MALUKU

Pantai Natsepa, Ambon
Source: www.emp.pdx.edu/htliono/maluku.html

Maluku or the Moluccas Province consists of thousands of small islands. The capital is Ambon. This province is welknown as "The Spice Islands,"  since it produces cloves and nutmegs.

 The major ethnic group and the indigenous people is the Ambonese. They are prodominantly Catholics and Protestants, while a few are Muslims. Other ethnic groups are the Javanese and the Buginese who migrated to this island as traders or businessmen.

Since 1999 the people of Maluku who are Islams and Catholics have been experiencing religious conflict.   Thousands people have been killed and thousands homes have been burnt down. Recently, Maluku Province was divided into two provinces: South Maluku Province and North Maluku Province.

Traditional heritage of Maluku

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