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North Maluku () is a province of Indonesia. It covers the northern part of the Maluku Islands, bordering the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the Molucca Sea to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. It shares maritime borders with North Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi to the west, Maluku (province) to the south, Southwest Papua to the east, and Palau and the Philippines to the north. The provincial capital is Sofifi, mostly part of the city of Tidore on the largest island of Halmahera, while the largest city is the island city of Ternate. The population of North Maluku was 1,038,087 in the 2010 census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. making it one of the least-populous provinces in Indonesia, but by the 2020 Census the population had risen to 1,282,937,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. and the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 1,355,620 (comprising 694,630 males and 660,990 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Provinsi Maluku Utara Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.82)
North Maluku was originally the centre of the four largest Islamic sultanates in the eastern Indonesian archipelago—Bacan, Jailolo, Tidore and Ternate—known as the Moloku Kië Raha (the Four Mountains of Maluku). Upon Europeans' arrival at the beginning of the 16th century, North Maluku became the site of competition between the Portuguese, Spanish Empire and the Dutch Empire to control trade. In the end, the Dutch emerged victorious, beginning three centuries of Dutch rule in the region. The Japanese invaded the region during World War II, and Ternate became the center of the Japanese rule of the Pacific region. Following Indonesian independence, the region became a part of the province of Maluku.
The province of North Maluku was officially established on 12 October 1999, by separation from Maluku. The island city of Ternate served as its de facto capital until 2010, when the provincial government moved to Sofifi on the mainland of Halmahera. The regional economy in North Maluku largely relies on the agricultural sector, fisheries and other types of marine products. The main commodities that support the economic pulse in North Maluku include copra, nutmeg, , Fishery, gold and nickel. North Maluku's agricultural products include rice, Maize, roasted sweet potatoes, , coconut, potatoes, nutmeg, sago, and eucalyptus.
The etymology of the word Maluku is not very clear, and it has been a matter of debate for many experts.Leonard Andaya 1993 The world of Maluku. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press, p. 47. The first recorded word that can be identified with Maluku comes from Nagarakretagama, an Old Javanese eulogy of 1365. Canto 14 stanza 5 mentioned Maloko, which Pigeaud identified with Ternate or Moluccas. A theory holds that the name Maluku comes from the concept of "Maluku Kie Raha". "Raha" means four, while "kie" here means mountain. referring to 4 mountains of Ternate, Tidore, Bacan, and Jailolo (Halmahera) which have their own kolano (title for local kings). Therefore, the Maluku can come from: "Moloku" here means to grasp or hold. Using these the meaning of "Moloku Kie Raha" is "confederation of four mountain". However the root word "loku" comes from local Malay creole word for a unit, therefore not an indigenous language. The other idea is the word originated from "Maloko" which is a combination of "Ma" which is for support and "Loko" refer to area. The phrase "Maloko Kie Raha" means "the place/world which has four mountains". (2025). 9786024241667, Gramedia. ISBN 9786024241667
In 1257, according to traditional chronology, Momole Cico, Sampalu's leader was elected and appointed as the first kolano (king) with the title Baab Mashur Malamo (1257-1277).C.F. van Fraassen 1987, Vol. II, p. 1-2. The Kingdom of Gapi was centered in the village of Ternate, which later grew bigger and more populous, the population was also referred as Gam Lamo or the big village (later Gamalama). Ternate was the largest and most populous settlement on the island, so the people would call the kingdom Ternate rather than Gapi. Under the leadership of several generations of rulers, Ternate developed from a kingdom on a small island, to becoming the largest and most influential country in eastern Indonesia, especially in the Maluku Islands. It was organized in settlement units called soa which stood under a headmen or bobato. At the top, the kolano was assisted by four chief officials, dopolo ngaruha, led by a first minister or jogugu.Muridan Widjojo 2009 The revolt of Prince Nuku: Cross-cultural alliance-making in Maluku, c. 1780-1810. Leiden: Brill, p. 47-8.
Starting in the mid-15th century, Islam was adopted by the leading families in the kingdom, due to the influence of Muslim merchants from Java, India and the Malay World.C.F. van Fraassen 1987, Vol. I, p. 32. Some aspects of Sharia were applied, though Islam was only patchily disseminated until the second half of the 16th century.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 147. Sultan Zainal Abidin substituted the title of kolano with that of Sultan, following other rulers from the Malay World.C.F. van Fraassen 1987, Vol. II, p. 4. With this, Muslim scholars became important figures in the Ternate kingdom.
Opposite to Ternate lies the island of Tidore, the seat of the Tidore Sultanate. According to the genealogies of the kings of Ternate and Tidore, the first kolano of Tidore was Sahjati (Muhammad Naqil) who ascended the throne in 1081. Annie Nugraha 2017 "Tidore dalam balutan sejarah" The ruler was known as Kië ma-kolano, "King of the Mountain". It was only at the end of the 15th century that Islam was adopted as the official religion of the kingdom. The 9th King of Tidore, Sultan Ciri Leliatu, chose to convert to Islam because of the preaching of Sheikh Mansur from Arabia.P.J.B.C. Robidé van der Aa 1879 Reizen naar Nederlandsch Nieuw-Guinea. 's-Gravenhage: M. Nijhoff, p. 18.[2] Of the other two kingdoms, Jailolo was the most powerful in the Moluccas in the pre-European era until its powers dissipated in the 16th century. Bacan had importance as a link between the Austronesian and the Papuans in the 16th century, but also shrank to insignificance due to military setbacks and severe population decline in the 16th and early 17th centuries.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 130-2.
Sultan Bayan Sirrullah died in 1521, leaving heirs who were still very young. The Tidorese princess Nukila, the widow of the sultan, and Prince Taruwese, son of the deceased sultan by a low-ranking wife, acted as guardians. Queen Mother Nukila intended to unite Ternate and Tidore under one crown, headed by one of her two sons, Pangeran Hidayat (later Sultan Dayalu) or prince Boheyat (later Sultan Abu Hayat II). Meanwhile, Prince Tarruwese wanted the throne for himself.C.F. van Fraassen 1987, Vol. I, p. 38.
The Portuguese took advantage of this opportunity and pitted them against each other, resulting in civil strife. Queen Nukila's side was supported by Tidore while Prince Taruwese was supported by Portugal. After overcoming his adversary, Prince Taruwese was in turn betrayed and killed by the Portuguese.P.A. Tiele 1879-1887 "De Europëers in den Maleischen Archipel", Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde 25-36, Part II:1, p. 9-10. The Portuguese captain acted as an adviser to the kingdom. Through his influence, the royal council was persuaded to appoint prince Tabariji as sultan in 1533. But when the Ternatans began to show hostility to Christianized regions in Halmahera, Tabariji was exiled to the Portuguese colony of Goa, India in 1535. There he was converted to Christianity and was later pushed to write a testament that bequeathed Ternate to the King of Portugal.Georg Schurhammer 1980 Francis Xavier: His Life, his times - vol. 3: Indonesia and India, 1545-1549. Rome: The Jesuits Historical Institute, p. 39-40.[3] This made the next sultan Hairun a vassal of Portugal, but he disregarded the testament and built up his power behind the backs of the Portuguese.
Portugal helped Hairun conquer the Jailolo kingdom in 1551, reducing it to a Ternate vassal.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 130. However, because of the treatment of his brothers and himself caused deep resentment of Sultan Hairun. He tried to weaken the Portuguese positions in Maluku, sending expeditions to attack the partly Christianized Ambon Island. The actions of the Portuguese also caused anger among the people who backed the Sultan. In response, the Portuguese captain, Diogo Lopes de Mesquita invited Hairun for negotiations but murdered the sultan who entered the fort without his bodyguards.P.A. Tiele 1877-1887, Part IV:5, p. 442.
The assassination of Sultan Hairun incited the people of Ternate to expel Portugal. Even other parts of the Moluccas chose to support the leadership and struggle of the new Sultan Baabullah. The fortresses of Portugal throughout Maluku and the eastern regions of Indonesia were attacked. After five years of war, the Portuguese were expelled from northern Maluku in 1575. Under the leadership of Sultan Baabullah, the power of Ternate reached its peak. His area of influence stretched from North Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi in the west to the Raja Ampat in the east, from the southern Philippines in the north to the Lesser Sunda Islands in the south. The Bacan Sultanate, whose ruler, Dom João Hairun, had converted to Christianity, was also forced to apostate and yield. However, the Portuguese held out in Ambon and established a fortress in Tidore in 1578, since the Tidorese Sultan Gapi Baguna began to fear Baabullah's ambitions.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 132-7.
After the death of Sultan Baabullah, the sultanate began to weaken. The Spanish Empire, who had Iberian Union with Portugal in 1580, tried to regain control of Maluku by attacking Ternate via the Iberian base in Tidore. With Spain strengthening its position in the Philippines, Ternate formed an alliance with local Muslim lords in Mindanao to drive off the Spanish, but failed. Sultan Saidi Berkat defeated several invasion attempts, but was eventually captured by the Spaniards in 1606 and exiled to Manila. The Spanish-allied Tidore took over some Ternatan dependencies.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 140-1.
Surviving Ternatan aristocrats requested the help from the Netherlands, the Dutch responded and helped Sultan Mudafar Syah I to reestablish himself on Ternate Island. On 26 June 1607 the sultan signed a contract that gave the Dutch East India Company (VOC) a monopoly in purchasing spices in his realm, in return for Dutch assistance against Spain.Peter Borschberg 2015 Journals, memorials and letters of Cornelis Matelieff de Jonge. Singapore: NUS Press, p. 87-9. In 1607, the Dutch also built Fort Oranje on Ternate, which was their first stronghold in the archipelago. The VOC expelled the Spanish from most of Maluku in the following years, though Spain kept Tidore and Fort Kastela in Ternate until 1663. The unbalanced relationship between the Netherlands and Ternate caused dissatisfaction with the rulers and nobles of Ternate. Among them were Hidayat, a young Ambonese kimelaha (governor) who was also a former regent of Ternate and led the opposition against both Mudafar Syah and the Dutch. He ignored the Dutch trade monopoly agreement by selling spices to Javanese and Makassar people traders. The resistance offered by him and his successors, and by the Muslim vassal state Hitu on Ambon, led to a long series of wars up to the 1650s where the VOC subjugated Ambon with Ternate's assistance.J. Keuning 1988 "Ambonese, Portuguese and Dutchmen: the history of Ambon to the end of the seventeenth century", in M.A.P. Meilink-Roelofsz et al. (eds), Dutch authors on Asian history. Dordrecht: Foris, p. 379-92.
Meanwhile, the Sultanate of Tidore succeeded in preventing direct Dutch interference in their territory and remained independent until the end of the 18th century. Over the 17th century Tidore built up its positions in south-east Halmahera and Papua that yielded foodstuff, forest products and slaves.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 169-74. However, the VOC eventually succeeded in pacifying Ternate and Tidore. In its height, the VOC pursued an orderly, and controlling strategy, helped by a strong and flexible organization. Both Ternate and Tidore agreed to extirpate all clove trees in their realms in the 1650s, ensuring Dutch monopoly on clove cultivation. Because of the colonial policy, Maluku became an economic backwater after the mid-17th century. On the other hand, the rulers were able to strengthen their personal powers with their subjects under European protection. Ternate was reduced to a vassal of the VOC in 1682, and Tidore met the same fate in 1780.Leonard Andaya 1993, p. 167, 185-6; Muridan Widjojo 2009, p. 56. The Tidorese prince Nuku led a successful anti-Dutch rebellion that encompassed much of Maluku and western Papua in 1780–1805. Helped by the British invasion in 1796–1803 he was able to push back Dutch positions, but resistance collapsed after his death.Muridan Widjojo 2009, p. 57-89. In the end, Ternate and Tidore as well as other kingdoms in Maluku were incorporated in the Dutch East Indies. For more than a century after 1816, the archipelago remained under strict Dutch control, though the sultanates Ternate, Tidore and Bacan remained as zelfbesturende landschappen (self-ruling territories) until the Indonesian Revolution.C.F. van Fraassen 1987, Vol. I, p. 57-62.
After the Japanese surrendered, the Dutch regained control of the region, before handing it over to the Indonesian government in 1949. In 1957, the Permesta movement was declared in Manado, North Sulawesi, aiming to overthrow the Indonesian government, The movement received support from the United States and Taiwan. In January 1958 the CIA began developing covert support networks to the PRRI and Permesta rebels. Supported by the American, Permesta forces captures Morotai and Halmahera as well as several islands. In May 1958 Indonesian National Armed Forces started to gather amphibious forces to retake both Morotai and the rebel-held town of Jailolo on the island of Halmahera. By May 16 the assault fleet started to gather in Ambon harbour and on May 20 its troops landed on Morotai while élite Kopasgat (PGT or "Quick Reaction Force") troops parachuted onto the island. Permesta forces surrendered as the island was captured in less than a month. It alarmed the Permesta rebels on Jailolo, many of whom fled back to North Sulawesi. Thereafter the rebellion was largely confined to the Minahassa Peninsula of Sulawesi, where Permesta remnants waged a guerilla campaign until the last unit surrendered in January 1962. During the administration of President B. J. Habibie, the idea emerged to accelerate development in several potential regions by forming new provinces. Maluku was one of the potential areas for accelerating development through the parttion of the province, mainly because of the pace of development between the northern and southern regions and or between the middle and southeast regions were uneven. On that basis, the government established North Maluku Province (with the temporary capital in Ternate) which was confirmed by Law Number 46 of 1999 concerning the division of North Maluku Province, Buru Regency and Tanimbar Islands Regency.Lembaran Negara Tahun 1999 Nomor 174, Tambahan Lembaran Negera Nomor 3895
North Maluku was also the site of the Maluku sectarian conflict. Although the area was more peaceful than the neighbouring Maluku province, there were several clashes between Christians and Muslims in Ternate and Halmahera. Several people were killed in Kao, Halmahera as residents of both faiths and Muslim migrants fought for three days, the violence had started with the invasion of Sosol, one of the two villages destroyed by the Makianese gang. A team of leaders was tasked with securing peace by the regional government, however no modifications were made to the redistricting decision and tension remained. The conflict spread from Halmahera to neighbouring Ternate and Tidore. On 6 November 1999, a several-hundred strong Muslim gang, led by local Makianese political elite and thought to be mostly Makianese refugees, raged through Ternate attacking the Christian minority there. The police forces of Ternate were only able to guard their own institutions from attack, yet the traditional guards of the Sultan of Ternate, mostly composed of local Ternate Muslims, were particularly effective at protecting the local Christian population from attack. The Sultan's guard had both established secure perimeters around areas of the city, including the mostly Chinese-owned business district, and physically stood between the mobs and possible victims in some cases and were later commended for preventing a potential massacre. At least 4 people died, however, and the Indonesian Navy later evacuated the several thousand Christian residents of both islands to Bitung and Manado in North Sulawesi.
The conflict was resolved after the Malino II Accord was signed by both parties.
The largest of the 1,474 islands are Halmahera (with an area of 18,039.6 km2, or 56.4% of the land area of the province), Taliabu (2,913.2 km2), Obi (2,542.3 km2), Morotai (2,266.4 km2), Bacan (1,899.8 km2), Mangole (1,228.5 km2), Sulabesi (557.8 km2), Kasiruta (472.67 km2) and Mandioli (229.8 km2).
The North Maluku Islands are formed by the movement of three tectonic plates, namely Eurasian Plate, the Pacific Plate and Indo-Australia which have occurred over geological ages. This movement formed the volcanic archipelago that stretched from north to south off western Halmahera, including Mount Hiri, Ternate Island, Tidore Island, Mare Island, Moti Island and Makian Island. Each of these islands constitutes a stratovolcano. Further south lie the Kayoa and Bacan Islands (there are also two stratovolcanoes on Bacan Island). Halmahera Island itself is a volcanic island even though volcanic activity occurs only in a part of its territory.
The islands have a tropical rainforest climate (Af).
The endemic mammals found here include the Obi mosaic-tailed rat ( Melomys obiensis), masked flying fox ( Pteropus personatus), and four arboreal , the ornate cuscus ( Phalanger ornatus), Rothschild's ( P. rothschildi), blue-eyed cuscus ( P. matabiru) and Gebe cuscus ( P. alexandrae) . There are over two hundred different birds on the islands, twenty-six of which are endemic, a large number for this small island group. The endemics include four birds which are the only species in their genera, including the elusive invisible rail ( Habroptila wallacii), the white-streaked friarbird ( Melitograis gilolensis), and two birds of paradise, the paradise-crow ( Lycocorax pyrrhopterus) and Wallace's standardwing ( Semioptera wallacii). The islands are also home to the largest bee in the world, Wallace's giant bee ( Megachile pluto).
Most of the natural forest remains on these mountainous islands, although much of the coastal and lowland areas have been cleared for clove-planting since the sixteenth century, especially on the islands of Ternate and Tidore. Logging has occurred more recently on Halmahera and Morotai.
The Sula Islands are part of the Sulawesi lowland rain forests ecoregion.Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press.
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Notes: (a) The Regency-level BPS publication for mid 2023 shows a population figure of 96,977 for Central Halmahera which is wildly different from the Provincial-level publication figures given above. Note several of the figures for areas also show great disparity between the BPS figires published by the Province and those published by the Regencies, although both sets are "official".
The province now forms one of Indonesia's 84 national electoral districts to elect members to the People's Representative Council. The North Maluku Electoral District consists of all of the 8 regencies and 2 cities in the province, and elects 3 members to the People's Representative Council.Law No. 7/2017 ( UU No. 7 Tahun 2017) as amended by Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 1/2022 and Regulation of General Elections Commission No. 6/2023.
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