Ambon, Maluku in the context of "Central Maluku Regency"

Maluku is a province of Indonesia. It is located in Eastern Indonesia, between Sulawesi and Western New Guinea, and comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. It is directly adjacent to North Maluku, Southwest Papua, and West Papua in the north; Central Sulawesi and Southeast Sulawesi in the west; the Banda Sea, Australia, Timor-Leste, and East Nusa Tenggara in the south; and the Arafura Sea, Central Papua, and South Papua in the east. The land area is 46,158.26 km, and the total population of this province at the 2010 census was 1,533,506 people, rising to 1,848,923 at the 2020 census, and the official estimate in mid 2024 was 1,945,648 (comprising 983,943 males and 961,705 females). The largest city and capital of Maluku province is Ambon on the small Ambon Island.

Maluku has two main religions, namely Islam which at the 2020 census was adhered to by 52.85% of the population of the province and Christianity which is embraced by 46.3% (39.4% Protestantism and 7.0% Catholicism).

Moluccans are the Melanesian-Austronesian and Papuan-speaking ethnic groups indigenous to the Maluku Islands (also called the Moluccas). The region was historically known as the Spice Islands, and today consists of two Indonesian provinces of Maluku and North Maluku. As such, the term Moluccans is used as a blanket term for the various ethnic and linguistic groups native to the islands.

Most Moluccans practice Islam, followed by Christianity. Despite religious differences, all groups share strong cultural bonds and a sense of common identity, such as through Adat. Music is also a binding factor, playing an important role in the cultural identity, and the Moluccan capital city of Ambon was awarded the official status of City of Music by UNESCO in 2019.

The Ambonese (Ambonese: Orang Ambong; Indonesian: Orang Ambon) are an ethnic group of mixed Austronesian and Melanesian origin from Ambon Island in Maluku, an island group in Indonesia located between Sulawesi and New Guinea. They also live on the southwest of Seram Island, which is part of the Moluccas, Java, Western New Guinea, and other regions of Indonesia. Additionally, there are about 35,000 Ambonese people living in the Netherlands. By the end of the 20th century, there were 258,331 (2007 census) Ambonese people living in Ambon, Maluku. The Ambonese are largely Muslim and Christian.

Ambon Island is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia. The island has an area of 743.37 km (287.02 sq mi) and is mountainous, well watered, and fertile. Ambon Island consists of two territories: the city of Ambon to the south, and three districts (kecamatan) of the Central Maluku Regency to the north. The main city and seaport is Ambon (with a 2020 Census population of 347,288), which is also the capital of Maluku province, while those districts of Maluku Tengah Regency situated on Ambon Island had a 2020 Census population of 128,069. By mid 2023 those populations were estimated to have become 354,052 and 128,754 respectively, resulting in an all-island population of 482,806.

Ambon has an airport and is home to the Pattimura University and Open University (Universitas Terbuka), state universities, and a few private universities, which include Darussalam University (Universitas Darussalam, UNDAR) and Universitas Kristen Indonesia Maluku (UKIM).