Moluccas Island

Moluccas Island is the only Indonesian province in which land makes up just 10 percent of the area's total surface. In many places the surrounding seas could be thousands of meters deep. Maluku is a transition zone between the Asian and Australian fauna and flora, and also between the Malay-based cultures of western Indonesia and those of Melanesia.

Its approximately 1000 islands support a population of less than 1.7 million people. The average population density figure is 19 people per-square kilometer, but the distribution is uneven. Air and sea transportation are the main means which link the islands together. The province has 32 seaports and 20 airports, and only about 160 km of roads. However, good roads on many of the islands provide easy access to the often remote places of tourists interest.

A great variety of endemic plant and animal species are found in the rugged forest-covered and mountainous hinterlands of most of the islands. A few of the best known are the Racker-tailed king fisher, the red-crested Moluccan cockatoo, and various brilliantly-colored lorikeets and parrots.

Most of Moluccas sits astride one of the world's most volatile

volcanic belts. The region has known more than 70 eruptions in the last 400 years. Tremors and volcanic eruptions are by no means rare events at present. Many islands, in fact, look from a distance like volcanic cones rising right out of the sea.

Formerly known as the Moluccas, these islands are the original Spice Islands which in the 16th and 17th centuries lured the major seafaring nations of Europe to come to trade and to establish their power and influence in this part of the East.

Chinese annals of the Tang dynasty from around the middle of the 7th century A.D make mention of a land named Ma-lu-ku. The 14th century Javanese manuscript Nagarakertagama mentions the name Maloko, meaning the island of Ternate, part of this province, which in the 17th century was known to the Portuguese as Moluquo.

It was Nicoli de Conti, however, who in 1440 revealed the existence of the Spice Islands to the Europeans. Using his information, Fra Maura drew his world map, and soon the race to the East began. In 1511, the Portuguese built their first fort in the area on the island of Ternate and established their monopoly of the clove trade.

The Spanish also came, but posed little trouble to the Portuguese. The Dutch, who arrived in 1599, on the other hand, proved to be their toughest contestants in the quest for Maluku's treasures. Armed conflicts broke out, taking a toll not only among the two rival European powers, but also among the local populations. To make it short, the Dutch finally emerged as winners and established their trade monopoly with iron hand. Whole villages were razed to the ground and thousands of islanders died in the so called Hongi expeditions launched by the Dutch to maintain their trade monopoly, especially on the island of Banda.

The British occupied Moluccas for a brief period during the Napoleonic war between England and France. Dutch rule was restored in 1814, leading to e new rebellion under Matulessi which the Dutch suppressed with difficulty. The compulsory cultivation of spices was abolished in Moluccas only in 1863.

Traces of that turbulent period in Moluccas history can still be found on a number of islands. However, Moluccas great attraction for present-day visitors is its sea gardens and beaches and the beauty of the land. Music and dances and hybrid culture in general, are among the province's strong touristic drawing cards. Fish and other sea products are nowadays Maluku's major sources of revenue, but nickel, oil, manganese and various timber also contribute to the province's wealth.