Ambon Island

Ambon is a 775 km ² large Indonesian island in the Moluccas. It belongs to the province of Maluku. The 270,000 inhabitants of the provincial capital of Ambon are predominantly Christians. The city has an airport and two universities.

The 51 km -long island is part of a chain of islands and is located in the northern Banda Sea, south of the comparatively larger neighboring island of Seram. The highest mountains, the Salahutu with 1,038 meters and the 903 meters with Wawani, are of volcanic origin and have hot springs. The rock consists mainly of granite and Serpentinfelsen. Previously coined tropical rainforest of the island. Today Ambon is covered only with secondary vegetation. The island also includes the uninhabited islands of Nusa Ela, Nusa Hatala, Nusa Lain and Nusa Pumbo.

History

The Portuguese visited Ambon was the first European nation 1511. 1599 they were able to fend off a siege by the Dutch, but 1609 continued the Dutch East India Company and distributed by the Portuguese. The English established in 1615 near Cambello a branch, but these had to give up in 1623 after an attack of Dutch troops, who destroyed the settlement. After the defeat in the First English- Dutch War in 1654 Oliver Cromwell forced the Dutch to a compensation for the descendants of the survivors of the attack.

The poet John Dryden wrote in 1673 in the tragedy of " Amboyna, or the Cruelties of the Dutch to the English Merchants " from the events of " Amboyna Massacre" in 1623. Occupied England Ambon in 1796 under Admiral Rainier, gave the island was restored in 1802 under the Dutch administration. 1810 to 1814 there was a re- occupation by the British. Ambon was the world center of production of cloves until the 19th century. In order to retain the monopoly, the Dutch banned the to grow the plant on other islands under their rule. During Dutch rule, the island's capital, Ambon was the administrative center and military center of all the colonies in the Moluccas.

The city protected the Fort Victoria. The inhabitants were divided into two classes, the orang burger for city dwellers and orang Negri for the people of the country.

During World War II, the island was assigned to the shelter ABDACOM. Japanese units captured at the Battle of Ambon Ambon in the spring of 1942.

After the Allied victory over Japan Indonesia proclaimed its independence in 1945. The Christian population of the Moluccas called 1950 after riots, the Republic Maluku Selatan from what in November Indonesian troops occupied the capital. Since then, there have been repeated to considerable riots that left their mark in the Netherlands. So raided on March 13, 1978 members of the extremist living in the Moluccas Ambonesen the building of the provincial government in Assen and took 70 people hostage. In an ultimatum calling for the release of 21 prisoners südmolukkischen as well as bus and aircraft for departure. Dutch elite soldiers liberated the people the next day. One hostage died a short time later to the injuries sustained in the rescue operation wounds. The Ambonese involved in the crime were sentenced to 15 years imprisonment in criminal proceedings.