Definition

Proper noun: * The Spice Islands: A historical name for a group of islands in eastern Indonesia, located between Celebes (Sulawesi) and New Guinea. They were famously the original source of valuable spices like nutmeg, mace, and cloves. The islands were settled by the Portuguese but later taken by the Dutch, who established a spice monopoly there.

Usage Examples

• Proper noun:
  • For centuries, European explorers searched for a sea route to the Spice Islands.
  • The Dutch East India Company controlled the trade from the Spice Islands.
  • Today, the Spice Islands are known as the Maluku Islands.

Advanced Usage

• "the Spice Islands": The term is almost always used with the definite article "the" and is capitalized, as it is a proper name for a specific geographical and historical region.
  • The struggle for control of the Spice Islands shaped colonial history.

Variants and Related Words

• Maluku Islands (n): The modern name for the island group historically known as the Spice Islands.
• Moluccas (n): Another traditional name for the same island group.
• Spice trade (n): The historical commercial activity centered on spices from this region.

Synonyms

• The Moluccas
• The Maluku Islands

Related Phrases

• Center of the spice trade: A common descriptive phrase for the historical role of these islands.
  • The archipelago was the center of the spice trade for hundreds of years.

Noun

1. 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