Moluccas

Mo·luc·cas  (m-lkz) Formerly Spice Islands (sps)

A group of islands of eastern Indonesia between Sulawesi and New Guinea. Discovered in the early 16th century, the islands were settled by the Portuguese but taken in the 17th century by the Dutch, who used them as the basis for their monopoly of the spice trade.

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Mo·luccan adj. & n.

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Noun

1.

Moluccas - a group of island in eastern Indonesia between Celebes and New Guinea; settled by the Portuguese but taken by the Dutch who made them the center for a spice monopoly, at which time they were known as Spice Islands Spice Islands Dutch East Indies, Indonesia, Republic of Indonesia - a republic in southeastern Asia on an archipelago including more than 13,000 islands; achieved independence from the Netherlands in 1945; the principal oil producer in the Far East and Pacific regions