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- Ambon
- Ambon, the provincial capital of Maluku which is built
on a hillside overlooking the bay, has a number of interesting
sites of historical and cultural interests. Among them are the
remnants of some old forts built by the Dutch East Indies Company
during the heydays of the spice trade and the Museum Siwa Lima
with its collection of local arts and crafts. More ruins of forts
are found such as the Dutch one at Lima and those of the Portuguese
at Hila, which are almost entirely hidden underneath the contorted
roots of a giant Banyan tree.
The ANZAC War Cemetery near Ambon town is the site of services
held every year on April 25, to commemorate the Allied soldiers
who died in the region during World War II. Ambon is at the Maluku
end of the annual yacht race between Darwin, Australia and Ambon.
The race usually takes place at the end of July and the beginning
of August.
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- Coral Sea Gardens
- Good beaches with coral reefs just off the shore are
found around Pombo island Namalatu beach and at Hunimoa
Beach on Ambon. A popular recreation beach on the same island
is Natsepa, Honimua and Namalatu.
- Banda
- The Banda group, about 132 kilometers southeast of
Ambon, consists of three larger islands and seven smaller ones,
perched on the rim of Indonesia's deepest sea, the Banda Sea.
Near the island Manuk, the water reaches a depth of more than
6,500 meters. Of the three biggest islands Banda, Banda-Neira
and Gunung Api, the first two are covered with nutmeg trees and
other vegetation. The third however, is entirely bare and highly
volcanic. The last eruption of Mt. Api occurred only a few years
ago. The seas around Banda are the site of the famous Maluku sea
gardens with their bright corals and colorful fish darting through
the crystal- clear waters. Facilities for sightseeing, snorkeling
and skin diving are available, as well as clean, comfortable cottages.
Banda saw some of the bloodiest episodes of Maluku's past history
during the 17th century.
In 1609, the Dutch East Indies Company (VOC) dispatched Verhoeff
to the islands to obtain the contested spice trade monopoly at
any cost. Confronted by a superior power, the people of Banda
were forced to allow the company to establish a fort, but in that
same year Verhoeff was killed together with 45 of his men. The
Company retaliated, but peace was not restored.
In 1619, VO.C. Governor-General Jan Pieterszoon Coen arrived at
the head of a penal expedition and exterminated the entire population
of Banda. The land was divided into lots, called "perken",
and given to former company employees, the "perkiniers",
who were obliged to grow nutmeg and sell them at predetermined
prices to the company. Slaves did the actual work in the fields.
The old "perkenier houses", or what is left of them,
and old churches still retain a peculiar colonial character to
the port town of Bandaneira today. Two old forts Belgica and Nassau,
are inside the town limits. Others are found elsewhere on the
islands. See also the former Dutch Governor's mansion, the Museum
of History in Neira, and the huge nutmeg plantation nearby.
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- Ceram Island
- One of the biggest island in Maluku. The beaches in
Ceram are generally beautiful and suitable for swimming, fishing
etc. Sea gardens, Sago woods, Maiden forests. Naulu race, who
still keep their habits and traditional way of life. Exotic nature,
flora and fauna, Manusela National Park, Kasa islet and Babi islet
surrounded by white sandy beaches, beautiful spots for swimming
and fishing and gorgeous sea gardens. Wonderful waterfall and
beautiful surrounding panorama in the village of Rumakai Antiques.
- Halmahera
- Ternate, an island off the west coast of Halmahera
in northern Maluku, was once the seat of an important kingdom
which prospered from the spice trade. The Portuguese, the Spanish
and the Dutch vied with each other for influence on this island.
A stronghold of Islam in the otherwise predominantly Christian
province of Maluku, Ternate nevertheless carries the clear imprints
of both its pre Islamic past and its period of contact with the
West, especially the Portuguese.
The old sultan's palace in Ternate town is now a museum. In the
vicinity are the ruins of old Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch forts.
The remnants of the Dutch Fort Orange are right in town.
About five kilometers west of the town, on the slope of a 1,715
meter tall volcano in the middle of the island, is Afo, with its
giant clove tree, said to be more than 360 years old to be the
ancestor of all clove trees in the world.
Morotai Island, just off Halmahera's northern arm, was an important
airbase during World War II, first for the Allies and later for
~the Japanese until its recapture near the end of the war. The
ghosts of war still linger in this area, where many wrecks of
aircraft and rusting guns lie abandoned in the bushes.
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