Hatta (Banda Islands)
Hatta | ||
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The island of Hatta in the east of the Banda Islands | ||
Waters | Banda Lake | |
Archipelago | Banda Islands | |
Geographical location | 4 ° 35 ′ S , 130 ° 2 ′ E | |
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length | 3 km | |
width | 1.5 | |
main place | Kampung Lama |
Hatta (formerly called Rozengain ) is one of the Banda Islands belonging to Indonesia , which in turn belong to the Moluccas , and is located in the Banda Sea .
15 km to the west is Banda Neira , 4 km to the south-east is a small, approximately 800 m long, nameless island. Hatta measures approximately 3 km in north-south direction and is 1.5 km wide. The largest settlements are Kampung Lama (Old Village) and Kampung Baru (New Village).
Nutmeg is grown on the island, and the trade with it brought the inhabitants great wealth. Until the early 17th century, the Banda Islands were ruled by local people, the Orang Kaya (which means: "rich men"). The Portuguese were the first Europeans to dominate the spice trade from the 16th century. At the beginning of the 17th century they were replaced by the Dutch who called the island Rozengain .
In 1621 the newly appointed Governor General of the Dutch East India Company (VOC), Jan Pieterszoon Coen , conquered the entire Banda Islands and thereby also ended the rule of the Orang Kaya. The population was killed and enslaved, and many Bandanese fled to other islands. Slaves from different countries were brought to Hatta to work on the nutmeg plantations.