The name Indonesia derives from two Greek words, “Indos” and “nesos”. “Indos” means “Indian” and “nesos” means “island”. So, Indonesia literally means “Indian Islands”.
The first recorded use of the name Indonesia was by the Dutch geographer, cartographer, and astronomer, Abraham Ortelius, in 1596. Ortelius was referring to the eastern islands of the Malay Archipelago, which he wrote were “discovered by the Portuguese” and were “known by the name of Indies”.