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- Republic of South Molucca Islands (Ambon)
- 1950–1952 independent christian republic
- in 1952 occupied by Indonesia
- thereafter separatist island region within Indonesia
- own name: Maluku Selatan
• Prologue
• Flag
• Meaning/Origin of the Flag
• Map
• Numbers and Facts
• History
• Origin of the Country's Name
The Republic of the South Moluccas, sometimes also named South Moluccas Ambon, existed only on the southern group of the Molucca Islands with the following islands and archipelagos: Ambon, Buru, Seram, Kai, Aru, Tanimbar, Babar, Leti und Wetar. The inhabitants of the Moluccas (Moluccians) had cooperated during the colonial period with the Netherlanders, adoped the Christian Religion and Dutch practice and traditions. In the Netherlands colonial army they formed the largest part of the soldiers. In the struggle of the Netherlanders against the Java "Liberation Army" the Moluccians withstand until the last beside their Netherlands colonial might. For that the Netherlands promised to achieve in the UNO an independent, christian "Republic of Maluku Selatan" against the will of Indonesia. The proclamation of the republic was on the 24th of March in 1950 and armed quarrels began in which Maluku Selatan loses in the end. The secession finished in 1952 bloody and causea an exodus of 40 000 of Moluccians to the Netherlands where they deployed an until today existing exile government. In the afteryears the Indonesian central government tryed to push aside the Christianity and the independent Moluccian culture by enforced settlement of masses of Islamic Malaysians from Sulawesi (Bugi People) what resulted hitherto a proportion of 50% to 50% between Christians and Moslems. The end of the Suharto-Regime results unfortunately not the end of this politics of oppression. As a result of that the Moluccian people startet the struggle for liberation in January 1999.
Source:
Volker Preuß
National flag,
ratio = 2:3,
Source, by:
Wikipedia (DE)
The flag shows four vertical stripes in blue, white, green and red in the ratio 1:1:1:6. It was first hoisted on 2nd of May in 1950. Two days later, the government published an explanation for the colours of the flag: Blue symbolises the sea and loyalty, white stands for purity, peace and the white beaches, green stands for the vegetation and red for the ancestors and the blood of the people.
Source: Wikipedia (EN)
Source: Freeware, University of Texas Libraries,
modyfied by: Volker Preuß
Area: 18.114 square miles (claimed)
Inhabitants: 1.715.548 (2016), thereof ca. 50% Moluccians, ca. 50% Malaysians
Religions: 51% Muslim, 41% Protestant, 7% Roman Catholic
Density of Population: 95 inh./sq.mi.
Capital: Ambon, 395.423 inh. (2016)
official Language: Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia)
other Languages: Dutch, Javanese, Sundanese
Currency: Indonesian Currency
Time Zone: GMT + 9 h
Source:
Wikipedia (NL)
1500 B.C. · first potent civilizations of the here immigrated Mon-Khmer nations, the forefathers of the today's Indonesians in the region of the today's Indonesia/Malaysia
1509–1512 · beginning Portugese colonization on Sumatra, Jawa and the Moluccas
1521 · the Spanish expedition of the Portugese Magellan achieves the islands of Indonesia/Malaysia coming from America, Spain claims now the Moluccas
1529 · the Spaniard Saavedra achieves the Moluccas
1529 · Zaragoza Treaty, Indonesia/Malaysia get awarded to Portugal
1599–1609 · the Dutch banish the Portugese and the Englishmen from the Moluccas and appropriate the islands
1602 · formation of the Dutch East India Company which enforces the colonization of the region
1798 · the Netherlands take over the Dutch East India Company
1942 · Japan occupies Netherlands East-Indies and in this way the Maluku Islands (Moluccas)
June–September 1945 · expulsion of the Japanese out of Netherlands East-Indies by British and US-American troops (except Sumatra), return of the Dutch
17th of August in 1945 · declaration of independence, proclamation of the Republic of Indonesia in Batavia
1945–1947 · war of liberation, Indonesia against the Netherlands
1947 · Linggadjati Treaty: acceptance of the Republic of Indonesia on Jawa, Madura and Sumatra, withdrawal of all foreign troops, formation of the United States of Indonesia
1947–1949 · civil war between communists, nationalists and separatists, the Netherlands intervene militaryly
27th of December in 1949 · Treaty of Den Haag: granting of independence for whole Indonesia, except West Irian and the South Molucca Islands, transformation of the country into a federation, allegiance to the Dutch crown by the framework of the Netherlands Indonesian Union
24th of March in 1950 · the Netherlands grant independence to the South Molucca Islands, proclamation of the Republic of the South Molucca Islands
17th of August in 1950 · end of the Federation of Indonesia, introduction of the centralist republic
1950–1955 · conquest of the Republic of the South Molucca Islands by Indonesia
January 1999 · struggles on the South Molucca Islands
2000 · struggles on the South Molucca Islands
Source:
Atlas zur Geschichte,
Wikipedia (D),
Discovery '97,
Weltgeschichte
The island's name "Moluccas" has its roots in the native word "Maluku", what means something like "Main Islands".
Source:
Handbuch der geographischen Namen
