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Maluku
Overview |
Geography
The Maluku archipelago is formed by 1208 widespread islands and is found in the eastern part of Indonesia. The Maluku province was divided into two provinces in October 1999: North Maluku (capital Ternate) and Maluku (capital Ambon). Combined, the two provinces cover over 850,000 square kilometers, only 10% of which is land. The archipelago is surrounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north; the province of North Sulawesi on the west; the province of East Timor on the south/southwest; and the province of Irian Jaya on the east.
Population
Maluku’s population of slightly more than 2 million make up less than 1% of Indonesia’s total population. Fifty-nine percent are Muslims with the remainder being Protestant (35%), Catholic (5%), Hindu (0.08%) and Buddhist(0.07%). Within the provinces, North Maluku has a Muslim majority and Maluku has a Christian majority. Many of the Christians in the Moluccan islands are ethnic Chinese.
Maluku’s ethnic diversity also has local origins in Malaysia, Papua and Java. A number of dialects of the Austronesian language family are spoken in Maluku, but most people speak the Indonesian national language, Bahasa Indonesia.
Since Indonesia’s independence, Maluku’s population has swelled as a result of the arrival of migrants, mainly Bugis and Butonese, from nearby South Sulawesi. Migrants have also come from Sumatra and Java. Some of this migration has occurred as a matter of course while other migrants have been part of government transmigration programs.
In North Maluku, the capital Ternate is mostly Muslim. However, the province contains significant Christian minorities in the northern part of Halmahera island as well as on the Obi and Bacan islands.
History
The name of the archipelago comes from the Arabic word Maluku, which means "the land of kings". The Maluku islands are also known as the Spice Islands because of their indigenous supplies of spices such as clove and nutmeg. Until the 15th century, the Maluku islands were ruled by the Javanese kingdom of Majapahit. Muslim missionaries subsequently arrived from Malaysia, bringing their religion with them. Rival sultanates emerged after the fall of Majapahit on the islands of Ternate and Tidore, and they struggled for control of the lucrative spice trade.
In 1511, the Portugese established a fort on the island of Ternate and assumed a monopoly over the clove trade. Dutch, Spanish and English spice traders entered the area soon after to challenge the Portuguese control of the spice supply. In 1605, the Dutch emerged as the dominant force, taking over the Portuguese fort and the monopoly over the spice trade. By the end of the 18th century, supplies of spices had been found in other locations such as Africa and India, demand for spices from the Maluku islands decreased and Maluku’s economy experienced a downturn.
Dutch rule continued almost without a break until the Japanese invasion of World War II. When the Japanese surrendered in 1945, the Republic of Indonesia declared its independence, and formed a Unitary State of Indonesia in 1950 with a stronger central government. This led to a revolt among the pro-Dutch Christian Ambonese, some of whom had actually joined the Dutch colonial military. The Ambonese formed the separate Republic of South Maluku, (RMS) which was promptly crushed by Javanese forces. The Moluccan islands have been officially part of Indonesia since 1963, however, some separatist sentiment remains.
Economy
Known historically as the Spice Islands, Maluku was for centuries a major source of cloves, mace and nutmeg. These spices are valuable as exports, along with coffee and coconut flesh. Other food crops include cassava, yams, taro and sweet potatoes. Maluku’s economy also depends in a large measure on fishing, including shrimp, crab, and tuna. Timber production and the mining of manganese, nickel, and oil also provide Maluku with necessary income. Plywood is exported to Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong.
Most economic activity, including trade, tourism and education, is centered in Ambon. Despite these urban sources of revenue, agriculture is still the key component of Maluku’s economy.
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