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Morotai Island (695 sq mi/1,800 km²) is an island located in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands (Moluccas).
History
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Morotai was generally within the sphere of influence of the sultanate of Ternate. In the mid-sixteenth century, the island was also the site of a Portuguese Jesuit mission. The Muslim states on Ternate and Halmahera resented the outpost for its proselytising activities, and managed to drive the mission from the island in 1571, as a part of a larger Portuguese retreat in the region.
The island was a Japanese airbase during World War II. It was captured by American forces in September 1944.
Economy
The island is heavily wooded and produces timber and resin.
See also
References
- Villiers, John (1988). Las Yslas de Esperar en Dios: The Jesuit Mission in Moro 1546-1571. Modern Asian Studies 22(3):593-606.
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