North Maluku, Indonesian Maluku Utara, propinsi (or provinsi; province) consisting of the northern portion of the Moluccas island group in eastern Indonesia. North Maluku consists of nearly 400 islands, fewer than 70 of which are populated. The largest island is Halmahera, spanning an area of 6,865 square miles (17,780 square km). Other major islands are Obi, Morotai, Bacan, and the main islands of the Sula archipelago (Taliabu, Mangole, and Sulabesi). Ternate and Tidore are small but significant.
The province is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north; the Halmahera Sea to the east, across which lies the province of West Papua; the Ceram Sea to the south, across which lies the province of Maluku; and the Molucca Sea to the west, across which lie portions of the provinces of North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara) and Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah). The capital is officially Sofifi, in central Halmahera; however, since the formation of the province at the end of the 20th century, North Maluku has been administered from Ternate, on the island of the same name in west-central North Maluku, while Sofifi develops facilities and infrastructure sufficient to support government operations. Area 12,349 square miles (31,983 square km). Pop. (2000) 815,101; (2010) 1,038,087.
Portions of North Maluku are flanked by very deep seas. The Molucca Sea reaches its deepest point at roughly 15,750 feet (4,800 metres), just to the southwest of the island of Bacan, which lies off the southwest coast of Halmahera. Most of the islands lack extensive coastal plains; their hills and mountains rise abruptly from the sea. The island of Ternate has an active volcano, Gamalama, which reaches an elevation of 5,627 feet (1,715 metres).
North Maluku has rich volcanic soil that supports semievergreen dipterocarp rainforest. The densest forests are found in northern Halmahera and on Morotai. Areas with poorer soils are usually covered with shrubs and other low growth. The fauna of North Maluku includes both Asian and Australian species, as well as a great number of animals—particularly birds—that are endemic to the region. Among the most notable of the endemic birds is the white cockatoo. Typical terrestrial birds include doves, pigeons, parrots, and cuckoos, while sandpipers and terns are among the most common waterbirds. Common mammals include bats, civets, deer, babirusas (a type of wild swine), and numerous varieties of mice and rats.
Agriculture, fishing, and forestry constitute the mainstay of North Maluku’s economy. Principal food crops include rice, corn (maize), cassava, sweet potatoes, and peanuts (ground nuts). Vegetables such as soybeans, green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, and mustard greens are also grown, as are avocados, citrus, starfruit, guavas, papayas, and other fruits. Notable cash crops are cocoa, cloves, coconuts, nutmeg, and coffee. Marine fish, especially tuna, as well as shellfish, lobster, shrimp, and squid, are major products of the province’s fisheries. Plywood, a product of the forestry sector, is an important export. Mining has become increasingly significant; Halmahera is a source of both nickel and gold, some of which is exported. Although the province has deposits of many other minerals, these resources had yet to be exploited to any significant degree in the early 21st century.
Most major roads in North Maluku run near the coasts, although the infrastructure continues to expand into the inland rural areas. The province has numerous bus terminals, most of which are located on Halmahera and Ternate. Interisland ocean transport is provided by both public and private carriers. North Maluku has many, the largest and busiest of which is on the island of Ternate.
The population of North Maluku is highly diverse. Among the largest groups of Indonesian descent are the Galela, the Ternate, the Makian, the Tobelo, and the Sula. Many people of Chinese or Arab ancestry live in Morotai and northern and central Halmahera. Although dozens of languages are spoken in North Maluku, Malay—of which the widely spoken national language, Indonesian, is a dialect—has for centuries been used as a lingua franca. Indeed, in many instances, local languages have been replaced by Malay or Indonesian. In general, the West Papuan languages are prevalent in the northern part of the province, while Austronesian languages are spoken toward the south. The bulk of the population practices Islam, with Christians (mostly Protestant) constituting a significant minority. Hinduism, Buddhism, and various local religions are practiced by a small portion of the population. Aside from Ternate, notable cities include Soasiu, on Tidore, as well as Sofifi, Tobelo, Galela, and Kao, all on Halmahera.
Known to early Indian, Chinese, and Arab traders as the Spice Islands, the Moluccas formed part of the Javanese Majapahit empire and the Srivijaya empire (based on the island of Sumatra) before Islam was introduced in the 15th century. The Portuguese entered the region in the early 16th century, and the Dutch, beginning in 1599, established settlements on some of the islands. The Dutch conquest was completed in 1667, when the sultan of the island of Tidore recognized Dutch sovereignty. The islands were ruled by the British between 1796 and 1802 and again in 1810–17; they were occupied by the Japanese in 1942–45, during World War II.
After the war the Moluccas joined the Republic of Indonesia, which had declared its independence from the Dutch on August 17, 1945. The Dutch, however, acknowledged neither Indonesia’s sovereignty nor its inclusion of the Moluccas. Rather, in an attempt to reestablish authority in the region, the Dutch incorporated the Moluccas into the temporary autonomous state of East Indonesia. In 1949 the Dutch officially granted independence to Indonesia, including the Moluccas. In the following year Christian Ambonese led a revolt against the Indonesian government and subsequently formed the short-lived Republic of South Moluccas. Near the end of the 20th century, tensions between the Christians and the large Muslim populations of the region escalated into violence that not only killed several thousand people but displaced tens of thousands more. Owing largely to the frequency of such conflicts, the islands were divided administratively into the provinces of North Maluku and Maluku in 1999.