Question

What is the present name of a large group of islands in the heart of the western area of the Coral Triangle, known and highly prized by Arab traders, and by Europeans from at least the 16th century?

Answer 1

The Moluccas
The Moluccas, in Indonesia, were known to Europeans as the Spice Islands and highly prized for nutmeg, mace and cloves. During the Middle Ages in Europe, spices were as valuable as gold and gems The coral triangle is a name given to the marine waters of Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. It encompasses a precious number of corals (nearly 600 different species of reef-building corals alone), and supports six of the world’s seven marine turtle species, more than 2000 species of reef fish (37% of the world's species), and 50% of the world's razor clams together with large populations of commercially important tuna. It contains more than 76% of the world's shallow-water reef-building coral species and the largest mangrove forest in the world. It is a centre of marine biodiversity and seen as a global priority for conservation.