Run (island)

Run
A view of the coast
Run in the west of the Banda Islands
Geography
LocationOceania
Coordinates4°33′25.87″S 129°41′01.63″E / 4.5571861°S 129.6837861°E / -4.5571861; 129.6837861
ArchipelagoMaluku Islands
Area13.16 km2 (5.08 sq mi)
Administration
Indonesia
ProvinceMaluku
RegencyCentral Maluku
Demographics
Population1,572 (mid 2022)
Pop. density119.5/km2 (309.5/sq mi)
Additional information
Time zone

Run (also known as Pulau Run, Pulo Run, Puloroon, or Rhun[1]pulau is 'island' in Indonesian) is one of the smallest islands of the Banda Islands, which are a part of the Moluccas, Indonesia. It is located within Banda District (kecamatan) in Central Maluku Regency.

In 1616, fearing the Dutch, the natives of the island pledged their allegiance to the employees of English East India Company, who accepted it on behalf of the Crown. According to historian John Keay who considers Pulo Run as the genesis of the British Empire: "As the island of Runnymede is to British constitutional history, so the island of Run is to British imperial history".[2] In the 17th century, the tiny island of Run was of great economic importance because of the value of the spices it produced: nutmeg and mace.

  1. ^ The Spice Trail: 2, Nutmeg and Cloves (spelt Rhun on the map and also in subtitles)
  2. ^ Keay 2010, p. 1.