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North Maluku - Definition and Overview |
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 Map showing North Maluku province in Indonesia North Maluku (Indonesian: Maluku Utara) is one of the provinces of Indonesia. It consists of a number of the Moluccas islands, which are split between it and the province of Maluku. Maluku province used to cover the entire group. The capital of North Maluku is Sofifi which is loacted in Halmahera Island.
North Maluku's islands are made particularly famous for their role in the Spice Trade. In the 15th and 16th century wars were fought between the Dutch, Portuguese, English and local Bandanese for control of the islands.
One notable island, now forgotten and tiny, was Run, home of the nutmeg trees thought in the 16th century to provide cures for numerous ills including the plague. Held by the Englishman Nathaniel Hawthorne until 1664 it was finally handed over to the Dutch as part of a settlement in exchange for another tiny island on the other side of the world: Manhattan.
Nutmeg trees have since been transported and replanted all around the world and the demand for nutmeg from the original spice islands has ceased leaving a place of poverty and ongoing local conflict.
The population of North Maluku is 724.897 (2000 census), making it the least populous province in Indonesia.
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