Manado

Manado(Indonesian pronunciation:[maˈnado],Tombulu:Wenang) is the capitalcityof theIndonesianprovinceofNorth Sulawesi.  It is the second largest city inSulawesiafterMakassar, with the 2020 census giving a population of 451,916,and the official estimates for mid 2023 showing 458,582 inhabitants (229,982 males and 228,600 females),distributed over a land area of 157.26 km.TheManado metropolitan areahad a population of 1,377,815 as of mid 2023.The city is situated on the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area.
Manado is among Indonesia's top-five tourism prioritiesandBunaken National Parkis one of the city's most famous tourist attractions. Tunan Waterfall in Talawaan village and Mount Tumpa are some of the many attractions for visitors who like to takeManado city tourespecially to natural places.  The city is served bySam Ratulangi International Airport, which connects Manado with various domestic destinations, as well as international destinations inEast AsiaandSoutheast Asia. The city is also known for itsChristian-majority population, and holds the country's biggestChristmascelebration annually. It is also recognised as one of the most tolerant and peaceful cities in Indonesia.
The name Manado is derived from theSangir languagewordmanaro, meaning 'on the far coast' or 'in the distance', and originally referred to the further of two islands which can be seen from the mainland.  When the settlement on this island was relocated to the mainland, the name Manado was brought with it, after which the island itself became referred to asManado Tua(Old Manado).The name for Manado in theSangir languageisManaro, while inGorontaloisMoladu.
The first mention of Manado comes from a world map by French cartographerNicolas Desliens, which shows the island of Manarow (today's Manado Tua). Before Europeans arrived inNorth Sulawesi, the area was under the rule of theSultan of Ternate, who exacted tribute and introducedIslamto its inhabitants. The Portuguese made the Sultan their vassal, ruling over theMinahasapeople, and establishing a factory inWenang.
Meanwhile, the Spanish had already set themselves up in thePhilippinesand Minahasa was used to plant coffee because of its rich soil. Manado was further developed by Spain as a centre of commerce for the Chinese traders who traded the coffee in China. With the help of native allies, the Spanish took over the Portuguese fortress in Amurang in the 1550s, and Spanish settlers also established a fort at Manado, so that eventually, Spain controlled all of the Minahasa. It was in Manado where one of the firstIndo-Eurasian(Mestizo) communities in the archipelago developed during the 16th century.The first King of Manado (1630) named Muntu Untu was in fact the son of a Spanish Mestizo.
Spain renounced its possessions in Minahasa by means of a treaty with the Portuguese in return for a payment of 350,000 ducats.Minahasan natives made an alliance treaty with the Dutch, and expelled the last of the Portuguese from Manado a few years later.
TheDutch East India Companyor Verenigde Oost Indische Compagnie (VOC) built a fortress in Manado named Fort Amsterdam in 1658. As with regions in eastern Indonesia, Manado has undergone Christianisation by Dutch missionaries, including Riedel and John Gottlieb Schwarz. The Dutch missionaries built the first Christian church in Manado called Oude Kerk (Old church), which still stands, and is now called Gereja Sentrum.HMSDovercaptured Manado in June 1810. The Javanese princeDiponegorowas exiled to Manado by the Dutch government in 1830 for leading a war of rebellion against the Dutch. In 1859, the English biologistAlfred Wallacevisited Manado and praised the town for its beauty.
In 1919, the Apostolic Prefecture of Celebes was established in thecity. In 1961, it was promoted to theDiocese of Manado.
The Japanese captured Manado in theBattle of Manadoin January 1942.The city was heavily damaged byAlliedbombing duringWorld War II.
In 1958, the headquarters of the rebel movementPermestawas moved to Manado. When Permesta confronted the central government with demands for political, economic and regional reform, Jakarta responded by bombing the city in February 1958, and then invading in June 1958.
In 1962, the People's Representative Council declared Manado as the official capital city of North Sulawesi Province.
Manado has atropical rainforest climate(Af) according to theKöppen climate classification, as there is no real dry season. The wettest month is January, with an average rainfall of 465 millimetres (18.3 in), while the driest is September with an average rainfall of 121 millimetres (4.8 in).The abundance of rain seems to be influenced by themonsoon. As its location is near the equator, the temperature seems constant throughout the year. The hottest month is August with an average temperature of 26.6 °C (79.9 °F), while the coolest months are January and February with an average temperature of 25.4 °C (77.7 °F).Winter (Dec-Feb) can be considered wetter, rainier and cooler than summer (Jun-Aug). Unlike other cities in Indonesia, the temperature seems to be cooler.
Thecityis divided into elevendistricts(kecamatan), including the new districts of Bunaken Kepulauan (Bunaken Islands) and Paal Dua established in 2012. These are all tabulated below with their areas and populations at the 2010 censusand 2020 census,together with the official estimates as at mid 2022.The table also includes the location of the district administrative centres, the number of urbanvillages(all rated askelurahan) in each district, and its post codes.
Notes:(a) the 2010 population of Paal Dua District is included in the figure for Tikala District, from which it was cut out in 2013.(b) including the small offshore islands ofPulau Bunaken,Pulau Siladen, andPulau Manadotua. These islands form (with the largerMantehage Islandand Nain Island inNorth Minahasa Regency) the land components of theBunaken National Park.(c) the 2010 population of Bunaken Kepulauan District is included in the figure for Bunaken District, from which it was cut out in 2013.
The boundaries of Manado city are as follows:
Currently, the majority of Manadocityresidents are from theMinahasaethnic group. The indigenous people of Manado are from the Tombulu people. TheTombulu languageis considered one of the Minahasa languages and is spoken widely in several urban villages within Manado, for example: Wenang (Wenang / Mahawenang -kolintang), Tumumpa (down), Mahakeret (yelling), Tikala Ares (Walak Ares Tombulu, where the word 'ares' means punishable), Ranotana (ground water), Winangun (built), Wawonasa (wawoinasa - sharpened above), Pinaesaan (unity place), Pakowa (Tree of Treasure), Teling (fur / bamboo to make equipment), Titiwungen (excavated), Tuminting (from the word Ting-Ting: a bell, the inserted syllable -um- changing the noun to a verb, so Tuminting: ringing bell), Pondol (Edge), Wanea (from the word Wanua: meaning the country), etc.  While the Malalayang area has residents mainly from the Bantik people, other indigenous groups in Manado today are from the Sangir, Gorontalo, Mongondow, Babontehu, Talaud, Tionudese, Siau, and Borgo peoples. There are also Arabianperanakancommunities, mainly in theKampung Arabarea which is near Pasar '45 and has become a destination for religious tourism. Other ethnicities represented includeJavanese,Chinese,Batak,Makassar, andMoluccans.  A smallJewishcommunity also exists.
Manado Malayis the main language spoken in Manado. It is a Malay-based creole. Some of the loan words in the Minahasan vernacular are derived fromDutch,Portuguese, and other foreign languages. There are many words in Manado Malay comes from foreign language.
Protestant Christianityis the major religion in Manado, constituting around 54 per cent of all residents,Islamcomes second forming about 37 per cent,Catholicismcomes in third forming around 6 per cent, and the rest followBuddhism,Hinduism, andConfucianism, each coming in at less than 1 per cent each, according to the 2020 national census.In addition, about 20Indonesian Jewslive in Manado.The people of Manado identify as tolerant, harmonious, open and dynamic. Therefore, the city of Manado has a relatively conducive social environment, and is known as one of the safest cities in Indonesia. WhenIndonesiawas vulnerable to political upheaval around 1999, and there were riots in other Indonesian cities, Manado was little affected. This is shown through the slogan of the people of Manado:Torang samua basudara, which meansWe are all family. And also through the words of Dr.Sam Ratulangi: "Sitou, Timou, Tumou, Tou", which roughly translates to 'Man lives to educate others'.
Sam Ratulangi International Airportof Manado is one of the main ports of entry toIndonesia. In 2005, more than 15,000 international passengers enteredIndonesiavia Manado airport, connected with other major cities likeJakarta,SurabayaandMakassar, etc. Manado is also connected with several major cities in Asia for international routes.
Other public transportation in Manado are:
Manado–Bitung Toll Roadconnects the city withBitung. Terminal Malalayang, or Malalayang Bus Terminal serves as the main gateway for long-distance buses in Manado.
Manado is home to some of the biggest and most influential churches in the province, with many of them located along the iconic Sam Ratulangi Street.
Food typical of Manado includetinutuan, aporridgeconsisting of various kinds of vegetables. In addition to tinutuan, there iscakalang fufu, a smoked skipjack (Katsuwonus pelamis),roa fish(exocoetidae or torani)Parexocoetus brachypterus,kawokwhich is based on the meat of the forest rodent white ratMaxomys hellwandii;paniki,batmeat-based dishes; such as (Pteropus pumilus) andrinte wuuk(abbreviated to RW) which is a local name ofdog meat, pork (a pig is cooked rotating over embers, usually served at parties), andbabi putar(made from pork mixed with Manado spices, rolled and burned in bamboo).
There is also a typical drink from the area of Manado and its surroundings aresaguerwhich is a kind of wine or palm wine derived from enau / aren tree (Arenga pinnata), which is then fermented. Saguer is acap tikus(spirits with an average of 40% alcohol content). The exact amount of alcohol depends on the technique of distillation, which varies among different Minahasa villages).
Wokuis a type ofbumbu(spicemixture) found inManado cuisineofNorth Sulawesi,Indonesia. It has rich aroma and spicy taste.  Woku consist of ground spices paste; redginger,turmeric,candlenut, and redchili pepper, mixed with choppedshallot,scallion, tomato, lemon or citrus leaf, and turmeric leaf,lemon basilleaf, and bruisedlemongrass. Rub main ingredients (chicken or fish) with salt and lime juices, and marinate for 30 minutes.  All spices are cooked incoconut oiluntil the aroma came up and mixed together with the main ingredients, water, and a pinch of salt, well until all cooked well.
Other typical food of Manado city which is also quite famous isnasi kuningwhich taste and looks different from yellow rice in other area because it is spiked with abon of cakalang rica fish and presented in a parcel using sugar palm leaves. There is also grilled fish roasted head.Dabu-dabuis a very popular typical Manado sauce, made from a mixture of red chilies, cayenne pepper, sliced red onion, and freshly diced tomatoes, and finally given a mixture of soy sauce.
The local language spoken in Manado and the surrounding area is acreoleof theMalay languagecalledManado Malay.  It exhibits significant influence of Portuguese, Spanish and Dutch, for example:
While there is not much known about the origin of ideogramatical Minahasa writing system, currently the orthography used for indigenous Minahasan languages closely matches that used for Indonesian.