The Indies or East Indies (or East India) is a term formerly used to describe lands occupying the area around the eastern Indian Ocean roughly occupying modern day Eastern India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. These lands began to be explored by European powers in the 16th century and became important sources of trade goods, particularly cotton, indigo and spices after the establishment of the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company in the 17th century.
The islands of the Caribbean were initially thought to be the Indies by explorer Christopher Columbus, who had grossly underestimated the westerly distance from Europe to Asia, and were known as such. Later the Caribbean islands became known as the West Indies whilst the lands in the Indian Ocean became the "East Indies".
The racial designation East Indian once primarily used describe people of all of the East Indies but more recently it has been used as a more precise version of Indian, to avoid the potential confusion as to whether one means people from the country of India or Native Americans. Asian Indian is simular alternative term.
