Maluku islands in the context of Molucca Sea Collision Zone

⭐ Core Definition: Maluku islands

The Maluku Islands (/məˈlʊkuː, -ˈluː-/ mə-LUU-koo, -⁠LOO-; Indonesian: Kepulauan Maluku, IPA: [kəpuˈlawan maˈluku]) or the Moluccas (/məˈlʌkəz/ mə-LUK-əz; Dutch: Molukken [ˌmoːˈlʏkə(n)]) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically located in West Melanesia, the Moluccas have been considered a geographical and cultural intersection of Asia and Oceania.

The islands were known as the Spice Islands because of the nutmeg, mace, and cloves that were exclusively found there, the presence of which sparked European colonial interests in the 16th century.

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Maluku islands in the context of Wallacea

Wallacea /wɒˈleɪsiə/ is a biogeographical designation for a group of mainly Indonesian islands separated by deep-water straits from the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Wallacea includes Sulawesi, the largest island in the group, as well as Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Sumba, and Timor. The islands of Wallacea lie between the Sunda Shelf (the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra, Borneo, and Java) to the west, and the Sahul Shelf, including Australia, New Guinea, and Maluku islands to the south and east. The total land area of Wallacea is 347,000 km (134,000 sq mi).

View the full Wikipedia page for Wallacea

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