Maluku (province)

Maluku
—  Province  —
Seal
Motto: Siwa Lima (Ambonese) (Belongs together)
Location of Maluku in Indonesia
Coordinates: 3°42′18″S 128°10′12″E / 3.705°S 128.17°E / -3.705; 128.17Coordinates: 3°42′18″S 128°10′12″E / 3.705°S 128.17°E / -3.705; 128.17
Country	Indonesia
Capital	Ambon
Government
- Governor	Karel Albert Ralahalu
Area
- Total	54,185 km2 (20,920.9 sq mi)
Population (2010)[1]
- Total	1,531,402
- Density	28.3/km2 (73.2/sq mi)
Demographics[citation needed]
- Ethnic groups	Significantly mixed ethnicity; Melanesian, Kei (11%), Ambonese (11%), Buton (11%), Malays, Javanese, Chinese
- Religion	Christianity 50%, Islam 49%, Others 1%
- Languages	Indonesian, Ambonese, other languages
Time zone	WIT (UTC+9)
Website	malukuprov.go.id

Maluku is a province of Indonesia, comprising, broadly, the central and southern parts of the Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Molucca Islands or Moluccan Islands), which are culturally and geographically associated with Melanesia.^[2]

The main city and capital of Maluku province is Ambon on the small Ambon Island. The province has a population of 1,531,402 (2010).

All the Maluku Islands formed a single province of Indonesia from 1950 until 1999. In 1999 the northern part of Maluku (then comprising the Maluku Utara Regency, the Halmahera Tengah Regency and the City of Ternate) were split off to form a separate province of North Maluku.

Administration

The province of Maluku is currently divided into nine Regencies and the two Cities of Ambon and Tual, which form the tenth and eleventh Regency-level administrative divisions. The Regencies and Cities, with their administrative capitals, are as follows:

Regency	Capital	Area (km²)	Population (2010)[1]
Maluku Tenggara Barat (Western Southeast Maluku Regency)	Saumlaki, in the Tanimbar Islands	10,451.94	105,394
Maluku Barat Daya (Southwest Maluku Regency)	Tiakur Kecamatan Moa Lakor[3]	4,581.06	70,372
Maluku Tenggara (Southeast Maluku Regency)	Tual, in the Kei Islands	3,410.61	96,429
Kepulauan Aru (Aru Islands Regency)	Dobo	6,269.00	83,977
Kota Tual (City of Tual)		254.39	58,073
Maluku Tengah (Central Maluku Regency)	Masohi	11,595.57	361,287
Seram Bagian Barat (West Seram Regency)	Piru or Dataran Hunipopu	4,046.35	164,654
Seram Bagian Timur (East Seram Regency)	Bula or Dataran Hunimoa	3,952.08	99,033
Buru (Buru Regency)	Namlea	5,466.44	108,235
Buru Selatan (South Buru Regency)	Kecamatan Namrole[4]	3,780.56	53,593
Kota Ambon (City of Ambon)		377.00	330,355

List of major islands and island groups in Maluku

• Ambon Island
• Aru Islands (Kepulauan Aru)
• Babar Islands
• Banda Islands (Kepulauan Banda)
• Buru
• Damer Islands (Kepulauan Damer)
• Kei Islands (Kepulauan Kei)
• Gorong archipelago (Pulau-pulau Goroing)
• Haruku Island
• Leti Islands (Kepulauan Leti) includes Leti, Moa and Lakor
• Saparua
• Seram
• Sermata Islands (Kepulauan Sermata)
• Southwestern Islands (Barat Daya Islands) includes Wetar Island, Kisar Island and Romang Island
• Tanimbar Islands (Kepulauan Tanimbar)
• Watubela archipelago (Kepulauan Watubela)
• Wetar

New capital city

On August 19, 2012 coinciding with the 67th anniversary of Maluku province, Maluku administrator will proclaim Masohi, Seram Island as a new capital city for Maluku province to replace the current overcrowded capital city.^[5]

See also

• Islands of Indonesia

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Badan Pusat Statistik Provinsi Maluku, HASIL SENSUS PENDUDUK 2010 Agregat Data per Kabupaten/Kota Provinsi Maluku (Indonesian) Census results (retrieved 02 February 2011)
2. ^ www.irja.org/anthro/malmel.htm IRJA.org (via http://web.archive.org)
3. ^ UNDANG-UNDANG REPUBLIK INDONESIA NOMOR 31 TAHUN 2008 TENTANG PEMBENTUKAN KABUPATEN MALUKU BARAT DAYA DI PROVINSI MALUKU (Indonesian) (Law of the Indonesian Republic number 31 of the year 2008 on the establishment of Kabupaten Maluku Barat Daya in the Province Maluku)
4. ^ UNDANG-UNDANG REPUBLIK INDONESIA NOMOR 32 TAHUN 2008 TENTANG PEMBENTUKAN KABUPATEN BURU SELATAN DI PROVINSI MALUKU (Indonesian) (Law of the Indonesian Republic number 32 of the year 2008 on the establishment of Kabupaten Buru Selatan in the Province Maluku)
5. ^ "Malauku Provincial Capital to be Relocated". September 6, 2011. http://english.kompas.com/read/2011/09/06/12233428/Malauku.Provincial.Capital.to.be.Relocated.