Politically, the Maluku Islands formed a single province of Indonesia from 1950 until 1999. In 1999 the North Maluku ("Maluku Utara") and Halmahera Tengah (Central Halmahera) regency were split off as a separate province. The islands are now divided between two provinces, Maluku and North Maluku. Most of the people of these islands follow Islam. There is also a Christian minority because of Western European Christian Protestant missionaries in this region. Between 1999 and 2002 there was deadly fighting between the Muslim population and the Christians. Both groups had been peaceful before. The capital of North Maluku island is Ternate.