ABSTRACT
North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara) occupies the end of the northernmost peninsula of Sulawesi Island, lying not far north of the Equator. The general direction of the North Sulawesi peninsula stretches from west to east, but it begins to curve north-eastwards towards the end and continues as a chain of islands, heading northwards to divide the east of the Celebes (Sulawesi) Sea from the Pacific Ocean. There are reckoned to be 124 islands forming the Sangihe (Sangir)-Talaud archipelago, which reaches almost to Mindanao in the Philippines. The south-eastern shores of the peninsula lie on the Moluccan (Maluku) Sea, while to the south is the entrance to the Gulf of Tomini. West along the land bridge is the Province of Gorontalo, which formed a part of North Sulawesi until 2001.
