Kendari
Kendari is a city and the capital of Southeast Sulawesi, a province in Indonesia. With a population of 345,107 according to the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the province, and the fourth most on Sulawesi. The city covers an area of , or about 0.7% of Southeast Sulawesi's land area. The city was historically the center of the Tolaki people, who make up a majority of both the city's and the province's population. Located on Kendari Bay, it continues to be an important trade center hosting the province's main port and airport . It is the economic and educational center of the province, and is home to various universities and colleges. Kendari has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in Sulawesi. History. Etymology. The word ""Kendari"" is thought to come from a version of the word ""Kandai"", meaning a tool made of bamboo and wooden planks to push boats away from a dock. Over time, the pronunciation changed, and the city is now officially known as Kendari. Early history. The Bay of Kendari has been known since the 15th century and appears on Portuguese chartered maps, marked with the name ""Citta dela Baia  ("City of the Bay"). The bay was known as ""Baia du Tivora"" ("Tivora Bay"). The Kingdom of Konawe, founded in the fifth century by the Tolaki people, ruled the settlement. Its early government structure was simple and resembled those of tribal societies. The kingdom had several historical periods. Its first king was Mokole Roro, who ruled the kingdom between 428 and 447, in a period known as Ancient Konawe. The kingdom was still small and did not yet rule all of today's Konawe region or Kendari city. The kingdom's capital was in Rahambuu, a town known today as  Unaaha, around from Kendari. The kingdom included three smaller kingdoms loyal to Unaaha. The Old Konawe period followed the Ancient Konawe period. It was marked by the unification and consolidation of the kingdom's power over the region. There was a huge unknown disaster, which is thought to have almost eliminated all the people in the region. According to local legend, "Onggodo", a holy man, is thought to have arrived in the kingdom from the Maluku Islands. He is believed to have saved the kingdom from the unknown disaster, and later married one of the kingdom's princesses. Konawe society  was divided into three classes. "Anakia" were nobles and the upper classes; "Tononggapa" were the commoners and peasants, and "Oata" were slaves. People in the region were tied to a religious symbol called the "Kalo Sara", which symbolized harmony, peace, and kinship. Kalo Sara means "circle of tribal laws", and is symbolized in the form of a large bracelet made of three rattan pieces that are tied together and a white napkin on which to put the bracelet. The rattan bracelet symbolized unity and the white napkin symbolized good deeds. The three pieces of rattan have various meanings and interpretations , such as father, mother, and children, or government, religion, and tradition. Islamic period. Islam has been present in the kingdom since early the 15th century, especially after the foundation of the neighbouring Sultanate of Buton, just south of Konawe. It was brought by Buginese merchants from Makassar, who mostly settled in coastal regions and through trade. The kingdom officially embraced Islam during the reign of King Lakidende (1724–1786). Lakidende embraced Islam after traveling around Western parts of Sulawesi and studying Islam in the Bone kingdom around today's South Sulawesi. During Lakidende's reign, the kingdom banned things that were  considered un-Islamic, such as eating pork. He promoted the construction of mosques in each village, and marriage in accordance with Islamic tradition. However, despite Islamisation, the kingdom's governance structure did not change significantly, and many animist traditions were incorporated with Islamic beliefs by the people. The Kalo Sara symbol was interpreted differently in accordance with Islamic beliefs instead of being abandoned altogether. During this period, Konawe became a multicultural society, with merchants from Java, Makassar, and Maluku settling on the island. Colonial period. In 1828, the governor of the Dutch East Indies tasked a sailor named Jacques Nicholas  Vosmaer with mapping the eastern coast of Sulawesi to find a suitable location for a trading post. The first detailed map of Kendari Bay was published on 9 May 1831, and named Vosmaer Bay in his honor. During this time, Konawe was in a weakened state following a succession of crises. In 1858, La Mangu, a noble from Ranome Eto, signed a treaty with the Dutch as he wished to create a separate kingdom, Laiwoi, independent from Konawe. The kingdom would be located in Ranome Eto, and its founding was kept secret from Konawe royal council members. Laiwoi existed legally , but did not control any territory, as Konawe maintained its hold on the area. The Dutch promised armed help to create the kingdom on the condition that the treaty would be kept secret from the people of Konawe until their other wars in which the Dutch were involved in South Sulawesi ended. In 1905, following the end of their war against the Gowa Sultanate, the Dutch turned their attention to the eastern coast of Sulawesi. La Mangu had died by now, but the Dutch maintained their plans to establish Laiwoi, approaching nobles from Ranome Eto with the treaty, and finally , naming Saosao as king, increasing tensions with the Konawe. To avoid armed conflict, the Dutch government mediated an agreement. However, Konawe secretly mobilised its troops and established an arms store in Puwilalo. In response, the Dutch attempted, and failed, to negotiate with their leader, Watukila. Finally, the Dutch decided to attack Watukila's troops and invaded the kingdom. In 1908, Dutch troops besieged Puundombi Fort, leading to Konawe's fall. Laiwoi would move it's capital to Kendari, and armed resistance to it and the Dutch continued into 1937. Japanese occupation and independence. Japanese troops occupied the city after the  Battle of Kendari in 1942. The Dutch garrison opted for guerilla warfare, but following increased Indonesian nationalist sentiment, and the lack of resistance that followed, Dutch command ultimately pressed for surrender. This occurred officially on 27 March 1942. As in other regions, Japanese troops provided opportunities for Indonesian nationalism to spread in the region, and gave nationalist groups military training. One month after the Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, youth in the region created a militia headquartered in Kolaka. The PRI (Indonesian Republican Youth) controlled the militia and spread its influence to cities and towns in Southeast Sulawesi, including Kendari. Lasandara , a local administrator for the Dutch, officially supported independence. However, in October, Australian troops entered the region with the Netherlands Indies Civil Administration. On the 19th of November, a Republican militia clashed with Dutch troops in an event known as the Kolaka incident. In February 1946, Dutch troops occupied the large cities in the region, however, guerilla resistance by the Republicans continued until 1948. The city and the surrounding region became part of the State of East Indonesia, which was incorporated into the newly recognised Indonesian Republic a year later. The city was heavily affected by the Darul Islam rebellion , which started in South Sulawesi but spread to the eastern coast. Because of the conflict, there were several refugee camps around the city. In 1964, the new province of Southeast Sulawesi was created with Kendari as its capital city. In 1978, Kendari gained city status as an administrative city and in 1995 as a "kotamadya"—medium-sized city. Due to its status as provincial the capital, the city has been experiencing significant urbanization which made it prone to disasters such as flood. Geography. Kendari borders the Konawe Regency in the north, South Konawe Regency in the south and west, and Kendari  Bay in the east. The city is on the southeastern part of mainland Sulawesi island, and includes several smaller islands around the bay. The city's topography varies from flat to hilly. Coastal areas tend to be flatter, while the northern part of the city is part of the Nipa-Nipa mountain formation, which has an altitude of around . In general, the city's slopes are less than 25% except those in the north, which sometimes exceed 40%. Soil formation in the city is relatively young, dominated by cambisol soil, which make up around 30% of the city's soil . Other soil formations also exist with less frequency, such as alluvium and podzols, which account for less than eight percent overall. Rivers and coastal areas contain the most abundant alluvium sediments. Climate. Kendari has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen "Af") with heavy rainfall from December to July and moderate rainfall from August to November. The city's average temperature is . The lowest average temperature is usually recorded in August and can be , while the highest average temperature is observed during November reaching . The average humidity level is between 81 and 87% regardless of the month, and wind speed on average  sits between and with stronger winds observed in December. Governance. Administrative districts. At the time of the 2010 Census, the city was divided into ten districts ("kecamatan"), but an eleventh district (Nambo) was subsequently cut out of Abeli District. The eleven districts are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census. The table also includes the number of administrative urban villages ("kelurahan") in each district, and its post codes. Note: (a) the 2010 population of the new Nambo District, and its post codes, are included in the figures for Abeli District, from  which it was later cut out. Government and politics. As with all Indonesian cities, Kendari is a second-level administrative division, equal in power to a regency, that is run by an elected mayor and vice mayor, who hold executive power, as well as a legislative city parliament. Legislative duties are vested in the local parliament. Heads of districts are appointed by the mayor on the recommendation of the city secretary. The city is part of the 1st Southeast Sulawesi electoral district, which sends six of the 45 representatives to the provincial parliament. On the city level, it is divided  into five electoral districts, which has 35 representatives. Economy. The city's economy consists largely of service-related sectors making up 77% of the city's workforce. The construction sector, retail, agriculture and fisheries, processing and manufacturing, education, logistics and the financial and insurance industries are also major industries, listed here in order of percentage of gross regional product (GRP). The city is also industrial, with the manufacturing sector employing 21.04% of the city's workforce, while agriculture employs 1.34%. Overall GRP growth of the city was 6.48% in 2019, but decreased to -1.30% in 2020 because of the economic  effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The poverty rate in 2020 was 4.34%. The city is near the Konawe Industrial Area, which produces mainly nickel and lithium batteries. The city is home to Kendari New Port, a large industrial container port, and the Samudera Fishery Port, which hosts 27 fish processing companies as of 2016 and is among the largest fish processing centers in Eastern Indonesia. The fish catch was around tons in 2018, consisting largely of skipjack tuna. There are 142 hotels registered in the city. 28 large industrial companies operate in Kendari, in addition to 446 registered small and  medium-sized enterprises employing more than 1,500 people. Agricultural exports include: frozen shrimp, processed cashew nuts, cocoa butter, and raw octopus; most of these products are exported to Japan and India. Demographics. Around 90% of the city's population are members of native groups from the region such as Tolaki, Muna, Buton, and Moronene, though a small migrant population from other parts of Indonesia also exists. There are 173,987 males and 171,120 females in the city. The population grew by 1.7% in 2020, with Baruga district growing the most (5.38%) while the Kambu district decreased the most, losing 0.9% of  its population. The most densely populated district is the Kadia district with 5,650 people per square kilometer, while the least was Nambo. The most populated district was West Kendari with 42,230 people while the least populated is Nambo, which has a population of 11,170 people. According to Statistics Indonesia, 189,534 people are considered part of workforce as of 2020. `Most of city's population are Muslims, with considerable Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu minorities. Education. There are 133 kindergartens, 141 elementary schools, 58 junior high schools, and 32 senior high schools. There are 20 vocational high schools in the city  as of 2020. The city is home to various institutions of higher education, most notably Haluoleo University, which is the oldest of two public universities in the province. The university has over 40,000 active students and was the sixth most populous school in Indonesia based on undergraduate population. Kendari State Islamic Institution is the largest Islamic college in the province. It has over 6,000 active students, primarily undergraduates, mainly studying Islamic Education and Sharia Economics. Construction of the Kendari Modern Library, in Kadia District, was completed in 2021. The library is managed by the provincial government and was modeled after  the Harvard Library. The library has seven floors, a cinema room, meeting spaces, an area for local artifacts, and a cafe. School participation rate is relatively high—99.44% for ages seven to 12 years old, and 94.76% for ages 13 to 15. The city reports a literacy rate of 97.94%. Healthcare. As of 2020, the city has 15 hospitals including a maternity hospital, six polyclinics, 30 puskesmas (community health centers), five of which provide inpatient care, and 40 pharmacies. There are 38 primary clinics, 216 healthcare centers, and 55 family planning clinics in the city. Of the 15 hospitals, five are  public hospitals while 10 are private. There are two psychiatric hospitals, one public, and one private. The provincial government is constructing a hospital specializing in cardiology; construction began in 2019 and is expected to be completed in 2022. It is claimed to be the first cardiology hospital in Eastern Indonesia. Transportation. There are of road within the city boundaries, of which have been paved and sealed with asphalt. Most of the roads are owned by the city government; the rest are state-owned national roads or provincial roads. As of 2021, both inner and outer ringroads are under construction. The  city is served by Haluoleo Airport, formerly known as Wolter Monginsidi Airport. The airport has regular flights to Jakarta and Makassar and smaller regions around it. The airport is being developed to become an international airport to relieve pressure on the already congested Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. Kendari New Port, in the city, is an international seaport, managed by Pelindo IV, which is used for the export and import of goods from the region. It is one of two international container ports on Sulawesi island that are currently being developed along with Makassar New Port in the city of Makassar . There are smaller ports, such as Wawonii Port and Nusantara Port, used mostly for ferries to the smaller islands surrounding the city. 4,756 ships visited the city in 2020. Usage of ride-hailing services such as Gojek and Grab is widespread in the city. As with most of Indonesian cities, Kendari has angkots as means of transportation inside the city with routes regulated by the city government. For long-distance land travel, the city is served by Perum DAMRI with various routes to city of Baubau, Kolaka Regency, town of Raha, Ereke, and Tondasi inside the province as well as  interprovince routes to Tana Toraja Regency and Makassar. The city also has an urban bus system run by the city government since 2015. Media. Multiple online and print media companies are based in the city, largely serving Southeastern Sulawesi. One major company in the city is the Fajar Group, a media conglomerate that owns several television channels, print media, and online news websites in the city and the province. There are numerous private television channels in Kendari including Net.Kendari, GlobalTV Kendari, and local channels including Sigma TV. The Indonesian state-owned television channel TVRI and state-owned radio broadcaster  Radio Republik Indonesia also have branches in the city.