Seram

Seram, formerly Ceram (both: sā`räm), island, c.6,600 sq mi (17,100 sq km), E Indonesia, W of New Guinea, second largest of the Moluccas; also called Seran or Serang. Its chief port and town is Masohi. Traversed by a central mountain range rising to 9,905 ft (3,019 m) at Mt. Binaiyi, the island is c.210 mi (340 km) long and c.40 mi (60 km) wide. The interior has dense rain forests and is largely unexplored. Copra, resin, sago, and fish are important products. Oil is exploited in the northeast near Bula. Portuguese missionaries were active there in the 16th cent. Dutch trading posts were opened in the early 17th cent., and the island came under nominal Dutch control c.1650.

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Ceram

 or Seram

Island of the central Moluccas, Indonesia. It has an area of 6,621 sq mi (17,148 sq km). The terrain is mountainous and covered with tropical forests; seismic activity is common. Portuguese missionaries arriving in the 15th century found Hindu and Islamic influences present; the island came under nominal Dutch control c. 1650. During World War II the Japanese occupied it; after the war it became part of Indonesia.

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Seram, Ceram

an island in Indonesia, in the Moluccas, separated from New Guinea by the Ceram Sea: mountainous and densely forested. Area: 17 150 sq. km (6622 sq. miles)