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102-754: According to a legend known from the 16th century, the kings of Bacan, the Raja Ampat Islands off Papua, Banggai and Buton descended from a set of snake's eggs which had been found among some rocks by the Bacan seafarer Bikusigara. On account of this, Bacan could claim to be the origin-point of the Maluku political order. The myth also points at early relations with the Papuans . However, there are conflicting legends according to which Jailolo in Halmahera

204-480: A biogeographic crossroads between Indonesia, Micronesia and the Arafura Sea . 1,508 fish species, 537 coral species (a remarkable 96% of all scleractinians recorded from Indonesia are likely to occur in these islands and 75% of all species that exist in the world ), and 699 mollusk species, the variety of marine life is staggering. Raja Ampat is identified as the epicenter of restricted-range reef fishes, in

306-765: A volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea , about 140 km (87 mi) south of Seram Island and about 2,000 km (1,243 mi) east of Java , and constitute an administrative district ( kecamatan ) within the Central Maluku Regency in the Indonesian province of Maluku . The islands rise out of 4-to-6-kilometre (2.5 to 3.7 mi) deep ocean and have a total land area of approximately 172 square kilometres (66 sq mi); with associated maritime area this reaches 736.3 square kilometres (284.3 sq mi). They had

408-605: A contract in 1899 that gave the Dutch colonial government the right of taxation. He was formally elevated as sultan in February 1900 and signed the so-called Short Declaration in 1910, instead of the longer contracts signed by previous rulers. This marked the full colonial subordination of indigenous rule. Muhammad Usman’s son Muhammad Muhsin (1935-1983) survived the Japanese occupation and the ensuing Indonesian Revolution . During

510-616: A new North Raja Ampat Regency ( Kabupaten Raja Ampat Utara ), and with Misool and Kofiau and their surrounding small islands forming a new South Raja Ampat Regency ( Kabupaten Raja Ampat Selatan ), leaving the residue of the existing Regency to cover the northern part of Salawati Island (the rest of Salawati Island still lies within Sorong Regency) and Batanta Island (which forms Selat Sagawin District). Banda Islands The Banda Islands ( Indonesian : Kepulauan Banda ) are

612-475: A population of 18,544 at the 2010 Census and 20,924 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 21,902. Until the mid-19th century the Banda Islands were the world's only source of the spices nutmeg and mace , produced from the nutmeg tree. The islands are also popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling . The main town and administrative centre is Banda Neira , located on

714-665: A population of 64,141 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 66,839. This excludes the southern half of Salawati Island, which is not part of this regency but instead constitutes the Salawati Selatan and Salawati Tengah Districts of Sorong Regency . Archaeological evidence indicates that the Raja Ampat Islands were first visited by humans over 50,000 years ago. At this time, Misool and Salawati were connected to New Guinea , while Waigeo and Batanta formed an island called Waitanta. At

816-456: A rebel movement gained momentum in Maluku and Papua in the form of the Tidorese prince Nuku who persistently fought the Dutch with varying success. With British assistance, Nuku’s forces conquered the Dutch fort in Bacan in 1797, before occupying Tidore itself. Prince Atiatun, who administered the kingdom at the time, in fact welcomed Nuku. The war nevertheless led to widespread destruction on

918-405: A recovery time for the reef spanning decades. A zebra shark breeding and release initiative started in 2022, aiming to release 500 sharks by 2032. The wild population was formerly abundant, but a fishing industry that ballooned starting in the 1990s reduced the population to perhaps just 20 individuals. The main occupation for people around this area is fishing since the area is dominated by

1020-411: A request by Maurice, Prince of Orange to build a fort on the island (the eventual Fort Nassau ). The Bandanese were not excited about this idea. On 22 May, before building of the fort had started, the orang kaya called a meeting with the Dutch admiral, purportedly to negotiate prices. Instead, they led Verhoeff and two high-ranked men into an ambush and decapitated them and subsequently killed 46 of

1122-523: A spirit, while the seventh egg did not hatch and turned to stone and worshipped as a king in Kali Raja (Wawiyai, Waigeo). Historically the 'four' kingdoms were Waigeo , Salawati , Sailolof , Misool , and Waigama . Locally Waigama is not considered one of the Raja Ampat , while Sailolof is not considered one of the Raja Ampat by Tidore . The first recorded sighting and landing by Europeans of

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1224-496: A squadron consisting of the 36-gun frigate HMS  Caroline , HMS Piedmontaise (formerly a French frigate), 18-gun sloop HMS  Barracouta , and the 12-gun transport HMS  Mandarin left Madras with money, supplies and troops to support the garrison at Amboyna , recently captured from the Dutch. The frigates and sloop carried a hundred officers and men of the Madras European Regiment , while

1326-473: A strongly Muslim and anti-Portuguese position and attacked Christianized areas of Maluku, including Bacan. While the Portuguese were expelled from Ternate in 1575, Dom João was forced to revert to Islam; nevertheless, Babullah sent emissaries who poisoned his cousin in 1577. Bacan was badly ravaged in the process and its history in the next decades is rather obscure. A son or brother of Dom João, Dom Henrique,

1428-464: A surprise counter-attack on Ai, retaking the island and killing 200 Dutchmen. A year later, a much stronger Dutch force attacked Ai. This time the defenders were able to hold off the attack with cannon fire, but after a month of siege they ran out of ammunition. The Dutch killed the defenders, and afterwards strengthened the fort, renaming it 'Fort Revenge'. Newly appointed VOC governor-general Jan Pieterszoon Coen set about enforcing Dutch monopoly over

1530-592: A whole has a larger Muslim population because of its extensive history with the Sultanate of Tidore . Religion in Raja Ampat (2010) Most of the islands make up the Raja Ampat Regency , a regency ( kabupaten ) forming part of Southwest Papua . It came into existence in 2004, before which the archipelago was part of Sorong Regency . The southern part of the island of Salawati is not part of

1632-479: Is composed of four marine areas – the waters around northern Salawati, Batanta, and southwestern Waigeo, Mayalibit Bay in central Waigeo, the waters southeast of Misool, and waters around the Sembilan Islands north of Misool and west of Salawati. The oceanic natural resources around Raja Ampat give the area significant potential as a tourist area, drawing divers, researchers and others with an interest in

1734-853: The Dutch East India Company , is one of the largest remaining European forts in Indonesia. Though not physically present at the Banda Islands, the English claimed the small island of Run until 1667 when, under the Treaty of Breda , the Dutch and English agreed to maintain the colonial status quo and relinquish their respective claims. In 1810, the Kingdom of Holland was a vassal of Napoleonic France and hence in conflict with Britain. The French and British were each seeking to control lucrative Indian Ocean trade routes. On 10 May 1810,

1836-477: The Four Kings , is an archipelago located off of the northwest tip of Bird's Head Peninsula (on the island of New Guinea ), Southwest Papua province , Indonesia . It comprises over 1,500 small islands, cays , and shoals around the four main islands of Misool , Salawati , Batanta , and Waigeo , and the smaller island of Kofiau . The Raja Ampat archipelago straddles the equator and forms part of

1938-518: The Lesser Sundas and Ambon to Banda, arriving in early 1512. The first Europeans to reach the Banda Islands, the expedition remained in Banda for about one month, purchasing and filling their ships with Banda's nutmeg, mace, and cloves , in which Banda had a thriving entrepôt trade. D'Abreu sailed through Ambon and Seram while his second in command Francisco Serrão went ahead towards

2040-889: The Mandarin carried supplies. The squadron was commanded by Captain Christopher Cole , with Captain Charles Foote on the Piedmontaise and Captain Richard Kenah aboard the Barracouta . After departing from Madras, Cole informed Foote and Kenah of Cole's plan to capture the Bandas; Foote and Kenah agreed. In Singapore, Captain Spencer informed Cole that over 700 regular Dutch troops may have been located in

2142-670: The Obi Islands to the VOC for 800 Reals, an act remembered in Bacan with great resentment. The Bacan rulers after 1609 were involved in the struggle for Maluku, usually but not always on the side of the VOC. Alauddin II died soon after the 1609 contract and a regent, Kaicili Malito held power for a while. He was killed in a sea battle against the Spanish-affiliated Tidore in 1614. Alauddin’s son Sultan Nurusalat (c. 1609-1649)

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2244-639: The Piedmontaise ) was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of the Banda Islands. This action was a prelude to Britain's invasion of Java in 1811. Before the Dutch retook control of the islands, the British removed many nutmeg trees and transplanted them to Ceylon and other British colonies. The competition largely destroyed the value of the Banda Islands to the Dutch. In the late 1990s, violence between Christians and Muslims spilled over from intercommunal conflict in Ambon. The disturbance and resulting deaths damaged

2346-517: The Spanish seafarers were approached by the sultans of Tidore, Jalolo and Bacan as potential allies against the Portuguese intruders. The ruler of Bacan at the time was married to a daughter of the pro-Portuguese Bayan Sirrullah, but had a fallout with his father-in-law who was promptly poisoned by the couple. The Bacanese moreover massacred a party of Portuguese who carelessly abused the wives of

2448-579: The Venetians for exorbitant prices. The traders did not divulge the exact location of their source and no European was able to deduce their location. The first written accounts of Banda are in Suma Oriental , a book written by the Portuguese apothecary Tomé Pires who was based in Malacca from 1512 to 1515 but visited Banda several times. On his first visit, he interviewed the Portuguese and

2550-519: The Bacan Islands with depopulation in many places. The British appointed a new sultan from a side-branch, Kamarullah (1797-1826), who was allowed to remain after the return of the Dutch to Maluku and became the ancestor of the later rulers. His son Muhammad Hayatuddin Kornabei (1826-1860) received the British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace who commented on the utterly sparse population, and

2652-498: The Banda Islands comes from a rock shelter site on Pulau Ay that was in use at least 8,000 years ago. The earliest mention of the Banda Islands is found in Chinese records dating as far back as 200 BCE though there is speculation that it is mentioned in earlier Indian sources. The Srivijaya Kingdom had extensive trade contacts with the Banda Islands. Also during this period (from the late 13th century and onwards) Islam arrived in

2754-484: The Banda's spice trade. In 1621 well-armed soldiers were landed on Bandaneira Island and within a few days they had also occupied neighbouring and larger Lontar . The orang kaya were forced at gunpoint to sign an unfeasibly arduous treaty, one that was in fact impossible to keep, thus providing Coen an excuse to use superior Dutch force against the Bandanese. The Dutch quickly noted a number of alleged violations of

2856-527: The Bandanese displayed no enthusiasm for Christianity or the Europeans who brought it in the sixteenth century, and no serious attempt was made to Christianise the Bandanese. Maintaining their independence, the Bandanese never allowed the Portuguese to build a fort or permanent post in the islands. Ironically, it was this lack of presence which attracted the Dutch to trade in Banda instead of the clove-producing islands of Ternate and Tidore. The Dutch followed

2958-420: The Bandas. The squadron took a circuitous route to avoid alerting the Dutch. On 9 August 1810, the British appeared at Banda Neira . They quickly stormed the island and attacked Belgica Castle at sunrise. The battle was over within hours, with the Dutch surrendering Fort Nassau – after some subterfuge – and within days the remainder of the Banda Islands. After the Dutch surrender, Captain Charles Foote (of

3060-572: The Coral Triangle , an area of Southeast Asian seas containing the richest marine biodiversity on earth. The Coral Triangle itself is an approximate area west-southwest of the Philippines , east-northeast and southeast of the island of Borneo , and north, east and west of the island of New Guinea, including the seas in between. Thousands of species of marine organisms, from the tiniest cleaner shrimp and camouflaged pygmy seahorses to

3162-461: The Coral Triangle with over 100 species of endemic reef fishes, and also an extremely high diversity of reef coral species (over 600 475 species). The Raja Ampat Islands have at least three ponds containing harmless jellyfish, all in the Misool area. The submarine world around the islands was the subject of the documentary film Edies Paradies 3 (by Otto C. Honegger), which has been broadcast by

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3264-677: The Dutch East India Company) in 1602. Until the early seventeenth century the Bandas were ruled by a group of leading citizens, the orang kaya (literally 'rich men'); each of these was head of a district. At the time nutmeg was one of the "fine spices" kept expensive in Europe by disciplined manipulation of the market, but a desirable commodity for Dutch traders in the ports of India as well; economic historian Fernand Braudel notes that India consumed twice as much as Europe. A number of Banda's orang kaya were persuaded by

3366-406: The Dutch and Japanese. The Dutch carved 68 parcels out of the islands after the enslavement and slaughter of the natives. The population of the Banda Islands prior to Dutch conquest is generally estimated to have been around 13,000–15,000 people, some of whom were Malay and Javanese traders, as well as Chinese and Arabs. The actual numbers of Bandanese who were killed, forcibly expelled or fled

3468-615: The Dutch presence had been simply as traders, that was sometimes treaty-based, the Banda conquest marked the start of the first overt colonial rule in Indonesia, albeit under the auspices of the VOC. Having nearly eradicated the islands' native population, Coen divided the productive land of approximately half a million nutmeg trees into sixty-eight 1.2-hectare perken . These land parcels were then handed to Dutch planters known as perkeniers of which 34 were on Lontar , 31 on Ai and 3 on Neira. With few Bandanese left to work them, slaves from elsewhere were brought in. Now enjoying control of

3570-411: The Dutch to sign a treaty granting the Dutch a monopoly on spice purchases. Even though the Bandanese had little understanding of the significance of the treaty known as 'The Eternal Compact', or that not all Bandanese leaders had signed, it would later be used to justify Dutch troops being brought in to defend their monopoly. In April 1609, Admiral Pieter Willemsz. Verhoeff arrived at Banda Neira with

3672-400: The Dutch visitors. Jan Pietersz Coen , who was a lower-ranked merchant on the expedition, managed to escape, but the traumatic event likely influenced his future attitude towards the Bandanese. While Portuguese and Spanish activity in the region had weakened, the English had built fortified trading posts on tiny Ai and Run islands, ten to twenty kilometres from the main Banda Islands. With

3774-510: The Dutch—heavy woolens, and damasks, unwanted manufactured goods, for example—were usually unsuitable in comparison to traditional trade products. The Javanese , Arab and Indian , and Portuguese traders for example brought indispensable items along with steel knives, copper, medicines, and prized Chinese porcelain . As much as the Dutch disliked dealing with the Bandanese, the trade was a highly profitable one with spices selling for 300 times

3876-413: The English paying higher prices, they were significantly undermining Dutch aims for a monopoly. As Anglo-Dutch tensions increased in 1611 the Dutch built the larger and more strategic Fort Belgica above Fort Nassau. In 1615, the Dutch invaded Ai with 900 men, whereupon the English retreated to Run where they regrouped. Japanese mercenaries served in the Dutch forces. That same night, the English launched

3978-637: The Lesser Sundas was traded for sago from the Kei Islands , Aru and Seram . In August 1511, on behalf of the king of Portugal , Afonso de Albuquerque conquered Malacca , which at the time was a major hub of Asian trade. In November of that year, after having secured Malacca and learned of the Banda Islands' location, Albuquerque sent an expedition of three ships led by his good friend António de Abreu to find them. Malay pilots, either recruited or forcibly conscripted, guided them via Java ,

4080-547: The Maluku islands, was shipwrecked and ended up in Ternate . Distracted by hostilities elsewhere in the archipelago, such as Ambon and Ternate, the Portuguese did not return to the Banda Islands until 1529, when Portuguese trader Captain Garcia Henriques landed troops. Five of the Banda islands were within gunshot of each other and Henriques realised that a fort on the main island Neira would give him full control of

4182-473: The Mololo Cave site, excavations show that early people were processing tree resins and hunting native animals. Pottery-making communities moved into Raja Ampat about 3500–3000 years ago and may have brought Austronesian languages to the area. The name of Raja Ampat ( Raja means king, and empat means four) comes from local mythology that told of a woman who found seven eggs, in one version this woman

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4284-567: The Papuan lands were still upheld by the court at the time of François Valentijn (1724) but were obscure by that time. More persistent were the ambitions of Bacan to maintain suzerainty over part of Ceram's north coast. However, by the second half of the 17th century the Ceramese villages plainly refused to obey the commands of the sultan. The sultanate shrank further in 1682 when Sultan Alauddin III sold

4386-491: The Portuguese appeared in Maluku from 1512, Bacan was a significant local realm with more men and ships than Ternate, Tidore or Jailolo. Linguistic research has shown that Bacan Malay is closer to Melaka Straits Malay than other Malay dialects in Maluku, pointing at early strong relations with traders from the Malay World . The royal seat was not on Bacan Island as it was in later times but rather on Kasiruta. The power of

4488-425: The Portuguese to Banda but were to have a much more dominating and lasting presence. Dutch–Bandanese relations were mutually resentful from the outset, with Holland's first merchants complaining of Bandanese reneging on agreed deliveries and price, and cheating on quantity and quality. For the Bandanese, on the other hand, although they welcomed another competitor purchaser for their spices, the items of trade offered by

4590-610: The Raja Ampat Islands was by the Portuguese navigator Jorge de Menezes and his crew in 1526, en route from Biak , the Bird's Head Peninsula , and Waigeo , to Halmahera ( Ternate ). Islam first arrived in the Raja Ampat Islands in the 15th century due to political and economic contacts with the Bacan Sultanate . During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Maluku -based Sultanate of Tidore had close economic and political ties with

4692-547: The Raja Ampat Regency. Instead, it constitutes the Salawati Selatan and Salawati Tengah Districts of Sorong Regency. Raja Ampat Regency is subdivided into the following districts ( kecamatan ): Note: (a) including the Boo Islands , which lie some distance to the west of Kofiau. (b) Not to be confused with Salawati Tengah District of Sorong Regency, Salawati Tengah District of Rajah Ampat Regency actually forms

4794-549: The Sangaji (chief) of Labuha. The Sangaji and his wife then persuaded Alauddin to move his seat to the vicinity of Labuha since it was a good land with a fine river. Dutch sources indicate that fear of the lethal raids carried out by Tidorese war fleets was decisive in the move. The Dutch seafarers began to approach Maluku in 1599 and fought a drawn-out struggle with the Spanish Empire while allying with Ternate. In 1609

4896-631: The South in Misool, it ranges from 26 to 28 °C (79 to 82 °F) (Water temperature chart in Misog ol). The islands are part of the Vogelkop-Aru lowland rain forests ecoregion. The rainforests that cover the islands are the natural habitat of many species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects. Two species of bird-of-paradise , the red bird-of-paradise ( Paradisaea rubra ) and Wilson's bird-of-paradise ( Diphyllodes respublica ), are endemic to

4998-621: The Swiss television network Schweizer Fernsehen . In March 2017 the 90-metre-long (295 ft) cruise ship Caledonian Sky owned by British tour operator Noble Caledonia got caught in a low tide and ran aground in the reef. An evaluation team estimated that 1,600 square metres (17,000 sq ft) of the reef was destroyed, which will likely result in a compensation claim of $ 1.28 million – $ 1.92 million. A team of environmentalists and academics estimated much more substantial damage, with potential losses to Indonesia estimated at $ 18.6 million and

5100-617: The VOC in January 1656, complemented by a more detailed contact in April 1667 that put Bacan under the thumb of the Dutch. After the rebellions in the region had been defeated in the late 1650s, the Dutch kept Bacan under close surveillance for more than a century. Dutch observers found the Bacan elite to be stout and self-assured in spite of the shrunken state of the sultanate, as they tried to uphold obsolete claims to parts of Ceram and Papua. The low population density, aggravated by epidemics, and

5202-649: The abundance of sago and fish made the population self-sufficient in terms of foodstuff, and the Dutch complained about the perceived inertia of the locals. Piracy was a big problem for the vulnerable population far into the 19th century. In 1774 the ruler Muhammad Sahadin (1741-1779) entertained friendly contacts with the British sea captain Thomas Forrest and also with the independent Sultan of Maguindanao . The suspicious Dutch therefore deposed him in 1779. The next two sultans were likewise exiled. However, by now

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5304-521: The commander Simon Jansz Hoen and Sultan Mudafar Syah I of Ternate invaded Bacan and approached the Spanish fort at Labuha. Sultan Alauddin II chose to stay aloof from the fighting. The Spanish and the Christian inhabitants left Labuha and were later killed or captured. As representative of the Dutch East India Company (VOC) Hoen made a contract with Alauddin who promised to follow the VOC monopoly of

5406-415: The desire of the sultan to attract enterprising foreigners to the mineral-rich islands. A group of Chinese gold workers were in fact brought from West Borneo in the mid-19th century but were less than successful. Another attempt to develop the islands with the sultan’s support was made by the merchant M.E.F. Elout van Soeterwoude who began to plant vanilla, coffee, tobacco and potatoes. The unsuitability of

5508-427: The destruction this causes among reefs has posed a threat to tourism. The crown-of-thorns starfish, which "can grow around as big as a trash-can lid" and is covered in sharp, stinging spines, has proliferated due to increasing nitrogen in the water from human waste, which in turn causes a spike in phytoplankton on which the starfish feed. In 2019, local divers began the task of reducing starfish populations by injecting

5610-598: The dynastic network of the sultanate. Zainal Abidin married a Ternate princess who gave birth to Bayan Sirrullah who was made sub-ruler in Makian; he later left it and instead inherited his father’s throne in Kasiruta. After this, Makian was apparently lost to the Bacan kings. After a prosperous and peaceful reign Bayan Sirrullah died and was succeeded by Alauddin, known to have reigned in 1581-c. 1609. Contemporary European sources mention other names before 1581 (see below). When

5712-544: The east of the Banda group, where a version of the original Banda language is still spoken in the villages of Banda Eli and Banda Elat on Kai Besar Island. While long integrated into Kei Island society, residents of these settlements continue to value the historical origins of their ancestors. Most of the present-day inhabitants of the Banda Islands are descended from migrants and plantation labourers from various parts of Indonesia, as well as from indigenous Bandanese. They have inherited aspects of pre-colonial ritual practices in

5814-682: The east, there is a strait that separates Batanta from Salawati . In 1759 Captain William Wilson sailing in the East Indiaman Pitt navigated these waters and named a strait the 'Pitt Strait', after his vessel; this was probably the channel between Batanta and Salawati. The islands have a tropical climate, with temperatures ranging from 20 to 33 °C (68 to 91 °F). Water temperature in North Raja Ampat ranges from 28 to 30 °C (82 to 86 °F), while in

5916-576: The far more knowledgeable Malay sailors in Malacca. He estimated the early sixteenth century population to be 2500–3000. He reported the Bandanese as being part of an Indonesia-wide trading network and the only native Malukan long-range traders taking cargo to Malacca, although shipments from Banda were also being made by Javanese traders. In addition to the production of nutmeg and mace, Banda maintained significant entrepôt trade; goods that moved through Banda included cloves from Ternate and Tidore in

6018-453: The group. The Bandanese were, however, hostile to such a plan, and their warlike behavior was both costly and tiresome to Garcia whose men were attacked when they attempted to build a fort. From then on, the Portuguese were infrequent visitors to the islands, preferring to buy their nutmeg from traders in Malacca. Unlike inhabitants of other eastern Indonesian islands visited by the Portuguese, such as Ambon , Solor , Ternate and Morotai ,

6120-485: The help of two groups of officials. The Bobato dalem (inner grandees) assisted at the royal court and consisted of members with the military titles mayor, kapitan and lieutenant ( ngofa or kie ). Under them were various alfiris , sergeants and caretakers. The Bobato luar (outer grandees) were those who actually assisted the sultan in governing the realm. They were the jogugu (first minister), hukum (magistrate) and kimelaha sapanggala (errand) who held authority over

6222-418: The island of the same name. There are seven inhabited islands and several that are uninhabited. The inhabited islands are: Main group (formed from the drowned caldera of a former volcano, with Bandaneira and still-smoking Guning Api islands at the centre of the crater, and the crescent-shaped Lonthair, Pulau Pisang and Batu Kapal being the surviving above-water parts of the volcanic rim): Some distance to

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6324-436: The islands in 1621 remain uncertain. But readings of historical sources suggest around one thousand Bandanese likely survived in the islands, and were spread throughout the nutmeg groves as forced labourers. The Dutch subsequently re-settled the islands with imported slaves, convicts and indentured labourers (to work the nutmeg plantations), as well as immigrants from elsewhere in Indonesia. Most survivors fled as refugees to

6426-438: The islands of Waigeo, Gam, and Batanta. The recently discovered palm tree Wallaceodoxa raja-ampat is endemic to the Raja Ampat Islands. Raja Ampat is considered the global epicentre of tropical marine biodiversity and is referred to as "The Crown Jewel" of the Bird's Head Seascape, which also includes Cenderawasih Bay and Triton Bay. The region contains more than 600 species of hard corals , constituting about 75% of

6528-533: The islands of their trading partners, in particular Keffing and Guli Guli in the Seram Laut chain and Kei Besar . Shipments of surviving Bandanese were also sent to Batavia ( Jakarta ) to work as slaves in developing the city and its fortress. Some 530 of these individuals were later returned to the islands because of their much-needed expertise in nutmeg cultivation (something sorely lacking among newly arrived Dutch settlers). Whereas up until this point

6630-546: The islands, especially with Gurabesi . During this period, Islam became firmly established, and local chiefs began adopting Islam. As a consequence of these ties, Raja Ampat was considered a part of the Sultanate of Tidore. After the Dutch invaded Maluku, it was claimed by the Netherlands. The English explorer William Dampier gave his name to Dampier Strait , which separates Batanta Island from Waigeo Island. To

6732-409: The largest extant fish species on earth, also thrive in this region. In the northeast region of Waigeo Island, local villagers have been involved in turtle conservation initiatives by protecting nests or relocating eggs of leatherback , olive ridley , and hawksbill turtles . Their works are supported by the local government and NGOs . Raja Ampat Marine Recreation Park was designated in 2009. It

6834-484: The last rights of the sultan to be represented in the formal administration were abolished in 1965. Towards the end of the 20th century the old sultanates of Maluku experienced a cultural revival, especially after the fall of the Suharto regime in 1998. Bacan was part of this “sultanism” with the enthronement of a son of the last ruler as titular sultan, although with a lower profile than Ternate. The sultan governed with

6936-415: The locals and even the court ladies. During the next decades Bacan played a subordinate role in relation to Ternate and Tidore. A sultan called Alauddin (I) appears in the 1520s and lived in a shifting state of alliance and hostility with the Portuguese. When he tried to keep aloof of the Europeans, a Portuguese expedition raided the capital in 1534 and even destroyed the royal graves. By the mid 16th century

7038-432: The long series of conflicts had taken a heavy toll: the population of the sultanate had declined and the sultan only played a marginal role in the affairs in Maluku. The old residence in Kasiruta had been abandoned by the early 17th century and the palace was moved to Amassing on the south-west side of Bacan Island, close to Labuha. According to the Bacan Chronicle, Alauddin gave his daughter in marriage to Patra Samargalila,

7140-417: The majestic cetaceans and whale sharks , thrive in these waters. Administratively, the archipelago is part of the province of Southwest Papua . Most of the islands constitute the Raja Ampat Regency , which was separated from Sorong Regency in 2004. The regency encompasses around 70,000 square kilometres (27,000 sq mi) of land and sea, of which 8,034.44 km constitutes the land area and has

7242-404: The marine life there. According to Conservation International , marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat area is the highest recorded on Earth. Diversity is considerably greater than any other area sampled in the Coral Triangle composed of Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and East Timor . The Coral Triangle is the heart of

7344-494: The national language, Indonesian . But it has comparatively fewer, and they differ in pronunciation. Examples: Finally, and most noticeably, Banda Malay uses some distinct pronouns. The most immediately distinguishing is that of the second person singular familiar form of address: pané . The descendants of some of the Bandanese who fled Dutch conquest in the seventeenth century live in the Kai Islands (Kepulauan Kei) to

7446-477: The new treaty, in response to which Coen launched a punitive massacre. Japanese mercenaries were hired to deal with the orang kaya , forty of whom were beheaded with their heads impaled and displayed on bamboo spears. The butchering and beheadings were carried out by the Japanese for the Dutch. The islanders were tortured and their villages destroyed by the Dutch. The Bandanese chiefs were also tortured by

7548-517: The north coast of Ceram and even in Hitu in Ambon . However, Valentijn claims that the first Muslim ruler was actually Sultan Zainal Abidin who allegedly flourished in 1512. In one version, his brother Jelman was acknowledged as Raja of Misool , one of the Raja Ampat Islands. From early European accounts it appears that the kings in the Maluku archipelago began to accept Islam in about the 1460s or 1470s as

7650-621: The north, bird-of-paradise feathers from the Aru Islands and Western New Guinea , and massoi bark for traditional medicines and salves. In exchange, Banda predominantly received rice and cloth; namely light cotton batik from Java , calicoes from India and ikat from the Lesser Sundas . In 1603, an average quality sarong -sized cloth traded for eighteen kilograms of nutmeg. Some of these textiles were then sold on, ending up in Halmahera and New Guinea . Coarser ikat from

7752-478: The nutmeg production, the VOC paid the perkeniers 1 ⁄ 122 nd of the Dutch market price for nutmeg; however, the perkeniers still profited immensely, building substantial villas with opulent imported European decorations. The outlying island of Run was harder for the VOC to control and they exterminated all nutmeg trees there. The production and export of nutmeg was a VOC monopoly for almost two hundred years. Fort Belgica , one of many forts built by

7854-585: The powerful Babullah (1583) and the Spanish-Portuguese union (1581) made for opportunities, as the Spanish tried to master Maluku from their bases in the Philippines . Alauddin II assisted an Iberian invasion in 1603 where he was personally wounded, and again in 1606. On the last occasion the Spanish were entirely successful in defeating the Ternate Sultanate and rewarded Alauddin II with the islands of Kayoa , Waidoba and Bayloro. However,

7956-531: The previously prosperous tourism industry. Bandanese speak Banda Malay , which has several features distinguishing it from Ambonese Malay , a Malay dialect that is a lingua franca in central and southern Maluku alongside Indonesian . Banda Malay is famous in the region for its unique, lilting accent, but it also has a number of locally identifying words in its lexicon, many of them borrowings or loanwords from Dutch . Examples: Banda Malay shares many Portuguese loanwords with Ambonese Malay not appearing in

8058-650: The purchase price in Banda. This amply justified the expense and risk in shipping them to Europe. The allure of such profits saw an increasing number of Dutch expeditions; it was soon seen that in trade with the East Indies, competition from each would eat into all their profits. Thus the competitors united to form the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) (the United East India Company , referred to in English as

8160-528: The region. It soon became established in the area. Before the arrival of Europeans, Banda had an oligarchic form of government led by orang kaya ('rich men') and the Bandanese had an active and independent role in trade throughout the archipelago. Banda was the world's only source of nutmeg and mace , spices used as flavourings, medicines, and preserving agents that were at the time highly valued in European markets. They were sold by Arab traders to

8262-460: The result of the increasing trade in cloves, that attracted merchants from the Muslim world. The indigenous chronicles of Bacan are difficult to evaluate as their stories of persons and events do not fit with contemporary sources up to the late 16th century. They say that the Bacan Islands were originally governed by a plethora of chiefs or ambasaya . By the time, Said Muhammad Bakir alias Husin, who

8364-411: The ruler. Foreigners stood under their own princes of Ternate, Tidore, etc. Labuha with its Christian population was directly ruled by the colonial government and was headed by a chief called Sangaji . Dutch rule was represented by a controleur after 1883, and the kingdom became increasingly governed by colonial officials that the old ruling elite had to listen to. Raja Ampat Raja Ampat , or

8466-476: The sea. They live in a small colony of tribes that spreads around the area. Although traditional culture still strongly exists, they are very welcoming to visitors. Raja Ampat people have similarities with the surrounding Moluccan people and Papuan people , as they speak Papuan and Austronesian languages. The Muslim proportion is much higher compared with other Papuan areas. However, the West Papua province as

8568-431: The soil and climate foiled his ambitions and he withdrew his efforts in 1900. In one respect Bacan stood out locally since its Christian community attained a high level of Western education. At the demise of Sultan Muhammad Sadik (1862-1889) a commission of grandees governed for many years for want of suitable heirs. Eventually his son Muhammad Usman (not to be confused with his contemporary Muhammad Usman of Ternate ) signed

8670-591: The southeast portion of Salawati Island. (c) the Ayau Islands (including Ayau District) lie some distance to the north of Waigeo. Taking account of the 2,757 people of Salawati Selatan and Salawati Tengah Districts which are administratively in Sorong Regency , the total population of the archipelago added up to 69,596 in mid 2022. There are proposals to divide the current Raja Ampat Regency into three, with Waigeo and its surrounding small islands forming

8772-428: The spice trade, and to give back a few islands to Ternate. The Spanish fort was renamed Fort Barneveld (after the statesman Johan van Oldenbarnevelt ) and manned with 50 men. At this time Bacan claimed to be the overlord of the Papuan islands of Waigeo , Misool and Waigama. However, it is possible that the relation was a bond of commerce rather than political obedience. The pretensions to certain islands and villages in

8874-506: The starfish with a 10% vinegar solution; the dead starfish can then be eaten by local fish. The high marine diversity in Raja Ampat is strongly influenced by its position between the Indian and Pacific Oceans, as coral and fish larvae are more easily shared between the two oceans. Raja Ampat's coral diversity, resilience, and role as a source for larval dispersal make it a global priority for marine protection. Its location results in it being

8976-503: The sultan extended to Ceram which was economically vital due to trade in forest products, largely coming from the Papuan lands. Clove production was small compared to the other Malukan islands, though it grew rapidly up to the mid 16th century. Tomé Pires (c. 1515) says that the name of the ruler was Raja Yusuf, who was the half-brother of Bayan Sirrullah of Ternate. In 1521 the remnants of the Magellan expedition arrived to Tidore where

9078-405: The sultanate produced as much cloves as Ternate. It was an important port of call for ships going from Ternate to other parts of the archipelago, and from Banda or Ambon to Ternate. Papuan chiefs sometimes visited Bacan with their vessels and had friendly ties with the sultan. Alauddin's son and successor was Hairun (1557-1577), not to be confused with his maternal uncle Hairun of Ternate. Islam

9180-504: The various local chiefs, such as ambasaya and datu . Apart from them there was a group of religious officials, Bobato akhirat . The highest official of the kingdom was however the Kapitan Laut (sea lord) who was a relative of the sultan and usually the heir to the throne. The sultan was only the headman over the ethnic Bacanese who were traditionally divided into genealogical units called soanang and paid contributions ( ngasé ) to

9282-610: The war years Bacan suffered from hardship and Allied bombings that also destroyed the sultan's palace. There was little republican agitation in North Maluku after 1945 and some aspect of the old "feudal" governance survived the Indonesian Independence in 1949. Muhammad Muhsin served as Resident of North Maluku in 1956-1959. However, the Malukan sultanates were increasingly incorporated in the new bureaucracy, and

9384-586: The west: To the north of Banda Besar: To the southeast: Others, all small and/or uninhabited, are: The islands are part of the Banda Sea Islands moist deciduous forests ecoregion . The Banda Islands District ( kecamatan ) is sub-divided into eighteen administrative villages ( desa ), listed below with their areas and their officially-estimated populations as at mid 2002. All share the postcode of 97586. Notes: (a) comprising 10,723 males and 10,702 females. The first documented human presence in

9486-534: The world's coral reef biodiversity, making Raja Ampat quite possibly the richest coral reef ecosystem in the world. The area's massive coral colonies, along with relatively high sea surface temperatures , also suggest that its reefs may be relatively resistant to threats like coral bleaching and coral disease , which now jeopardize the survival of other coral ecosystems around the world. The Raja Ampat islands are remote and relatively undisturbed by humans. The crown-of-thorns starfish eats Raja Ampat's corals, and

9588-452: The world's known species, and more than 1,700 species of reef fish – including on both shallow and mesophotic reefs. Compared to similarly-sized ecosystems elsewhere in the world, Raja Ampat's biodiversity is arguably the richest in the world. Endangered and rare marine mammals , such as dugongs , whales (such as blue , pygmy blue , Bryde's , Omura's , sperm ), dolphins , and even orcas occur here. Endangered whale sharks,

9690-526: Was Boki Tabai, daughter of Al-Mansur of Tidore and wife to Gurabesi . Three of the seven hatched and became kings who occupied Raja Ampat Islands, the fourth hatched and settled in Waigama but later migrated to Kalimuri ( Seram ). In another version, the fifth egg hatched into a woman (Pin Take) who later washed away to Biak , married Manar Makeri , and later gave birth to Gurabesi . The sixth egg hatched into

9792-524: Was allowed by Ternate to fill the throne but soon started to collude with the Portuguese and was killed in battle in 1581. Christianity was largely suppressed, though a congregation remained in Labuha on Bacan Island under troubled conditions. Of Bacanese royalty there remained a young son of Dom João called Alauddin II (1581-c. 1609) who, although a Muslim, strove to cast off the Ternatan yoke. The death of

9894-493: Was involved in a murky affair in 1627 when elements of the Christian population in Labuha conspired with the Spanish against the Dutch presence with the tacit knowledge of the sultan, who vainly tried to use the opportunity to bring the Labuha people under his direct rule. After his death, his son Muhammad Ali (1649-1655) had to sign a contract in 1653 where he agreed to extirpate the cloves in his kingdom to ensure VOC monopoly. Bacan

9996-456: Was nevertheless known as Kolano ma-dehe , Ruler of the Far End (i.e. in relation to Ternate and Tidore). According to the Dutch writer François Valentijn (1724), the Bacan kingdom was established in 1322. He mentions an early king of Bacan with a Muslim name, Sidang Hasan in about 1345 who suffered an invasion from Ternate. Later on, in 1465 a prince called Bakar expanded Bacan's influence on

10098-712: Was one of the sons of the Arab newcomer Sidna Noh Jafar, took up residence in Makian north of Bacan, an important center for clove production. He subsequently became acknowledged as lord in Kasiruta in the Bacan Archipelago. Muhammad Bakir sired seven children of whom Zainal Abidin succeeded his father in Makian and Kasiruta. His six brothers and sisters ended up as rulers or consorts in Misool , Waigeo , Banggai , Loloda , Ceram and Bacan Island, which thereby became tied to

10200-441: Was still confined to a thin layer of society while most inhabitants followed local religious practices. Hairun was on bad terms with his similarly-named uncle of Ternate. He therefore sought support with the Portuguese and converted to Catholicism, adopting the name Dom João. The conversion of the ruler and part of the inhabitants led to trouble after 1570. The new Ternatan ruler Babullah , a cousin and brother-in-law of Dom João, held

10302-403: Was the oldest kingdom of Maluku. A third legend departs from the Arab immigrant Jafar Sadik who came to Maluku, ostensibly in 1245, and married the heavenly nymph Nurus Safa. From this pair, four sons called Buka, Darajat, Sahajat and Mashur-ma-lamo were born, who became ancestors of the rulers of Bacan, Jailolo, Tidore, and Ternate. In this story, too, Bacan has a precedence position. The ruler

10404-536: Was then involved in the Great Ambon War where rebels from north and central Maluku allied with the Makassarese to make an end of the Dutch tyranny. Bacan was briefly forced to side with the rebels, and the ruler was held by the rebels against his own will. He was mortally wounded in a fight at Manipa in 1655, and soon expired at the coast of Buru . His successor Alauddin III quickly made a contract with

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