Sulawesi Island : Earthquake
An earthquake of magnitude 5.7 struck Sulawesi in Indonesia recently.
- Sulawesi, formerly known as Celebes, is a large island in Southeast Asia, in the Indonesian archipelago.
- It is part of the island chain known as the Greater Sunda Islands.
- It is the 11th largest island in the world. It covers an area of 180,680.7 sq. km.
- The island consists almost entirely of four interconnecting peninsulas.
- The island is surrounded on all sides by other big islands: Borneo to the west, Philippines to the north, the Maluku Islands to the east, and Flores and Timor to the south.
- The island is highly mountainous, with some active volcanoes.
- Sulawesi is known for its rainforests, which once covered the entire island until human activity led to mass deforestation.
- The highest peak on the island of Sulawesi is Ratenkombola, which is also known simply as Mario. It reaches a height of 3,455 meters.
- The island contains thirteen freshwater lakes including the deepest lake, Matano, in Southeast Asia.
- Seven major ethnic groups inhabit Sulawesi: the Toala, Toraja, Buginese, Makassarese, Minahasan, Mori, and Gorontalese.
- Makassar is the largest city on the island.
