Celebes

Britannica Concise Encyclopedia: Celebes

Island (pop., including nearby islands, 2000: 14,946,488), Indonesia. One of the Greater Sunda Islands, it lies in the Malay Archipelago east of Borneo and has an area (including adjacent islands) of 74,005 sq mi (191,671 sq km). The island is mountainous; its tallest peak, Mount Rantekombola, reaches 11,335 ft (3,455 m). Muslims arrived in the 15th century. The Portuguese first visited in 1512 while developing the spice trade of the Moluccas. The first foreign settlement, in 1607 by the Dutch at Macassar (now Makassar), initiated a power rivalry with the native sultans that lasted into the 20th century. Celebes joined Indonesia in 1950, though various rebellions against the central government have been ongoing.

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