The Banda Islands (Kepulauan Banda in Bahasa Indonesia) are a group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about 140km south of Seram island and about 2000km east of Java, and are part of the Indonesian province of Maluku. The capital city is Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise out of 4-6 km deep ocean and have a total land area of approximately 180 kmē. They have a population of about 15,000. Until the mid 19th century the Banda Islands were the only source of the spices nutmeg and mace, produced from the nutmeg tree. The islands are also popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to encounter the islands, in 1512. Controlling production of nutmeg and mace was a major motivation for the Dutch conquest of the islands in the 17th century. At the time nutmeg was one of the "fine spices" kept expensive in Europe by disciplined manipulationb of the market, but a desirable commodity for Dutch traders in the ports of India as well; economic historian Fernand Braudel notes that India consumed twice as much as Europe (Braudel 1984, p. 219). The lucrative monopoly over supply was ruthlessly enforced,: the Dutch decimated and displaced the indigenous Bandanese, who were of Melanesian origin, shipped as slaves to Java, and the islands were subsequently settled by migrants from elsewhere in Indonesia. In 1636 the native population by Dutch census came to 560, compared to 539 Dutch and 834 free foreigners.(Braudel)

Fort Belgica, one of many forts built by the Dutch East India Company, is the largest European fort in Indonesia.

Religious violence affected the islands slightly in the late 1990s, damaging the previously prosperous tourism industry.

There are seven inhabited islands and several uninhabited rocks. The inhabited islands are:

Main group:

• Banda Neira, or Naira, the island with the main settlement and a small airfield.
• Gunung Api, an active volcano with a peak of about 650m
• Lonthor or Banda Besar is the largest island, 12km long and 3km wide.

Some distance to the west:

• Pulau Ai or Pulau Ay
• Pulau Run, further west again.

To the east:

• Pulau Pisang, also known as Syahrir.

To the southeast:

• Pulau Hatta formerly Rosengain or Rozengain

Others, possibly small and/or uninhabited, are:

• Nailaka, a short distance northeast of Pulau Run
• Batu Kapal
• Manuk, an active volcano
• Pulau Keraka or Pulau Karaka (Crab Island)
• Manukang
• Hatta Reef

Bandanese Malay

Most of the present-day inhabitants of the Banda islands are descendants of migrants or exiled people from various parts of Indonesia. The indigenous Bandanese now live mostly in the Kai Islands (Kepulauan Kei) to the east of the Banda islands, where Banda is spoken in the villages of Banda Eli and Banda Elat on Kai Besar Island.

Most Bandanese speak a distinct Malay-based Creole which is distinct from Ambonese Malay. Bandanese Malay is famous for its unique accent.

Examples :

• you : pane
• fork : forok
• ants : mir
• spoon : lepe