Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Ambon, Maluku

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Ambon is a large and busy city in Indonesia.

Ambon and Lease Islands (Uliasers) en
Ambon and Lease Islands (Uliasers) en

It serves as the capital of the Maluku province. In the local Ambonese language, the name Ambon means "beautiful" or "pretty." The city covers a land area of 171.81 square kilometers. Most of this land is very hilly or has steep slopes. Only about 17% of the area is flat or has shallow slopes.

Ambon Stad2
Ambon Stad2

The weather in Ambon stays warm all year long. This is because the city sits near the equator. It has a tropical rainforest climate, which means there is no real dry season. Rain falls often throughout the year. June is the wettest month with 334 mm of rain. November is the driest month with 65 mm of rain. The temperature stays mostly constant. December is the hottest month, while July is the coolest.

Benteng Victoria
Benteng Victoria

Ambon has a very long and complex history. Portugal first colonized the area in 1526. They named it Nossa Senhora de Anunciada. The Dutch drove the Portuguese out in 1605. The island stayed under Dutch control for a long time. It was even a major naval base during World War II.

Amboina. 17th century print, most likely English.
Amboina. 17th century print, most likely English.

In 1942, Japanese forces attacked and took control of the city. Ambon finally became part of independent Indonesia in 1945.

Today, Ambon is a very diverse place to live. The population was about 331,254 in 2010. By mid-2024, the official estimate was 357,289 people. Many different ethnic groups live together in the city. These include the Alifuru, Javanese, Balinese, and many others. People also come from foreign backgrounds, such as Chinese or Dutch descent. The city is divided into five main districts. These are Nusaniwe, Sirimau, Teluk Ambon Baguala, Teluk Ambon, and Leitimur Selatan.

Coat of Arms of Ambon (1930)
Coat of Arms of Ambon (1930)

Many things make Ambon special to the world. It is famous for its love of music. In 2019, UNESCO named it a City of Music in Southeast Asia. This is a very big honor for the city. The city also has many different religious groups. You will find many Christians and many Muslims living there. Even though there was social unrest between 1999 and 2002, it remains a major center for the Maluku region.

Ambon refugees, 1999
Ambon refugees, 1999
359 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (7)
File:Ambon and Lease Islands (Uliasers) en.png
Ambon and Lease Islands (Uliasers) en.png
File:Amboina. 17th century print, most likely English..jpg
Amboina. 17th century print, most likely...
File:Coat of Arms of Ambon (1930).svg
Coat of Arms of Ambon (1930).svg
File:Ambon refugees, 1999.jpg
Ambon refugees, 1999.jpg
File:Ambon Stad2.jpg
Ambon Stad2.jpg
File:The_Cathedral_of_Ambon.jpg
The_Cathedral_of_Ambon.jpg
File:Benteng_Victoria.jpg
Benteng_Victoria.jpg
More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.