Maluku

Maluku Islands Map

The Maluku Islands or the Moluccas are an archipelago within Indonesia.Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located east of Sulawesi, west of New Guinea, and north and east of Timor. The islands were also historically known as the Spice Islands by the chinese and Europeans, but this term has also been applied to other islands outside Indonesia.  They have been known as the Spice Islands due to the nutmeg, mace and cloves that were originally found only there, and the presence of these sparked colonial interest from Europe in the 16th century.

Though originally Melanesian, many island populations, especially in the Banda Islands, were killed off in the 17th century during the Spice Wars. A second influx of Austronesian immigrants began in the early twentieth century under the Dutch and continues in the Indonesian era.

The Maluku Islands, also known as the Moluccas or the Spice Islands consists of North Maluku Province and Maluku Province, are a region of Indonesia lying between Sulawesi and Papua. This region is largely veryoff-the-beaten track for travelers.

Regions And Destinations

Ambon

Ora Beach

Taman Laut Manuala

Entry

There are daily flights to Ambon and Ternate from Jakarta with transit in Makassar. There is also a direct flight to Ambon from Jakarta, but the fare is approximately double that of going via Makassar.