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 с 1650. During World War II the Japanese occupied it; after the war it became part of Indonesia.