Maluku

The idyllic islands of Maluku once played an unlikely but hugely important role in global geopolitics and economics. Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Maluku was the world's only source of nutmeg, cloves and mace, then vital and very valuable commodities. The search and subsequent fight for control of the Spice Islands (known then as the Moluccas) helped kick-start European colonialism and, thanks to a series of wrong turns and one auspicious land swap, shaped the modern world.