TOUR AROUND SULAWESI

The peninsulas of Sulawesi - once known as the Celebes - reach out into the Sulawesi, Maluku, Banda, and Flores Seas. Within its odd, contorted outlines - the product of he collision of ancint continents - are extraordinary landscapes. Rugged mist-covered mountains, tropical rainforest, rice terraces, and deep lakes dominate the interior. Along the coast, coral reefs encircle dormant volcanoes, while white sandy beaches fringed with coconut trees and scattered fishing villages are flanked by rugged limestone outcroppings.

The total land area of Sulawesi and its adjacent islands is 227,000 square kilometres. The distance from the northernmost island, Miangas to the southernmost, Satengar, is nearly 2,000 kilometres.

VOLCANOES Most of the island lies above 500 metres and fully one fifth lies above the 1,000-metre mark. The highest peaks are found in Central and northern South Sulawesi; the island's highest point is on Mt. Rantemario, north of Enrekang, at 3,450 metres. Sulawesi has 11 active volcanoes and many fumaroles and volcanic springs. The most active are Soputan - Aeseput, Lokon-Empung, and Gunung Api Siau on the island of Siau, between the mainland and Sangihe island.

NATURAL RESOURCES Sulawesi has considerable mineral deposits. Parts of the north are currently experiencing a gold rush, oil has been found south of the eastern arm of Sulawesi near Luwuk and large reserves of natural gas exist near Lake Tempe. Buton Island off Southeast Sulawesi holds Asia's largest deposits of natural asphalt. The island's largest mine, at Soroako on the shores of Lake Matana, is a huge deposit of low-grade nickel.

LAKES Sulawesi has 13 lakes of more than 5 square kilometre surface area, including Towuti and Poso, the second and third largest lakes in Indonesia. In the wet season, Lake Tempe rivals Lake Poso in size. Some are extremely deep, such as Lake Matana; the bottom of which, 540 m from the surface, lies 160 m below sea level.