The islands soon became the center of the spice trade.
The Island of Banda-Neira and Gunung Api.
Photo:Collin Key/Flickr
The Portuguese traders tried but failed to obtain a foothold on the islands.
In reprise, the Dutch soldiers plundered several Bandanese villages and destroyed their ships.
Map of Banda Islands.
Photo:Lencer/Wikimedia Commons
The unfortunate incident worked out in favor of the Dutch.
In the peace treaty that followed, the Bandanese recognized Dutch authority and monopoly on the spice trade.
That same year, the Dutch erected Fort Nassau on Banda Neira to control the nutmeg trade.
The Dutch massacred the villagers reducing their population from fifteen thousands to a mere thousand survivors.
Freshly harvested nutmeg fruit.
The red covering is mace while the seed is nutmeg.
Photo:Santhosh Varghese/Shutterstock.com
The English too vied for a piece of this lucrative trade.
It wasnt a bad deal.
Bandass exclusivity was destroyed and the islands were never the same again.
The island is now a quiet tropical backwater with a population of less than twenty thousands.
Those who are not in the nutmeg business fish in the pristine coastal waters.
The rest are into tourism.
Banda Islands are now prized for their marine environment, including a resilient coral reef and high biodiversity.
Nutmeg processing in Banda Islands, circa 1899-1900.
Photo:University of Amsterdam
Nutmeg harvested in Banda islands.
Photo:DjunaPix/Shutterstock.com
Fort Belgica in Banda Neira.
Photo: RianaAmbarsari/Shutterstock.com
Aerial view of Banda Neira with Fort Belgica in the foreground.
