Haruku Island
 Location of Haruku Island | |
 | |
| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | South East Asia |
| Archipelago | Maluku Islands |
| Highest elevation | 601 m (1972 ft) |
| Highest point | Huruano |
| Administration | |
| Province | Maluku |
| Regency | Central Maluku |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 24,170 (2010) |
| Languages | Ambonese Malay, Haruku, Indonesian |
| Additional information | |
| Time zone | |
Haruku Island is an island in Central Maluku Regency, Maluku Province, Indonesia - lying east of Ambon Island, off the southern coast of Seram and just west of Saparua. It is administered as a single district, Kecamatan Pulau Haruku, with a 2010 census population of 24,170.[1] The inhabitants on Haruku speak the Haruku language, as well as Indonesian and Ambonese Malay.[2]
There are six Christian (Aboru, Haruku, Hulaliu, Kariu, Oma and Wassu) and five Muslim (Kabau, Kailolo, Pelauw, Rohomoni and Samet) villages on the island. As on most of the islands of the Moluccas, spices such as nutmeg , cloves, cumin and ginger are grown as cash crops..
In 1527, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach the island. The Dutch followed in 1590 and established Fort New Zealand, whose ruins are now a tourist attraction. During World War II, the Japanese established a Prisoner-of-war camp for captive Australians and British forces on the island, who were used as forced labor to build an airstrip.
References
- ^ "Sekapur Sirih" (PDF). Sp2010.bps.go.id. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
- ^ "Haruku". Ethnologue.com. 1999-02-19. Retrieved 2015-06-12.
External links
Media related to Haruku at Wikimedia Commons- Old map of Manipa, Haruku, Saparua and Nusalaut
