[1] The Great East was created with the merger of its constituent residencies on 25 May 1938 and was ruled by a governor.

Following World War II, the governorate (except for Netherlands New Guinea) became the State of the Great East (later the State of East Indonesia) on 24 December 1946.

This state became a constituent of the federal United States of Indonesia in 1949 and was integrated into a unitary Indonesia in 1950 (except West New Guinea, which was only integrated in 1963).

As of December 2022, the area is divided into the eastern 17 of Indonesia's 38 provinces.

The Great East gouvernement consisted of the following residencies:[3]