Maluku is a province that covers the southern part of the Maluku Islands, Indonesia. The province is bordered by the Seram Sea in the north, the Indian Ocean and the Arafura Sea in the south, Papua in the east, and Sulawesi in the west.[6] The capital and largest city is the city of Ambon. Maluku province is ranked 28th province by population in Indonesia, where in 2020, the population of Maluku province is 1,848,923 people.[2][7]

Before the colonial period, Maluku became the axis of the world\'s spice trade with cloves and nutmeg as the main merchandise. This made Maluku dubbed the \”Spice Islands\” to this day. The people of Maluku trade with traders from various regions in the archipelago and abroad such as Chinese, Arab, and European traders. The wealth of these spices also became the attraction of European nations who eventually controlled the Moluccas, starting with the Portuguese and finally the Dutch.[8]