nusantara

Nusantara is a term used to describe the Indonesian archipelago, encompassing thousands of islands located between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean. It includes major landmasses such as Sumatra, Java, Kalimantan (Borneo), Sulawesi, the Nusa Tenggara and Maluku Islands, and the western half of New Guinea, as well as countless smaller islands. The concept highlights Indonesia's maritime geography, cultural diversity, and shared historical networks of trade, migration, and exchange.

Etymology: The word originates from Malay and Javanese roots, where nusa means "island" and antara means "between" or "among." Literally, Nusantara can be translated as "the archipelago" or "the among-islands." The term appears in historical Malay and Javanese literature and has been revived in modern nationalist and administrative contexts.

In contemporary Indonesia, Nusantara is used as a political-cultural concept to emphasize national unity across the sea-rich nation. It underpins discourse on maritime sovereignty, connectivity, and regional development, and is associated with the idea of Indonesia as a single archipelago nation rather than a land-based empire alone.

In 2019–2020, the government announced plans to move the capital to East Kalimantan and to name the new capital city Nusantara, reinforcing the term as a symbol of the nation's geographic and cultural breadth.