English Explanatory Dictionary

Spice Islands

English dictionary entry

Meanings

name
  1. The Moluccas or Maluku Islands, an archipelago in Indonesia comprising the provinces of Maluku and North Maluku.
  2. The Zanzibar Archipelago, in the Zanzibar semi-autonomous region of Tanzania.

Word forms

Spice Islands

Etymology

Refers to the importance of the islands for the supply of certain important spices. Clove trees are native to the Maluku Islands, and for some centuries a monopoly of supply existed, until plants were smuggled out and cultivated in Zanzibar.

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