Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a nation of islands consisting of 18,110 islands in the South East Asian Archipelago. Indonesia (from Greek: indus = India nesos = islands) is the world's largest archipelagic nation. Its capital is Jakarta. Indonesia is bordered by the nations of Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. With a population of over 200 million, it is the world's fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation. The Indonesian Archipelago was important to Ancient China as a trade route; it was a thriving part of the spice trade. Regional Hindu kingdoms expanded religious and cultural influences of Hinduism and Buddhism. Later, in the Middle Ages, the islands came under the influence of Islam. The region was colonized by the Netherlands under the Dutch East Indies. The natives of many of the islands rebelled against Dutch control in the early 20th century. After a brief occupation by Imperial Japan during World War II, nationalists declared independence in 1945, and a united and independent Indonesia was recognized in 1949. It was also recognized by the United Nations in 1950.