Moluccas

American  

[muh-luhk-uhz] / məˈlʌk əz /

plural noun

1. a group of islands in Indonesia, between Sulawesi (Celebes) and New Guinea. About 30,000 sq. mi. (78,000 sq. km).

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Moluccas British  

/ məʊˈlʌkəz, mə- /

plural noun

1. Former name: Spice Islands.  Indonesian name: Maluku.  a group of islands in the Malay Archipelago, between Sulawesi (Celebes) and New Guinea. Capital: Amboina. Pop: 1 990 598 (2000). Area: about 74 505 sq km (28 766 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• Moluccan adjective

Example Sentences

Here, the Portuguese were able to establish trade relationships with the Sultanate of Ternate, a city-state in the Moluccas.

From Textbooks • Dec. 14, 2022

The dried, ground spice found in most kitchen cabinets begins as the seed of the Myristica fragrans tree, indigenous to the Moluccas, or Spice Islands, of Indonesia.

From Salon • Dec. 17, 2021

These habitats include the islands of Timor, Flores and the Moluccas of eastern Indonesia and, in western New Guinea, the Raja Ampat Islands and Cenderawasih Bay.

From New York Times • Aug. 9, 2014

The new rodent also provides clues to how mammals evolved and spread across the "stepping stones" of the Moluccas - known as one of the birthplaces of evolutionary theory.

From BBC • Sep. 20, 2013

Cause of Settlement and Conquest of the Philippines.—The previous Spanish expeditions whose misfortunes have been narrated, seemed to have proved to the Court of Spain that they could not drive the Portuguese from the Moluccas.

From A History of the Philippines by Barrows, David P.