Luwu

Luwu lies at the northern end of the Gulf of Bone, between the coast and Sulawesi's highlands. Its Bugis rulers controlled routes to the iron-producing country around Lake Matano and Rongkong. From the fourteenth to the sixteenth century, high-quality iron helped make Luwu a prominent kingdom, with coastal centres at Malangke and later Palopo. Even after its early ascendancy waned, the kingdom remained involved in the trade in damar resin and other forest products from the inland valleys.