Nusantara is an Indonesian word for the Indonesian archipelago. It's base meaning in Sanskrit and Indonesian is "archipelago". Particularly in an historic sense, Indonesians often use the term to refer to the archipelago between the Asian and Australian continents, often referred to as the "Malay Archipelago".

The word Nusantara was taken from an oath by Gajah Mada, as written on an old Javanese old manuscript by Negarakertagama. Gajah Mada (d. circa 1364) was, according to ancient Javanese manuscripts, poems and mythology, a famous military leader and prime minister (mahapatih) of the Majapahit Empire, credited with bringing the empire to its peak of glory. Gajah Mada is said to have delivered an oath called Sumpah Palapa, in which he vowed not to eat any food containing spices until he had conquered all of Nusantara.