Native name: Pulau Simatang | |
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| Geography | |
| Location | Central Sulawesi, Indonesia |
| Coordinates | 01°02′35.16″N 120°23′01″E / 1.0431000°N 120.38361°E |
| Adjacent to | Celebes sea |
Simatang Island (id:Pulau Simatang) is an island in the Celebes sea off the north-central coast of Sulawesi. The island is administered as part of the Indonesian province of Central Sulawesi.[1]
The island is covered in greenery and is famous for its level of marine diversity.[2] In the 1960s, the island was described as being heavily wooded with extensive reefs surrounding it.[3]
Simatang was used as a reference point during World War II. In one notable instance, American president Franklin Delano Roosevelt requested to see Simatang island on a map. When the White House staff and the United States navy were unable to find an accurate map showing Simatang, the National Geographic Society was contacted to provide a map. This incident spurred the society to create a special map cabinet for President Roosevelt, starting a tradition of the society gifting maps to US presidents.[4]
