Sulawesi

Sulawesi is an Indonesian island between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. Its branching peninsulas, deep bays, and isolation across biogeographic boundaries have produced distinctive ecosystems and endemic species.

Wallacea: Wallacea is the biogeographic region of islands between the Asian and Australian continental shelves. Sulawesi lies within this transition zone, where deep-water barriers limited animal dispersal.
Anoa: Anoa are small, forest-dwelling wild cattle native to Sulawesi. These endemic bovines illustrate how isolation shaped the island’s large mammals.
Australian Plate: The Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate carrying Australia and parts of the surrounding ocean floor. Its interaction with neighboring plates contributed to the complex geology of eastern Indonesia.
Nickel mining in Indonesia: Nickel mining in Indonesia extracts ore used in stainless steel and battery supply chains. Large deposits on Sulawesi have made the island central to Indonesia’s expanding nickel industry.
Borneo: Borneo is a large island in Southeast Asia shared by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Makassar Strait separates Borneo from Sulawesi, despite their geographic proximity.
Makassar Strait: Makassar Strait is the deep channel separating Borneo from Sulawesi. It marks the western marine boundary that helped preserve Sulawesi’s distinct fauna.
Babirusa: Babirusas are unusual wild pigs whose males’ upper tusks grow upward through the snout. Their distinctive anatomy and restricted range make them emblematic Sulawesi wildlife.
Eurasian Plate: The Eurasian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes much of Europe and Asia. Sulawesi sits amid its interactions with other plates, producing active deformation and volcanism.
Nickel laterite: Nickel laterite is a near-surface ore formed by intense weathering of ultramafic rocks in tropical climates. Sulawesi’s tropical geology has generated extensive laterite deposits.
New Guinea: New Guinea is a large island north of Australia, divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. It lies nearer the Australasian continental shelf, unlike ocean-separated Sulawesi.

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