The administrative capital of the regency is the coastal town of Malili on the Bay of Usu, itself an inlet in the northeast corner of the Gulf of Bone; the town, with its port of Balantang, is the shipping port for one of the world's major nickel-producing plants.

Danau Towuti, which is 48 km wide, is the largest lake in Sulawesi, and contains the island of Pulau Luha within it.

On the south shore of Lake Matana is the town of Soroako, the centre for the nickel processing plant, and its massive mine complex.

Soroako, with its satellite villages of Wasuponda and Wawandula, are connected by a modern highway to the sea at Malili.

Kanowit has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.