FAQ About Ferdinand Magellan
What were the Spice Islands, and why were they important?
The Spice Islands, now part of modern Indonesia's Maluku Islands, were famous for their production of cloves, nutmeg, and mace, which were highly prized in Europe. These spices were so valuable that they were sometimes worth their weight in gold, prompting European powers to seek direct trade routes to these islands, thereby bypassing middlemen and reducing costs.
