Ternate is an island in the Maluku Islands (Moluccas) of eastern Indonesia. It was the center of the powerful former Sultanate of Ternate. It is off the west coast of the larger island of Halmahera. The city has a population of just under 200,000 on some 111.39 km2.Like its neighbouring island, Tidore, Ternate is a visually dramatic cone-shape. The two are ancient Islamic sultanates with a long history of bitter rivalry.