The islands of Maluku are surrounded by coral reefs and deep seas and vary in size from tiny atolls to the large mountainous island of Ceram, which covers more than 6,600 square miles (17,100 square km). After having lain dormant for more than 80 years, Mount Api, an active volcano in the Banda Islands, violently erupted in 1988, causing total evacuation of the surrounding areas—including nearby islands. Ambon island has frequent earthquakes but no active volcanoes. The Aru Islands are low and swampy, and Babar and Wetar are hilly, with steep coasts.
The slopes of the mountainous islands are covered with dense evergreen forests of pine, rhododendron, casuarina, and eucalyptus; mangrove and freshwater swamp forests line their coasts. The islands’ lowlands are fertile because of the volcanic lava and ash that have been broken down and redistributed by small streams and wind action. Bird life includes honeyeaters, racket-tailed kingfishers, giant red-crested Moluccan cockatoos, parakeets, black-capped, purple, red, and green lories, and the white fruit pigeons of Ceram. Opossums, civets, boars, and babirusas (a type of wild swine) are also found.
Agriculture constitutes the mainstay of the islands’ economy. Rice, corn (maize), coconut, spices (including cloves and nutmeg), cocoa, coffee, and cashews are the chief cultivars. Principal products of the forestry sector include timber, sawn boards and assorted wood products, cajeput oil (a type of medicinal oil from the river tea tree [Melaleuca leucadendron]), dammar (a type of resin), and rattan. Fish, shrimp, and forest products are the main exports. Petroleum is exploited on Ceram near Bula on the northeastern coast. Crafts include wood carving, silver and gold filigree work, the making of bracelets and rings, and handloom weaving.
Interisland traffic is mainly by ship. Inland transport on the larger islands is by roads that run parallel to the coasts. The province has numerous airports, the busiest of which is on Ambon.
Compared with the western provinces of Indonesia, Maluku is sparsely populated, and many of the smaller islands are uninhabited. Major towns, aside from Ambon, include Amahai, on Ceram, and Saumlaki, in the Tanimbar Islands. The largest ethnic groups of Maluku include the Malay, who live mainly along the coasts; the Ambonese, who inhabit the northern part of the province; and the Tanimbarese, who live on the southern islands. Various smaller groups are concentrated inland. Islam and Christianity (mostly Protestant) are the dominant religions of the province.
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