Palu City is a coastal city and the capital of Central Sulawesi province, Indonesia. Palu is located in Central Sulawesi, bordered by Donggala Regency to the west and north, Sigi Regency to the south, and Parigi Moutong Regency to the east. Palu City is known as a five-dimensional city, consisting of valleys, oceans, rivers, mountains, and bays. Palu City is located near the equator, with coordinates 0.35°–1.20° North Latitude and 120°–122.90° East Longitude. In 2021, the population of Palu City was 372,113, with a density of 942 people per square kilometer.

Palu City is located on Palu Bay; Originally a small agricultural town until it was chosen as the capital of the newly formed Central Sulawesi province in 1953. Palu City is located on the Palu-Koro Fault and is frequently hit by earthquakes, the city was famous shortly after being hit by the earthquake on September 28, 2018, killing at least more than 4,000 people. According to the National Disaster Management Agency, the 2018 earthquake caused “the largest land liquefaction phenomenon in the world”. followed by a tsunami that hit the coastal areas of the city, which caused Most of the city’s infrastructure was destroyed including the iconic yellow bridge of Palu, and most of the land became uninhabitable, the city of Palu was then rebuilt on the same site. J.A. Katili, a geologist, in the 1970s had suggested that Palu not be made a provincial capital or center of economic growth because of the potential for major earthquake hazards.