Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Ternate

TERNATE, a small island in the East Indian Archipelago, off the west coast of Jilolo (q.v. in 0° 48’ N. lat. and 127° 19′ E. long. It is nearly circular in form, with an area of about 25 square miles, and consists almost entirely of a very remarkable volcano (5600 feet) formed of three superimposed cones. Frequent and destructive eruptions have taken place. Cocoa-nuts, sago, tobacco, cotton, sulphur, and saltpetre are the chief pro ductions of the island. The clove, which had been extirpated by the early Dutch rulers to enhance its value by restricting its cultivation to the Banda Islands, Amboyna, &c., is beginning again to be grown, as also is the nutmeg. The inhabitants are nearly all Mohammedan Malays. The town of Ternate, with a population of about 9000, is the seat of a native sultan and of a Dutch resident; the harbour is commanded by a fort. The residency, which includes a part of the eastern coast of Celebes (see Celebes), the greater part of Jilolo, and numerous smaller islands, has an area of 26,900 square miles and a population estimated at about 290,000.