Alex Peek blog

Sunday, April 19, 2026

Collection of facts about the Dutch colonial empire

This post is collection of facts about the Dutch colonial empire (1595-1975). There are 18 facts listed below.

During the Dutch Republic (1588-1795), Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-1975)
Gained independence from Spain in 1581
Dutch East India Company (1602-1799) also known as VOC
Dutch West India company (1621-1792) also known as WIC
Colonies in North America, Caribbean, Brazil, Suriname, Africa, India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan
Initially operated commercially
Involved in the slave trade
Dutch Gold Coast (Ghana) established in 1612
New Netherlands (eastern North America) established in 1614
Dutch Formosa (Taiwan) established in 1624
Dutch Brazil established in 1630
Dutch Cape Colony (South Africa) established in 1652
Anglo-Dutch wars (1652-1784) lead to loss of colonies to Britain and France
Japan invaded the Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) in 1942
Indonesian National Revolution (1945-1949)
Indonesia gained independence in 1949
Ended when Dutch Guiana (Suriname) gained independence in 1975
Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten are autonomous constituent countries within the Kingdom of Netherlands

Sources