Dutch colonization and settlement

Abstract In the 17th century the Dutch emerged as a colonial nation. Administration of the colonies was the responsibility of the Dutch East India Company (VOC, 1602–1798) in Southeast Asia and the West Indian Company (WIC, 1621–1792) in North and South America and the west African coastal area. The VOC governed several colonies in Southeast Asia including Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), the coast of the Coromandel (now part of India), Dutch Formosa (now Taiwan), the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), and also the Cape Colony (now South Africa). Ceylon and the Cape Colony became British in the 18th century, and the Coromandel in 1815. Only the Dutch East Indies became a settler colony and remained under Dutch rule until 1949.