Ambon

關於Ambon

Ambon is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Maluku. This city is also known as Ambon Manise, which means "beautiful" or "pretty" Ambon in the Ambonese language. It covers a land area of 359.45 square kilometres (138.78 sq mi), and had a population of 331,254 at the 2010 Census and 347,288 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid 2024 was 357,289. The city is divided into five administrative districts (kecamatan) – namely Nusaniwe, Sirimau, Teluk Ambon (Ambon Bay), Baguala (officially Teluk Ambon Baguala) and Leitimur Selatan (South Leitimur). Known as Indonesia's music city, Ambon became the first city in Southeast Asia to be recognised as the UNESCO City of Music in 2019.

The origin of the term "Ambon" is not easily determined. According to local accounts, the term is derived from the word embun (mist/dew). The mountain peaks on Ambon Island are frequently covered by thick mist. The term Laha was also once used to name the Fort of Nossa Senhora da Anunciada, which became the precursor of the settlement. In the local language, laha is translated as...

Overview adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA. Photography via Wikimedia Commons.