1911 Encyclopædia Britannica/Tidore
TIDORE or Tidor, an island of the Malay Archipelago, off the W. coast of Halmahera, S. of Ternate. It is nearly circular and has an area of about 30 sq. m. Several quiescent volcanic peaks, reaching 5700 ft., occupy most of the island, and are covered with forests. The capital, Tidore, on the east coast, is a walled town and the seat of a sultan tributary to the Dutch and of a Dutch controleur (commissioner or agent). By an agreement of 1879 the sultan exercises authority over some parts of Halmahera, the Papuan Islands, the western half of New Guinea and the islands in Geelvink Gulf. The sultanate is included in the residency of Ternate (q.v.). The population, of Malay race and Mahommedans in religion, is about 8000. They live by agriculture (cotton, tobacco, nutmegs, &c.) and fishing.