North Maluku: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

North Maluku, or 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.

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.

Provinces of Indonesia
Sumatra: DI Aceh | North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) | West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) | Bengkulu | Riau | Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau) | Jambi | South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) | Lampung | Bangka-Belitung
Java: DKI Jaya | West Java (Jawa Barat) | Banten | Central Java (Jawa Tengah) | DI Yogyakarta | East Java (Jawa Timur)
Kalimantan: West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat) | Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah) | South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan) | East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur)
Bali and Nusa Tenggara: Bali | West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat) | East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur)
Sulawesi: North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara) | Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah) | South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan) | South East Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tenggara) | Gorontalo
Maluku and Papua: Maluku | North Maluku (Maluku Utara) | Irian Jaya Barat | Papua