- Indonesian:
- Sulawesi Utara
North Sulawesi
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Where is North Sulawesi located?
North Sulawesi, a province of Indonesia, is located on the north-northeastern part of Celebes (Sulawesi). North Sulawesi is bordered to the north by the Celebes Sea, to the east and south by the Molucca Sea, and to the west by the province of Gorontalo. The province includes the Talaud and Sangihe island groups in the Celebes Sea. Manado, a city near the northeastern tip of the province’s mainland, is its capital. Most of the area is mountainous with active volcanoes, and the coastal lowlands are narrow with coral reefs.
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What is the capital city of North Sulawesi?
The capital of the province North Sulawesi in Indonesia is Manado. The city is located near the tip of the north-northeastern arm of Celebes island on an inlet of the Celebes Sea. Manado lies at the foot of Mount Klabat and functions as a trade center for the surrounding agricultural and lumbering area. The province is bounded by the Molucca Sea to the east and south, the Celebes Sea to the north, and the province of Gorontalo to the west and has a population of over two million.
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What are some major islands or cities in North Sulawesi?
North Sulawesi is a province located on the north-northeastern part of Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia. It is bordered to the north by the Celebes Sea and includes the Talaud and Sangihe Islands in the Celebes Sea.
Manado is the capital city, located near the northeastern tip of the province's mainland. Other major cities in North Sulawesi include Bitung to the east of Manado, Tondano to the south, and Amurang and Kotamobagu to the southwest.
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What languages are commonly spoken in North Sulawesi?
North Sulawesi is a province of Indonesia with a diverse linguistic landscape. The official language of Indonesia is Indonesian.
The largest community in North Sulawesi is the Minahasan, but sizable minorities such as the Sangihe and the Gorontalo (including the Bolaang-Mongondow) also reside there. Many smaller groups including Makassarese, Chinese, Arabs, Javanese, Batak, and various Moluccan peoples also reside in the province. Many of these groups have their own distinct languages. Malay has served as a lingua franca in major ports throughout the archipelago and was selected as the basis for the national language of Indonesia (Bahasa Indonesia).
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What is North Sulawesi known for, such as foods or natural attractions?
North Sulawesi is a mountainous province with active volcanoes like Mount Soputan and Mount Klabat. Its fertile soil supports the cultivation of rice, coffee, sugarcane, nutmeg, and coconuts. The province's diverse population includes the Minahasan, Sangihe, and Gorontalo people, along with smaller groups like Makassarese and Chinese. North Sulawesi's economy relies on agriculture, mining of nickel and iron, and forestry products such as ebony. Manufacturing includes processed foods and beverages, leather goods, and carved wood.
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How does the culture in North Sulawesi differ from other parts of Indonesia?
North Sulawesi's culture stands out from the rest of Indonesia due to its distinct religious and ethnic composition. While Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, North Sulawesi is largely Christian, a legacy of Portuguese Roman Catholic missionaries from the 1850s. The Minahasan community forms the largest segment of the population, but the province also includes other sizable minorities such as the Sangihe and the Gorontalo, as well as smaller groups including Makassarese, Chinese, Arabs, Javanese, Batak, and various Moluccan peoples. This blend contributes to a unique cultural environment compared to other regions in Indonesia.
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North Sulawesi, propinsi (or provinsi; province), north-northeastern Celebes (Sulawesi), Indonesia, bounded by the Celebes Sea to the north, the Molucca Sea to the east and south, and the province of Gorontalo to the west. It includes the Talaud and Sangihe groups of islands in the Celebes Sea. The capital is Manado, near the northeastern tip of the province’s mainland. Area 5,348 square miles (13,852 square km). Pop. (2010) 2,270,596.
Geography
Most of North Sulawesi is mountainous, with extensive uplifting and faulting, and it has many active volcanoes, notably Mount Soputan. Mount Klabat on the Minahasa Peninsula rises to an elevation of 6,634 feet (2,022 metres). The coastal lowlands are narrow, the soils are fertile, and there are coral reefs offshore. The uplands are drained by many fast-flowing streams, including the Milango and the Marsa. The highlands are covered with rainforests of oak, chestnut, and various conifers; hillslopes have teak, ebony, and a dense ground cover of grasses and shrubs.
The Minahasan community constitutes the largest segment of North Sulawesi’s population. The Sangihe and the Gorontalo (including the Bolaang-Mongondow) are sizable minorities. In addition, many smaller groups—including Makassarese, Chinese, Arabs, Javanese, Batak, and various Moluccan peoples—also reside in the province. North Sulawesi is largely Christian, although Islam also is widely practiced.
Agriculture is the principal occupation, and rice, coffee, sugarcane, nutmeg, and coconuts are the primary crops. Nickel and iron are mined, and ebony is a notable product of the province’s forestry sector. Riverine fish are dried and salted for export. North Sulawesi’s manufacturing sector produces processed foods and beverages, leather goods, milled rice, carved wood, mats and baskets, and palm oil, among other goods. Major roads run mostly parallel to the northern seacoast in the southwestern part of the province. To the northeast, however, the road network is more extensive and links Manado to other major cities, including Bitung to the east, Tondano to the south, and Amurang and Kotamobagu to the southwest. There is an international airport in Manado.
History
Celebes formed part of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire of Palembang (in southeastern Sumatra) before it came under the rule of the Hindu Majapahit empire of eastern Java in the 14th century. With the gradual disintegration of the Majapahit empire toward the end of the 15th century, many kingdoms, including Gorontalo, Limboto, and various smaller states under local Minahasan leaders, were established in the region. The southern Celebes state of Gowa, ruled by the Makassarese, adopted Islam in 1605 and extended its sovereignty over the northern states.
The Dutch, who had arrived on Celebes in the early 17th century and built a fort at Manado in 1658, attacked and defeated Gowa in 1669 with the help of Gowa’s rivals, the neighbouring Bugis of Bone (now called Watampone). The Dutch subsequently established other trading and military posts in northern Celebes. During the 18th century, when wars raged between the Makassarese and the Bugis, the states in northern Celebes survived as Dutch protectorates. The British took over the island in 1810–16. The refusal of the southern Celebes states to accept Dutch colonial sovereignty after the island reverted to the Dutch in 1817 led to prolonged warfare that ended with a Dutch victory in the south in 1860. Unsuccessful sporadic resistance continued until colonial Dutch rule was firmly established across the island in 1905. After Japanese occupation (1942–45) during World War II, Celebes formed part of the Dutch-sponsored state of East Indonesia until it was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia in 1950.
The island was split in 1960 into two large administrative units, one encompassing the northern region, the other spanning the south. In 1964, in response to ongoing social and political unrest, these units were further divided to become the four provinces of Central, Southeast, South, and North Sulawesi. In 2000 the province of Gorontalo was created roughly from North Sulawesi’s western half. The northwestern segment of South Sulawesi became the province of West Sulawesi in 2004.
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