Obi Island's topography is generally in the form of hills with a short coastline.

[5] On 9 May 1682,[7] Obi, Obilatu, Gomumu, Tapat, and Bisa were sold by the Sultan of Bacan to the VOC for 620 rijksdaalder.

The total area of the main island is about 2,500 square kilometres (970 sq mi).

The first groups to settle on Obi Island were the Buton, followed by immigrants from Tobelo-Galela, Ternate, Tidore, Makian, Kayoa, South Sulawesi and Java.

[citation needed] The five districts are sub-divided into villages (rural desa and urban kelurahan), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2020 Census[3] and according to the official estimates for mid 2023.

The dominant plantation products in the Obi Islands are cloves, nutmeg, coconut, and pepper.

In 2016, provincial governor Abdul Ghani Kasuba successfully negotiated for the China-based Jinchun Group to build a 620 million dollar nickel smelter on the main island.