Sulawesi (formerly more commonly known as Celebes, a Portuguese-originated form of the name) is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and Maluku Islands.

Makassar, (Macassar, Mangkasar) is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was formally named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably. The port city is located at 5°8′S, 119°25′E, on the southwest coast of the island of Sulawesi, facing the Makassar Strait. Its area is 175.77 km² and has population of 1.25 million.

The city is southern Sulawesi's primary port, with regular domestic and international shipping connections. It is nationally famous as an important port of call for the pinisi boats, sailing ships which are among the last in use for regular long-distance trade. During the colonial era, the city was famous for being the namesake of Makassar oil, which it exported in great quantity. Makassar ebony is a warm black, streaked with deep red, and highly prized for fine cabinetry and veneers. Makassar is also a major fishing center in Sulawesi. One of its major industries is the trepang (sea cucumber) industry. Trepang fishing brought the Makassan people into contact with the Yolŋu people of Northern Australia

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Tana Toraja Regency (Torajaland, Land of the Toraja or Tator) is a regency of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, home of Toraja ethnic group people. The local government seat is in Makale, where the center of Toraja culture is in Rantepao. Tana Toraja boundary was determined by the Dutch East Indies government in 1909. In 1926, Tana Toraja was under the administration of Bugis state, Luwu. The regentschap (or regency) status was given on October 8, 1946, the last regency given by the Dutch. Since 1984, Tana Toraja has been named as the second tourist destination after Bali by the Ministry of Tourism, Indonesia. Since then, hundreds of thousands of foreign visitors have visited this regency. In addition, numerous Western anthropologists have come to Tana Toraja to study the indigenous culture and people of Toraja.

Tana Toraja is located on the Sulawesi island, 300 km north of Makassar, the provincial capital of South Sulawesi. Its geographical location is between latitude of 2°-3° South and longitude 119°-120° East (center: 3° S 120° E). The total area is 3.205,77 km², about 5% of the South Sulawesi province. The topography of Tana Toraja is mountainous. The minimum elevation is 150 m, while the maximum is 3,083 above the sea level

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Pare-pare is a city (kota) in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, located on the southwest coast of Sulawesi, about 155 km (95 miles) north of the provincial capital of Makassar. A port town, it is one of the major population centers of the Bugis people. Jusuf Habibie, the third President of Indonesia, was born in Pare-pare.

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North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia. It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the province of Gorontalo to the west (originally a part of North Sulawesi until 2001 when it became its own province). The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the northern part of the province, which border the Philippines. The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is Manado. With a population of about 2 million, the region is predominantly Christian (70%) with Muslim, Hindu, and Buddhist minorities, which is an exception in this predominantly Muslim country. The largest ethnic group is Minahasan.

Manado is the capital of the North Sulawesi province of Indonesia. Manado is located at the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area. The city has about 417,548 inhabitants. The municipality of Manado is divided into nine districts: Malalayang, Sario, Wanea, Wenang, Tikala, Mapanget, Singkil, Tuminting and Mapanget. The Ducth East India Company built a fortress in Manado in 1658. As with regions in eastern Indonesia, Manado has undergone christianization by Dutch missionaries, including Riedel and Schwarz. The Javanese prince Diponegoro was exiled to Manado by the Dutch government in 1830.

The English biologist Alfred Wallace visited Manado in 1859, and praised the town for its beauty. The city was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II. In 1958, the headquarters of the rebel movement Permesta were moved to Manado. When Permesta confronted the central government with demands for political, economic and regional reform, Jakarta responded in Manado by bombing the city in February 1958, and then invading in June 1958.

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Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah) is a province of Indonesia located in the heart of Sulawesi. It was established on April 13, 1964. Central Sulawesi has an area of 68,033 km² (26,268 sq mi) and is surrounded by Gorontalo in the north, South Sulawesi and South East Sulawesi in the south, Maluku in the east, and the Makassar Strait in the west.

Palu is a city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, located 1,650 km northeast of Jakarta, at 0°54′S, 119°50′E. The city sits on the mouth of Palu River, at the head of a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain ridges, the climate is unusually dry. It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi. Palu's population is approximately 270,000.

Banggai Archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Banggai) is a group of islands, which is located at the far eastern end of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. It makes up a newly established regency after splitting out of Luwuk. It is surrounded by the Banda Sea's Gulf of Tolo (Teluk Tolo), and the Molucca Sea. Peleng Straits (Selat Peleng) separates it from mainland Sulawesi. Its islands consist of Peleng, Banggai Island, Bowokan, Labobo, Kebongan, Kotudan, Tropettenando, Timpau, Salue Besar, Salue Kecil, Masepe, and Bangkulu.

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Gorontalo is a province of Indonesia on the northern part of Sulawesi island. Gorontalo province was established in December 2000 after splitting from North Sulawesi North Sulawesi province. The capital is the city with the same name, Gorontalo

Gorontalo province lies on the northern Sulawesi arm, known as the Minahassa Peninsula. The province has an elongated shape area, stretching from west to east almost horizontally on a map, with the total area of 12,215.44 km² (4,716.41 sq mi). To the north and the south of the province are Sulawesi Sea and Gulf of Tomini, respectively. Prior 2000, Gorontalo province was part of North Sulawesi province on the eastern border. The western border of the province is Central Sulawesi province. Topography of the province is relatively low (0—40o), with the elevation ranges between 0—2,400 m (7,874.02 ft) above the sea level. Its coastline length is more than 590 km (366.62 mi).

Counting the Exclusive Economic Zone to the north where Philippines is at the border, the total sea area of the province is more than 50,500 km² (19,498.16 sq mi). There are some small islands around the north and the south of the province, 67 of which have been identification and are named

Gorontalo city is the capital of the Gorontalo. It has an area of 64.79 km² and population of about 140,000. The city is divided into 6 subdistrits (kecamatan).

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Mamuju is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Sulawesi. The city was formerly part of South Sulawesi province. Mamuju is a relatively quiet and small town. Throughout the town, there are night-watch stations, where elders and other members of the community will meet and ensure the order of the town during the night. Traditional forms of transport include rickshaws. Education in Mamuju extends up to SMA III (Year 12) and people from surrounding areas (especially the area of Kalumpang Sulawesi Barat) will travel to Mamuju to further their education. For students that wish to pursue a tertiary education must travel to larger towns like Makassar. Agriculture in this area includes: Nangka (jackfruit), Rambutan, Durian, beras (rice), and pisang (bananas).

Like many places in West Sulawesi, Mamuju is a predominantly Muslim city, with many mosques throughout. However, Christianity has established a presence with several churches in this town. Buddhism is an extremely small contingent of the peoples faith and Hinduism is realistically a blend of Adat and Islam.