This geopark is located along the southern arm of the island of Sulawesi in the Maros and Pangkep Regencies. The local population is primarily composed of the indigenous peoples of Bugis and Makassarese. Although the geopark covers an area of 5 077 km2, more than half (55.4%) of it lies underwater. Separate from the mainland, the geopark area contains a cluster of 39 islands. This archipelago lies in the Coral Triangle and serves as a centre for the conservation of coral reef ecosystems. The geopark is known both for its Spectacular Karst Towers and for the Coral Reef Island Islands of Spermonde. The area covered by the geopark is more than 100 million years old; it bears traces of ancient life forms and is home to endemic species such as the black macaque and kuskus bear that live along the Wallace line (named after Alfred Russel Wallace, who came to similar conclusions about evolution as his contemporary, Charles Darwin), the deep sea trench separating the island of Borneo from the island of Sulawesi. The land to the west lies on the Asian continental tectonic plate, whereas the land to the east lies on the Australian continental plate; this accounts for the diversity of species found on these neighbouring islands.