Ambon, Banda, Ternate and Tidore - Maluku

The tiny islands of Ambon, Banda, Ternate and Tidore - among the thousands of islands in the Moluccas seas,- changed the course of world history from the 15th century onwards. These islands were what triggered the European Age of Exploration.

For in search of the Spice Islands in the Far East, Christopher Columbus sailed west – and discovered America. Vasco da Gama sailed south and discovered the long route around Africa’s Cape of Good Hope in 1498 to finally reach India after a long and perilous voyage. Only later did the Portuguese finally discover the sea route to Banda and Ambon. These small islands in the eastern deep seas of the Indonesian archipelago were for centuries the sole producers of the fragrant nutmeg and mace in the world. At the time these spices fetched their weight in gold in Medieval Europe.

The tiny islands of Ternate and Tidore, further north of Ambon were producers of cloves. Indian and Arab traders would sell cloves in Europe for exorbitant prices, but kept the location of their source a tightly held secret. These are the Moluccas – or Maluku – the original Spice Islands, that are now divided into the two provinces of Maluku and North Maluku.