Sulawesi

Sulawesi (formerly Celebes ) is a large island in Indonesia.

The first Europeans to visit the island were Portuguese sailors, in 1512. The island was part of the colonial Dutch East Indies until Indonesian independence in 1945.

Geography

It is the world's eleventh-largest island, covering an area of 174,600 km². The island is surrounded in the west by Borneo, the north by the Philippines, east by Maluku, and to the south by Flores and Timor. 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. The largest cities on the island are Makassar, on the southwestern coast of the island, and Manado, on the northern tip.

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 mammal 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, bird species tend to be found on other nearby islands, such as Borneo - 34% of Sulawesi's birds are found nowhere else.

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 Their pottery was originally made specifically for the purpose of storing rice and water, but when the Dutch arrived, the pottery was used for commercial exporting and sale.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.

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% are 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 predominantly converted to Christianity since Indonesia's independence. There are also large numbers of Christians around Lake Poso in Central Sulawesi and among the Pamona speaking peoples of Central Sulawesi. There have also been some Christian conversions in 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.

External links

Islands of Indonesia | Sulawesi

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Sulawesi

Geography

Flora and fauna

Arts and culture

Religion

External links