What is North Maluku?
[[File:North Maluku in Indonesia.svg|thumb|North Maluka shown in [[red]] within [[Indonesia]].]] [[Image:Flag of North Maluku.svg|right|150px]] [[Image:Coat of arms of North Maluku.svg|right|90px]] '''North Maluku''' is a [[Provinces of Indonesia|province]] in [[Indonesia]] that includes the northern part of the [[Maluku Islands]]. It is surrounded by the [[Pacific Ocean]] to the north, the Halmahera Sea to the east, the [[Molucca Sea]] to the west, and the Seram Sea to the south. It shares borders with other Indonesian provinces and countries like [[North Sulawesi]], [[Southeast Sulawesi]], [[Central Sulawesi]], [[Maluku (province)|Maluku]], [[Southwest Papua]], [[Palau]], and the [[Philippines]]. The capital is Sofifi on Halmahera Island, and the largest city is Ternate. In 2010, about 1 million people lived there, but by 2020, the population increased to around 1.3 million.<ref>C.F. van Fraassen 1987 Ternate, de Molukken en de Indonesische Archipel. Leiden: Rijksmuseum te Leiden, Vol. I, p. 18.</ref> == History == In the past, North Maluku was a significant area with [[History of Indonesia|Islamic sultanates]]. When Europeans arrived in the 16th century, there was competition between the [[Portuguese Empire|Portuguese]], [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]], and [[Dutch Empire|Dutch]] for control. Eventually, the Dutch took over and ruled for three centuries. During [[World War II]], the [[Japanese Empire|Japanese]] occupied the region. After [[Indonesia]] became independent, North Maluku became part of the [[Maluku (province)|Maluku province]].<ref>{{Cite book|url=http://archive.org/details/reizennaarneder00crabgoog|title=Reizen naar Nederlandsch Nieuw-Guinea, ondernomen op last der regeering van Nederlandsch-Indie ...|last=Koninklijk instituut voor taal-|first=land-en volkenkunde|date=1879|others=Oxford University|language=Dutch}}</ref> The official establishment of the North Maluku province was in 1999, separating from [[Maluku (province)|Maluku]]. Ternate was its capital until 2010, when it moved to Sofifi. The ec