Skip to main content

Palu, city (2010 pop. 310,168) and port, capital of Central Sulawesi prov., Sulawesi, Indonesia. Located in an area of coconut, coffee, and cocoa farms, it has food-processing, fishing, and boat-building industries; copra and timber are exported. In Sept., 2018, the city was devastated by an earthquake, which also caused soil liquefaction, mudslides, and a 16-ft (5-m) tsunami; more than 2,000 died in the city alone.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2026, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

See more Encyclopedia articles on: Indonesian Political Geography

✖