Maluku is a province of Indonesia. It is located in Eastern Indonesia, between Sulawesi and Western New Guinea, and comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. It is directly adjacent to North Maluku, Southwest Papua, and West Papua in the north; Central Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi in the west; the Banda Sea, Australia, Timor-Leste, and East Nusa Tenggara in the south; and the Arafura Sea, Central Papua, and South Papua in the east. The land area is 46,158.27 km2, and the total population of this province at the 2010 census was 1,533,506 people,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. rising to 1,848,923 at the 2020 census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. and the official estimate in mid 2025 was 1,970,563 (comprising 996,157 males and 974,396 females), increasing by about 25,000 per year.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Provinsi Maluku Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.81) The largest city and capital of Maluku province is Ambon on the small Ambon Island.
Maluku has two main religions, namely Islam which at the 2020 census was adhered to by 52.85% of the population of the province and Christianity which is embraced by 46.3% (39.4% Protestantism and 7.0% Catholicism).
All the Maluku Islands were part of a single province from 1950 until 1999. In 1999, the northern part of Maluku (then comprising the Maluku Utara Regency, the Halmahera Tengah Regency and the City of Ternate) were split off to form a separate province of North Maluku (), separated from the remaining (South) Maluku Province by the Seram Sea.
Etymology Historically, the term Maluku referred to the four royal centers in North Maluku, namely Ternate, Tidore, Bacan and Jailolo. A type of confederation consisting of the four kingdoms, which most likely emerged in the 14th century, was called Moloku Kie Raha or "The Four Mountains of Maluku".C.F. van Fraassen 1987 Ternate, de Molukken en de Indonesische Archipel. Leiden: Rijksmuseum te Leiden, Vol. I, p. 18. Although the four kingdoms subsequently expanded and covered the entire North Maluku region (as now defined) and parts of Sulawesi and New Guinea, the area of expansion was originally not included in the term Maluku. This only referred to the four main clove-producing islands to the west of Halmahera: Ternate, Tidore. Moti and Makian. Bacan further to the south, and Jailolo on Halmahera, were also commonly included in Maluku Proper, the four kingdoms forming a ritual quadripartition with connotations to local cosmology.C.F. van Fraassen 1987, Vol. I, p. 18.
The etymology of the word Maluku is not very clear, and it has been a matter of debate for many experts.Leonard Andaya 1993 The world of Maluku. Honolulu: University of Hawaiʻi Press, p. 47. The first recorded word that can be identified with Maluku comes from Nagarakretagama, an Old Javanese eulogy of 1365. Canto 14 stanza 5 mentioned Maloko, which Pigeaud identified with Ternate or Moluccas. A theory holds that the name Maluku comes from the concept of "Maluku Kie Raha". "Raha" means four, while "kie" here means mountain, referring to 4 mountains of Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, and Jailolo (Halmahera), which have their own kolano (title for local kings). Therefore, the Maluku can come from: "Moloku" here meaning to grasp or hold. In this context, the meaning of "Moloku Kie Raha" is "the confederation of four mountains". However, the root word "loku" comes from local Malay creole word for a unit, therefore not from an indigenous language. The other possibility is that the word "Maloko" is a combination of "Ma", meaning "support" and "Loko" referring to the area. The phrase "Maloko Kie Raha" means "the place/world which has four mountains".
History The pre-colonial era The region was first settled by Melanesians at least 40,000 years ago, collectively now known as the Alifuru tribes.These people are the indigenous inhabitants of Maluku, along with the later Austronesian migration.
At the beginning of the 14th century the Majapahit Kingdom ruled maritime Southeast Asia. At that time, traders from Java Establish a cooperation with Moluccan traders.
During the Ming dynasty, spices from Maluku were introduced in various works of art and history. In a painting by W.P. Groeneveldt, titled Gunung Dupa, Maluku, is described as a green mountainous region filled with cloves – an oasis in the middle of the southeastern sea. Marco Polo also described the clove trade in Maluku during his visit to Sumatra.
Before the arrival of European Nation, the Maluku islands had been ruled by several sultanates that played an important role in the spice trade, especially cloves and nutmeg. In the Maluku region, four major sultanates – Ternate, Tidore, Jailolo, and Bacan – formed a power structure known as the "Moloku Kie Raha," or "Four Mountains of Maluku." The four had dynamic relationships, both alliances and rivalries, that played a vital role in maintaining stability and prosperity in the region, especially through the valuable spice trade.
The Sultanate of Ternate was one of the most influential sultanates in Maluku and played an important role in the clove trade that connected Maluku with traders from Asia and the Middle East. Founded around the 13th century, Ternate developed into a center of maritime power and the spread of Islam in the eastern part of the archipelago. This sultanate established strong diplomatic relations with major kingdoms in Southeast Asia, such as the Sultanate of Malacca and the Majapahit Kingdom, strengthening its position in international trade routes. Under the rule of famous sultans such as Sultan Baabullah, Ternate was even able to expel the Portuguese and maintain its sovereignty, which made it a symbol of strength and independence in Maluku.Victor Lieberman (2009) Strange parallels: Southeast Asia in global contexts, c. 800-1830. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, p. 853-4.
The Sultanate of Tidore, which grew in almost the same period, also played an important role in Maluku. Like Ternate, Tidore developed a formidable maritime power and had extensive diplomatic relations, including with areas in the Southern Philippines. Tidore had a strong military tradition and often formed alliances with kingdoms in the northern region to face external threats, especially from European powers such as Portugal and Spain. Under the rule of Sultan Nuku, Tidore built local alliances and waged resistance that succeeded in maintaining its sovereignty while maintaining control over the spice trade.Leonard Andaya (1993), p. 237.
Meanwhile, the Jailolo Sultanate and the Bacan Sultanate also played a significant role in maintaining political and social balance in Maluku. Sultanate of Jailolo, as one of the oldest sultanates, has a very rich cultural tradition and is a spiritual and cultural center that is respected among the people of Maluku. During its heyday, Jailolo became a respected local power, with influence not only on political aspects but also social and cultural aspects.R.Z. Leirissa (1984), p. 185-8. The Sultanate of Bacan, although not as large as Ternate and Tidore, had a strategic role in trade routes and became an important supporter of the two sultanates, strengthening the defense system and relations with communities in the southern region.A.B. Lapian (1994) "Bacan and the early history of North. Maluku", in L. Visser (ed.), Halmahera and beyond: Social science research in the Moluccas. Leiden: KITLV Press.
These four sultanates, through the Moloku Kie Raha system, demonstrated a bond of unity in the face of external threats and in managing the economic and cultural potential of Maluku. Although Ternate and Tidore often stand out in the role of trade and resistance to foreign powers, Jailolo and Bacan remain an important part of this structure, both as a balancing force and as a symbol of Maluku's cultural diversity. Their cooperation and competition illustrate the complexity of local politics that helped maintain Maluku's identity and sovereignty for centuries, making this region a unique center of the spice trade in the world.kompas.id (November 8, 2017). "Maluku Kie Raha dari Negeri Teluk". Jelajah Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved November 1, 2024.
The era of the sultanate began to change drastically with the arrival of the Portuguese in the early 16th century, followed by the Spanish, Dutch, and then the British. European penetration in the region led to the weakening of local power and major changes in the political and economic structure of Maluku.
The colonial era
The first Europeans to arrive in Maluku were the Portuguese, in 1512. At that time two Portuguese fleets, under the leadership of António de Abreu and Francisco Serrão, landed in the Banda Islands and the Penyu Islands. After they established relations with local residents and kings, such as the Sultanate of Ternate on the island of Ternate, the Portuguese were given permission to build fortifications in Pikaoli, as well as the old Hitu State, and Mamala on Ambon Island. The Portuguese gained a monopoly while at the same time carrying out the spread of Catholicism.
One of the famous missionaries was Francis Xavier. Arriving in Ambon on February 14, 1546, then traveling to Ternate, arriving in 1547, visiting islands in the Maluku Islands to spread Catholicism.
The relationship between the Portuguese and Ternatean broke down in 1570, resulting in a war with Sultan Babullah that lasted for 5 years (1570–1575), causing the Portuguese to be expelled from Ternate and were driven to Tidore and Ambon.
The resistance of the Moluccas to the Portuguese was used by the Dutch to gain a foothold in Maluku. In 1605, the Dutch managed to force the Portuguese to surrender their defenses in Ambon to Steven van der Hagen and at Tidore to the Sebastiansz Cornelisz. Similarly, the British fortress in Kambelo, Seram Island, was destroyed by the Dutch. Giving the Dutch control of most of the Maluku region.
The Dutch position in Maluku grew stronger with the establishment of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) in 1602, and then the Netherlands became the sole ruler in Maluku. Under the leadership of Jan Pieterszoon Coen, Chief of Operations of the VOC, the clove trade in Maluku was under VOC control for almost 350 years. For this purpose, the VOC did not hesitate to expel the Portuguese, Spanish and the British. Tens of thousands of Moluccans were victims of VOC brutality.
During the Napoleonic Wars, British forces captured Maluku as the Netherlands were under French occupation. After the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814, the British returned Maluku to the Dutch. The Dutch returned in 1817.
The return of the Dutch in 1817 evoked strong resistance from the Moluccans. This was due to political, economic and social relations conditions that had been bad for two centuries. Moluccan people of the Ambon Islands rose up and took up arms under the leadership of Thomas Matulessy who was given the title Kapitan Pattimura, a former major sergeant of the British army.
On May 15, 1817, an attack was launched against Fort Duurstede on Saparua island, resulting in the death of Resident Johannes Rudolph van den Berg and his family.Peter van Zonneveld (1995)Pattimura en het kind van Saparua. De Molukken-opstand van 1817 in de Indisch-Nederlandse literatuur, Indische Letteren, 10:41–54. Pattimura was assisted by Philip Latumahina, Anthony Ribok, and Said Orders.
The news of this Pattimura's victory aroused the spirit of popular resistance throughout Maluku. Paulus Tiahahu and his daughter Martha Christina Tiahahu fought the Dutch on Nusa Laut, and Kapitan Ulupaha in Ambon.
But this resistance was crushed by the Dutch, being heavily outnumbered. On December 16, 1817, Pattimura and his colleagues were sentenced to death on the gallows, at Fort Niew Victoria, Ambon, while Martha Christina Tiahahu died on the boat during her voyage to Java and her body was released into the Banda Sea.
Modern era