East Indies
The East Indies is a place. It's far away from where you are now and it's made up of a bunch of islands in the Southeast Asia region. The people who live there are called Indonesians and they speak a different language than you do.
A long time ago, when people wanted to go to the East Indies, they had to travel very far by boat. They would go on these big ships that could be on the water for months! When they arrived, they found lots of different things like spices, tea, and coffee that they couldn't find in other parts of the world. Because these things were so rare, they were very expensive and people would pay a lot of money to bring them back with them to their own countries.
The East Indies were very important for trade and they helped people become very wealthy. Because of this, many countries wanted to take control of the East Indies, but one country called the Netherlands was able to gain the most control. They stayed there for a very long time and the Indonesians had to fight for their independence. Now, the East Indies is called Indonesia and it's an important country with lots of different cultures, religions, and languages.
A long time ago, when people wanted to go to the East Indies, they had to travel very far by boat. They would go on these big ships that could be on the water for months! When they arrived, they found lots of different things like spices, tea, and coffee that they couldn't find in other parts of the world. Because these things were so rare, they were very expensive and people would pay a lot of money to bring them back with them to their own countries.
The East Indies were very important for trade and they helped people become very wealthy. Because of this, many countries wanted to take control of the East Indies, but one country called the Netherlands was able to gain the most control. They stayed there for a very long time and the Indonesians had to fight for their independence. Now, the East Indies is called Indonesia and it's an important country with lots of different cultures, religions, and languages.