Sulawesi - General Information

The geologically young Sulawesi is located central in the "heart of indonesia" between Kalimantan (Borneo) and the Moluccas. Across the island runs the equator. With an area of 189.200 km² it is the fourth largest island of the archipelago. Because of its high degree of jaggedness there is hardly a place to find which is more than 50 km away from the sea.

Mountains higher than 2000 m are found in each of the four provinces covering a total of 68% making Sulawesi the most mountainous island of Indonesia. The highest peak is the Rantemario (3440 m) located in South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah).

Sulawesi is partially of volcanic origin. The twelve remaining active volcanos however are restricted to the northern part of the island.

Lokon Vulcano (1580 m)

The province of Southeast Sulawesi comprises the southeast of the main island and the large islands of Buton, Muna and Kabaena, Wowonii as well as many other small islands, that are spread to the south and southeast.

The archilepago is limited towards the south and the east by deep underwater rift valleys that represent natural barriers (Wallace line).

The total area comprises 148.140 km².

110.000 km² (69,3 %) consisting of water (molucca sea) and 38.140 km² of land area. It extends between the 3^rd and 6^th degree of latitude, just south of the equator, and from 120°45' and 124°06' degrees of eastern longitude.

In the north, the provinces of South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi adjoin, in the south you find the Flores Sea, in the east the Banda Sea and in the west the Bay of Bone.

Because of its location, the extended coast line and the spread form of its peninsular, Sulawesi is under the influence of various winds that bring rains to the island in different seasons. This heterogeneity and the mountainous character of the island create a regionally diverse climate.

While the rainfalls in the mountains can yield up to 2000 mm per year, the southern parts of the islands Buton and Muna are rather dry with sometimes only 200 mm per year.

It is generally true that most of the rains in Southeast Sulawesi fall during the months of November until March. The top of the rainy season is in December and January. During the dry season (May to October), with a maximum in July and August, it sometimes doesn't rain for months, so that plenty of sun shines from endlessly blue skies.

Temperature in the lowlands is almost constant over the year between 25°C and 33°C. During the rainy season it may cool down by 1-2 degrees as compared to the hot summer, but it gets significantly humid. Close to the coast there is a light brise most of the time that makes the temperatures more pleasant.

During the whole year, but primarily at the beginning of the rainy season, heavy cloudbursts and thunderstorms take place. These natural spectacles and unusual cloud formations can be observed quite well in the higher mountains and along the coasts. Hurricanes are no threat to Southeast Sulawesi since they cannot generate in a zone 300 km north and south of the equator.

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