Sulawesi, also known as Celebes, is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. Sulawesi covers an area of 74,054 square miles (191,800 square kilometers). For the population of Sulawesi, see Indonesia (The islands).
Sulawesi consists mainly of four long peninsulas. It is the most mountainous island of Indonesia. Mountains in the central region average about 9,850 feet (3,000 meters) above sea level. Many volcanoes, some of them active, rise on the northern peninsula. Forests used to cover most of Sulawesi, but they are rapidly disappearing and being replaced by farmland and urban areas. Some inland valleys and plateaus have fertile farmlands and rich grazing lands. Many coastal people fish for a living. Makassar is the largest city and chief seaport of Sulawesi.
In September 2018, a powerful earthquake hit the island, triggering a tsunami. The disasters killed more than 2,000 people, mainly in the coastal city of Palu.
