an area of , Buru is the third largest among the Maluku Islands () after Halmahera and Seram. Buru is shaped like an oval, elongated from west to east. The maximum length is about from east to west and from north to south. The coastline is smooth, with the only indentation being Kayeli Bay located on the eastern coast. The bay also has a smooth, oval shape. It extends into the island to 8–12 km and has a maximum width of 17 km; the width decreases to 9 km at the mouth; the coastal length of the bay is about 50 km. At the northern part of the mouth stands Namlea, the largest town of the island. The highest point on the island () is the peak of Mount Kapalatmada (also called Kepala Madan, Kepalat Mada or Ghegan). Off the coast of Buru there are several smaller islands; those permanently inhabited are Ambelau (the largest, about 10 km in diameter, located about 20 km south-east of Buru) and Tengah (). The largest uninhabited islands are Fogi (), Oki () and Tomahu (). The island is mostly mountainous, especially in the central and western parts. Of the 9,505 km2 of the island area, 1,789 km2 lie 900 m above mean sea level, 872 km2 above 1,200 m and 382 km2 above 1,500 m. Flat areas are located in narrow strips near the coast and along the banks of river Apo. There they form a valley of the same name. Much of the island is covered with tropical rain forest. The Apo River is the longest river of Buru. It flows nearly straight to the north-east and empties into Kayeli Bay; however, its bed is very winding for hundreds of meters, with loops all along its length. Two other permanent rivers are Geren and Nibe; the rest are intermittent rivers with discontinuous flow. The river discharge varies significantly through the year, reaching a maximum in the rainy season. Indonesian sources often include wae (meaning river) before the river names; thus Apo is often referred to as Waeapo or Wae Apo, or Apu in some local dialects. In the center of the island, at an altitude of , lies freshwater Lake Rana (). This is the only significant lake on Buru; it has a nearly rectangular shape with the length of about 4.3 km, width of about 2.7 km and an area of