The Malay Archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Melayu, Malay: Kepulauan Melayu or Nusantara) is the archipelago between mainland Southeast Asia and Australia. It has also been called the Indo-Australian Archipelago, East Indies, and other names over time. The name was taken from the 19th-century European concept of a Malay race.Situated between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, the group of over 25,000 islands is the largest archipelago by area, and fourth by number of islands in the world.