The
Banda Islands are a
volcanic group of ten small
volcanic islands in the
Banda Sea, about south of
Seram Island and about east of
Java, and are part of the
Indonesian province of
Maluku. The main town and administrative centre is
Bandanaira, located on the island of the same name. They rise out of deep ocean and have a total land area of approximately . They have a population of about 15,000. Until the mid-19th century the Banda Islands were the world's only source of the spices
nutmeg and
mace, produced from the nutmeg tree. The islands are also popular destinations for
scuba diving and
snorkeling.