an island in the Indian Ocean, west of Sumatra, that belongs to Indonesia. Area, more than 4,000 sq km. Hills and low mountains of volcanic origin with elevations to 886 m predominate. Equatorial evergreen rain forests grow on lateritic soils. There are mangrove thickets along the seashores and marshes in the north and east. Rice is grown, and there are plantations of coconut and sago palm and nutmeg. There is fishing. Gunungsitoli is the main port.