Moluccas
Historic spice source
The Moluccas are an Indonesian archipelago between Sulawesi and New Guinea, historically known as the Spice Islands.
For centuries they were the world's only source of cloves and nutmeg, making them the prize in European colonial rivalries: The Dutch controlled the Moluccas for three hundred years.
Also called Maluku.
Chain of scattered islands
- islandsLand surrounded by water
- volcanicOf fiery mountain origin
- equatorialOf Earth's central line
- tropicalOf hot, humid regions
Pacific · coral reefs · Indonesia · maritime · coastline · lagoon · islets · straits
Aromatic seed spice
- cloveDried flower bud spice
- maceBludgeon with flanged head
- Banda IslandsIndonesian archipelago, nutmeg origin
- spice tradeHistorical exchange of aromatics
aromatics · peppercorn · cinnamon · Dutch East India Company · VOC · plantation · harvest · fragrance
Life found nowhere else
- birds-of-paradiseShowy tropical avians
- floraPlants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
- rainforestWet tropical woodland ecosystem
coral reefs · marine life · Wallace Line · biogeography · conservation · habitat · wildlife · tropical forest
European maritime expansion era
- PortugueseOf a western Iberian nation
- SpanishLanguage of Iberia
- DutchOf the Netherlands
- expeditionOrganized exploratory journey
Magellan · colonization · seafaring · galleon · navigation · cartography · circumnavigation · East India Company
Sultan-ruled state
- indigenous peoplesOriginal inhabitants of lands
- MalaySoutheast Asian people
- AustronesianPacific-spanning language family
- sagoPalm-derived thickening starch
traditional dance · animism · Islam · Christianity · colonial heritage · oral traditions · boat building
archipelago
Chain of scattered islands
- islandsLand surrounded by water
- volcanicOf fiery mountain origin
- equatorialOf Earth's central line
tropical · Pacific · coral reefs · Indonesia · maritime · coastline · lagoon · islets · straits · mountainous
nutmeg
Aromatic seed spice
- cloveDried flower bud spice
- maceBludgeon with flanged head
- Banda IslandsIndonesian archipelago, nutmeg origin
spice trade · aromatics · peppercorn · cinnamon · Dutch East India Company · VOC · plantation · harvest · fragrance · pungency
endemic species
Life found nowhere else
- birds-of-paradiseShowy tropical avians
- floraPlants of a region
- faunaAnimal life collectively
rainforest · coral reefs · marine life · Wallace Line · biogeography · conservation · habitat · wildlife · tropical forest · cockatoo
Age of Discovery
European maritime expansion era
- PortugueseOf a western Iberian nation
- SpanishLanguage of Iberia
- DutchOf the Netherlands
Magellan · expedition · colonization · seafaring · galleon · navigation · cartography · circumnavigation · East India Company · trading posts
sultanate
Sultan-ruled state
- indigenous peoplesOriginal inhabitants of lands
- MalaySoutheast Asian people
- AustronesianPacific-spanning language family
sago · traditional dance · animism · Islam · Christianity · colonial heritage · oral traditions · boat building