Sulawesi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sulawesi (formerly more commonly known as Celebes, IPA: [ˈsɛlɛbiz] a Portuguese-originated form of the name) is one of the four larger Sunda islands of Indonesia.
The first Europeans to visit the island were Portuguese sailors, in 1512. From 1669, the Dutch East India Company had a presence at Makassar, and in 1905 the entire the island became part of the Dutch colony of the Netherlands East Indies, present-day Indonesia, until Indonesian independence in 1945.
Contents |
[edit] Geography
It is the world's eleventh-largest island, covering an area of 174,600 km². The island is surrounded by Borneo to the west, by the Philippines to the north, by Maluku to the east, and by Flores and Timor to the south. The island has a distinctive shape, dominated by four large peninsulas (see Sulawesi peninsulas). The central part of the island is ruggedly mountainous, such that the island's peninsulas have traditionally been remote from each other, with better connections by sea than by road.
The island is subdivided into six provinces: Gorontalo, West Sulawesi, South Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi, Southeast Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi. West Sulawesi is a new province, created in 2004 from part of South Sulawesi. The largest cities on the island are Makassar, on the southwestern coast of the island, and Manado, on the northern tip.
[edit] Flora and fauna
The island of Sulawesi straddles Wallace's Line, meaning that there are a mix of both Asian and Austronesian species. However, the majority of Sulawesi's wildlife belongs to the Australasia region. 2,290 km² of the island is devoted to Lore Lindu National Park.
There are 127 known mammalian species in Sulawesi. A large percentage of these mammals, 62% (79 species) are endemic, meaning that they are found nowhere else in Indonesia or the world. The largest native mammal in Sulawesi is the dwarf buffalo, locally known as the anoa. By contrast, because many birds can fly between islands, Sulawesian bird species tend to be found on other nearby islands as well, such as Borneo; only 34% of Sulawesi's birds are found nowhere else.
Sulawesi also has several endemic species of freshwater fish, such as those in the genus Nomorhamphus, a species flock of livebearing freshwater halfbeaks containing at least 19 distinct species, most of which are only found on Sulawesi [1], [2].
[edit] Demographics
The 2000 census population of the provinces of Sulawesi was 14,946,488, about 7.25% of Indonesia's total population. [3]
[edit] Recent History
Sulawesi has been plagued by Muslim-Christian violence in recent years. The most serious violence occurred between 1998 and 2001 on the once peaceful island. Over 1,000 people were killed in violence, riots, and ethnic cleansing that ripped through Central Sulawesi. The violence pitted the island's Muslims against Christians (and visa versa). A peace accord was not agreed to until 2001.
Riots erupted again in September 2006 in Christian dominated areas of Central Sulawesi, as well as other part of Indonesia, after the execution by firing squad of three Catholics who were convicted of leading Christian militias during the violence of the early 2000s. Supporters of the executed Catholics, Fabianus Tibo, Dominggus da Silva and Marianus Riwu, claimed that Muslims who participated in the violence received very light sentences and that none were sentenced to death, claiming that the government is using a double standard. The violence appeared to be aimed at government authorities, not Muslims.
[edit] Arts and culture
The people of Sulawesi are famous for their dedication to their diverse art abilities, which include pottery, weaving, and dancing. Their pottery was originally made specifically for the purpose of storing rice and water, but when the Dutch arrived, the pottery was used for commercial exporting and sale. The pottery is noted for its extensive detail. The Sulawesian people have intricated weaving, and repeat the same pattern at least once in every project they do. Although the women are predominantely weavers, both genders dance. The male dance is rigid, mechanical and robotic, while the female's dances are fluid and smooth. They combine these aspects to tell a story.
[edit] Religion
Islam is the majority religion in Sulawesi. The conversion of much of the island to Islam occurred in the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. Southern Sulawesi, around the city of Makassar, was the first major area of the island to accept Islam. However, the Gorontalo and the Mongondow peoples of the northern peninsula largely converted to Islam only in the 19th Century. Most Muslims are Sunnis. Muslims can be found in all parts of Sulawesi.
Though Islam is the religion of the majority of Sulawesi's people, large regions of the island observe other religions as well.
Christians form a substantial minority. According to Toby Alice Volkman, 17% of Sulawesi's population is Protestant and 2% is Roman Catholic. Christians are concentrated on the tip of the northern peninsula around the city of Manado, which is inhabited by the Minahasa, a predominantly Protestant people, and the northernmost Sangihe and Talaud islands. The famous Toraja people of Tana Toraja in Central Sulawesi have largely converted to Christianity since Indonesia's independence. There are also substantial numbers of Christians around Lake Poso in Central Sulawesi and among the Pamona speaking peoples of Central Sulawesi. There has also been growth in the Christian population of the Banggai Islands and the Eastern Peninsula in Central Sulawesi, traditionally thought of as Muslim areas (which in the past were controlled by Muslim sultanates in Tidore and Ternate). Christians can be found in every major Sulawesi city.
Though most people identify themselves as Muslims or Christians, they often subscribe to local beliefs and deities as well. It is not unusual (and fully acceptable) for Muslims and Christians to make offerings to local gods, goddesses, and spirits.
Smaller communities of Buddhists and Hindus are also found on Sulawesi, usual among the Chinese, Balinese and Indian communities.
Over 1,000 people are reported to have been murdered in Sulawesi in a religious conflict which started in 1998 [1].
- ^ "Equator - Programme 2 - Asia", BBC, September 17, 2006.
.
[edit] External links
| Provinces of Indonesia |  |
||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|||||||||||||
