(also Celebes), an island in the Malay Archipelago; part of Indonesia. Area, approximately 170,000 sq km (including nearby islands, approximately 190,000 sq km). Population, 8.5 million (1971).
The island is composed of ancient granites and gneisses, Mesozoic limestones, and sedimentary and volcanic rocks of recent origin. Its configuration stems from a combination of horsts, faults, and folded mountain chains of varying extent. Four peninsulas extend outward from the island’s center; no place on the island is more than 150 km from the coast. The coasts are for the most part precipitous, and the total coastline is approximately 6,000 km long. Coral reefs fringe parts of the coast. Lowlands are few, covering no more than one-fifth of the surface area. Mountains predominate, with Mount Rantekombola, at 3,455 m, the highest peak on the island. The mountains are typically steep, with flat summits. Active volcanoes, including Mount Soputan, dot the Minahasa Peninsula. Earthquakes often occur there.
The climate is subequatorial and monsoonal on most of the island and equatorial in the north. On the coast, the average temperature is 25°-27°C throughout the year. The annual precipitation ranges from 2,000 to 5,000 mm. The dry season lasts from July through October. The rivers are short and turbulent. Lakes are numerous; Towuti and Poso are among the largest.
Dense equatorial forests cover much of the island. They are rich in species, including palms, dipterocarps, conifers, panda-nuses, sandalwood, ebony, ironwood, teak, lianas, and bamboo. In the south and in the closed basins of the mountains are savanna and thickets of shrubs, with the occurrence of Australian species.
The fauna of Sulawesi represent a complex mixture of Indo-Malayan and Australian species, with an admixture of endemic species, such as the babirusa, anoa, crested macaque, two-horned rhinoceros, and elephant. The birdlife is varied, with such notable species as cockatoos and birds of paradise. The flora and fauna of Sulawesi are officially protected in the Tangkoku-Batuangus Nature Park, the site of the volcanic Mount Klabat.
Sulawesi has deposits of nickel at Kolaka, iron ore in latentes at Larona, and precious metals. Rice and sweet potatoes are among the principal crops, and there are plantations of coconut palm, coffee, spices, and rubber plants. Fishing is a major local industry. The principal cities are Ujung Pandang (Makasar) and Wenang (Manado).
L. I. KURAKOVA
At the end of the first millennium and beginning of the second millennium A.D., a series of feudal states, including those of Bone, Gowa, and Luwu, emerged on Sulawesi. In the late 13th and 14th centuries, the states of Sulawesi were vassal states of the Majapahit Empire, which spread over all of what is now Indonesia. From the 17th to early 20th centuries, Sulawesi was ruled by the Dutch.
In 1946, during the Netherlands’ colonial war against the Republic of Indonesia, which had been proclaimed on Aug. 17, 1945, the Dutch colonialists founded the puppet state of East Indonesia, with its capital at Makasar. In December 1946, Dutch authorities killed 40,000 patriots in southern Sulawesi. In 1949, Sulawesi joined the United States of Indonesia, which in 1950 was transformed into the unitary Republic of Indonesia.