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

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

A magnitude 7.3 earthquake had struck the Moluccas in July, killing at least four people.

From Reuters

Nearby Indonesia’s Moluccas islands were hit by scores of aftershocks on Monday after an earthquake killed at least two people, prompting hundreds of people to flee their homes.

From Reuters

A 7.3 magnitude earthquake shook the Moluccas islands on Sunday, according to the U.S.

From Fox News

It’s been 38 years since scientists last spotted the insect known as Wallace’s Giant Bee, a rare species found only in a group of Indonesian islands called the North Moluccas.

From New York Times