Coastline profiles of Tidore and Maitara

On 22 May 1599 the Amsterdam and Utrecht, part of the Tweede Schipvaart to the East indies, arrived at Ternate. The ships anchored near Gamalama, where the capital of the Ternate sultanate was located. Just south of Ternate lies the island of Tidore. This island was home to a rivalling sultanate and of great strategic importance. In the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries the Dutch, Spanish and Portuguese would compete for the allegiance of the Tidore sultanate. In between Ternate and Tidore lies the islet of Maitara. Heyndrick Dirrecksen Jolinck, helmsman of the Amsterdam drew these coastline profile in his journal. The first shows the island of Tidore as seen when one is anchored at Ternate, likely at Gamalama. The second shows Tidore and Maitara from the same direction.