Volume 14 Australasia - dana ward's homepage

230 AtrSTEAlASIA.reefs appearing above the .surface. Witli the exception of Amboyna and Banda,which do not lie along the general axis of the Southern Moluccas, all these islandsare situated beyond the Indonesian volcanic zone.The small island of Amboyna, and the still smaller cluster of the Banda islets,formerly enjoyed a commercial importance far beyond that of the larger islandsin these waters. They even still retain their political supremacy, though thecentre of gravity will probably be eventually shifted towards Buru and Ceram,Fig. 97.—BuKU.Scale 1 : 2,000,000.Depths.127° East op Greenwich1,000 Fathomsand upwards.which have already outstripped them in population, and which also j)osses8 excellenthavens.Despite its fertility and abundant natural resources Buru is still one of theleast-known lands of Indonesia. Near its rock-bound west coast it culminates inthe lofty Mount Lamandang, or Tomahu (8,540 feet), with which are connectedother mountain masses falling gradually eastwards, but more elevated and precipitousalong the southern than the northern side. The whole system is disposedin a semicircle with its convex side facing eastwards, and leaving in the centre ofthe island a large crater-like depression flooded b}' Lake Wakoholo, 1,900 feetabove sea-level. The east coast is indented by the superb Bay of Kayeli, which isencircled by an extensive plain enclosed by an amphitheatre of hills. A geographicaldependence of Buru is the hilly and reef-fringed islet of Amblauw, offthe south-east coast.The islets of Manipa, Eelang, and Bonoa, connecting Buru and Ceram, are