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 • Dec. 17, 2021

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 • Jul. 15, 2019

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

Seizing this waterway gave them control of the Moluccas.

From Textbooks • Jan. 1, 2012

Some of the Spaniards of the Moluccas took prisoner Pablo Blancardo, the Dutch commander at Malacca, and brought him in his galley to Ternate.

From An Historical View of the Philippine Islands, Vol I (of 2) Exhibiting their discovery, population, language, government, manners, customs, productions and commerce. by Zuniga, Martinez de