Buru is one of the largest islands in Maluku, it is part of the central Maluku and is administered from Ambon just east of the island. Buru mainly consists of mountains covered with forests, the highest peak is Gunung Tomahu, 2.428 meter above sea level. Land area about 3.670 sq. km., it is 145 km long and 80 km wide. Along the coast there is a flat plateau, where most of the about 100.000 inhabitants live. The most important city is Namlea at the north coast, which has an airport and a good harbor. Important products from Buru come from trees like ebony, teak, sago palms and coconut palms. The Dutch occupied the island in 1683, and it became a part of Indonesia in 1950. After the so-called communist coup in 1965 Indonesia used Buru as a detention camp for more than 10.000 people, mainly persons from Java who were accused of being communists. Most of them were released in 1980.