs. Even people even outside Java Indonesia. In Arabic, also known Samathrah (Sumatra), Sholibis (Sulawesi), Sundah (Sunda), all islands are known as cow kulluh (all of Java).
European nations that was first thought that came only Asia consists of Arabia, Persia, India, and China. For them, the wide spread between the Persians and the Chinese are "Indies". South Asia peninsula they call "Front Indies and mainland Southeast Asia called" Rear Indies. " While soil water to obtain the name "The Indies" (Indische Archipel, Indian Archipelago, l'Archipel Indien) or "East Indies" (Oost Indie, East Indies, Indes Orientales). Name that is also used "The Figure" (Maleische Archipel, the Malay Archipelago, l'Archipel Malais).
At the time of Dutch colonialism, the official name used is Nederlandsch-Indie (Dutch), whereas the government of Japan 1942-1945 the term Indo-To (East Indies).
Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), known by the name of fictitious Multatuli, who had proposed the specific name for the islands of Indonesia, namely Insulinde, which also means "The Indies" (the Latin insula meaning island). Insulinde name is less popular.
In the 1920s, Ernest Francois Eugene Douwes Dekker (1879-1950), known as Dr. Setiabudi (Multatuli brother's grandson), introduce a name for Indonesia, which does not contain elements of the word "India". No other name that is Nusantara, a term that has been submerged for centuries ever. Setiabudi taking the name of Pararaton, codex Majapahit era that are found in Bali at the end of the 19th century translated ago by JLA Brandes and published by Johannes Nicholaas chrome in the year 1920.
The archipelago is proposed Setiabudi far different from the understanding nusantara Majapahit era. During the Majapahit, Indonesia used to the islands outside Java (in the language of Sanskrit means outside, opposite) as the opponent's Jawadwipa (Java).
By Dr. Setiabudi nusantara said the era of the Majapahit berkonotasi jahiliyah that given the nasionalistis. By taking the original Malay word, the archipelago now has a new meaning of "island between two continents and two oceans," so that Java is included in the definition of modern Indonesia. Nusantara Setiabudi term of this quickly became popular as an alternative to the use of the name Dutch East Indies.
To date, this term is used to keep nusantara mention Indonesia.
In the year 1847 in Singapore published an annual scientific magazine, Journal of the Indian Archipelago and Eastern Asia (JIAEA), which is managed by James Richardson Logan (1819-1869), a Scottish law graduates who achieve at the University of Edinburgh. Then in 1849 a UK expert ethnology of the nation, George Samuel Windsor Earl (1813-1865), combine self-edit the magazine as JIAEA.
In JIAEA Volume IV 1850, pages 66-74, Earl write an article on the Leading Characteristics of the Papuan, Australian and Malay-Polynesian Nations. In his article it is stressed that the Earl was time for the Islands Indies or Malay Islands to have a unique name (a distinctive name), for the Indies, and is often not appropriate designation rancu India with the other. Earl put the name of two choices: Indunesia or Malayunesia (nesos in Greek means island). Article on page 71 is written:
"... The inhabitants of the Indian Archipelago or Malayan Archipelago would become respectively Indunesians or Malayunesians".
Earl states choose their own name Malayunesia (Malay Islands) than Indunesia (The Indies), for Malayunesia perfect for Malay race, while Indunesia can also be used to Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and the Maldives (Maldives). Earl also argued that the Malay language is used throughout this archipelago. In writings that is Earl Malayunesia term use and not use the term Indunesia.
In Volume IV JIAEA also, pages 252-347, James Richardson Logan write an article The Ethnology of the Indian Archipelago. In early writings, Logan also stated the need for unique names for our island homeland, for the term "Indian Archipelago" is too long and confusing. Logan Indunesia collect the name of Earl discarded, and the letter u digantinya with the letter o words that better. Thus was born the term Indonesia.
For the first time the word Indonesia appears in the world with 254 pages printed on any posts in Logan:
"Mr. Earl suggests the ethnographical term Indunesian, but rejects it in favour of Malayunesian. I prefer the purely geographical term Indonesia, which is merely a shorter synonym for the Indian Islands or the Indian Archipelago."
When recommending the name "Indonesia" Logan probably does not realize that in the future it will be the name of the official name. Since that time Logan consistently use the name "India" in the writings ilmiahnya, and finally the term spread among scientists in the field of ethnology and geography.
In 1884 professor of ethnology at the University of Berlin named Adolf Bastian (1826-1905) published the book Indonesien oder die Inseln des Malayischen Archipel five volume, which results when the research roam the land to water in the year 1864 until 1880. This is the book Bastian memopulerkan term "Indonesia" in the Dutch scholar, so that the suspicion had arisen that the term "Indonesia" is the creation Bastian. Opinion that is not true that, among others listed in the Encyclopedie van Nederlandsch-Indie in 1918. But Bastian taking the term "Indonesia" from the writings Logan.
Who initially used the term "Indonesia" is Suryaningrat Suwardi (Ki Hajar Dewantara). When removed to the Netherlands year 1913 he established a press bureau with the name Indonesische Press-bureau.
Name Indonesisch (Indonesia) is also introduced as a substitute Indisch (Indies) by Prof. Cornelis van Vollenhoven (1917). In line with that, inlander (indigenous) Indonesi�r replaced with the (Indonesian).