Bacan islands

The Bacan Islands are an Indonesian island group in the Pacific Ocean. The islands belong to the Moluccas and in the southern part of the province of Maluku Utara ( " North Moluccas "). The name derives from the homonymous main island of Bacan.

History

Beginning of the 16th century was the capital of a small kingdom, whose sphere of influence extended over the island Bacan and the south to the north coast of Seram, on the island Kasiruta. 1513 landed the first Portuguese merchant ships on Bacan, a fortress was built in 1558. The Portuguese fort was taken in 1609 by the Dutch East India Company as the beginning of Dutch rule over the islands. The North Moluccas had at this time a monopoly on trade with the coveted cloves. End of the 16th century seems to be the Bacan - kingdom to the Sultanate of Tidore to have been tributary.

During a revolt of Prince Nuku of Tidore against the domination of the Dutch in the Moluccas, which lasted from 1780 to 1810, was the end of the 1790s, the islands are occupied by English traders with their support. After 1816, the government fell over Indonesia back to the Dutch, who in 1889 replaced the island against a monarch appointed by them local administration.

Main island of Bacan

The 1800 square kilometers, irregularly shaped main island is also called Bacan. It is of volcanic origin and is located about 20 kilometers off the coast of the southern peninsula of Halmahera. Bacans land area is 1,900 km ²; the highest point of the island is the Labua Mountain, it is located in the south of the island in 2111 meters above sea level. A 900 meters high in the southeast peninsula is separated by a narrow isthmus. In the lowland rainforest and montane forest about 700 meters live some endemic bird species. Inland timber is taken, which is exported. For personal use, rice and tobacco are grown.

The largest town is Labuha, which lies in a bay on the west coast. From here there are boat connections among other things, to the island of Obi in the south and up to Ternate in the north. Settled are primarily the areas of the northern and north- eastern coast of Bacan. Today, an estimated 13,000 people live on the island.

Smaller islands

Bacan is by far the largest of about 80 islands in the archipelago. The islands are predominantly inhabited only on the coasts. Major crops include coconut palms, sago palms and clove trees that are naturally spread here.

• Kasiruta is the next largest island in the northwest. The highest elevation is 730 meters.
• Mandioli lies in the west, across the bay from Labua and is 311 meters high. In between lies the small and flat Obit Island.
• The two outer islands in the northwest beyond Kasiruta hot Latalata ( 358 meters ) and Muari.