Spice Islands/ Indonesia: Dutch sailors from Van Warwijk’s fleet watch Banda locals in the Moluccas playing a ball game.

The Banda Islands are a group of 10 tiny volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about 2,000 km east of Java, and are part of Indonesia. During the 16th and 17th centuries, these remote islands were European explorers’ most prized colony due to the fact that they were the world’s sole source of nutmeg and mace.

First claimed by the Portuguese in 1512, the Bandas were then seized by the Dutch and British East India Companies who vied for the rare spices, also including cloves and pepper, which could be sold in Europe for 300 times the cost.

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