
Buton (also Butung, Boeton or Button) is an
island in
Indonesia located off the southeast peninsula of
Sulawesi
Sulawesi (), also known as Celebes (), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the world's eleventh-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Mindanao and the Sulu Ar ...
. It covers roughly 4,727 square kilometers in area, or about the size of
Madura; it is the 129th
largest island in the world and Indonesia's 19th largest in area.
History

In the precolonial era, the island, then usually known as Butung, was within the sphere of influence of
Ternate. Especially in the sixteenth century, Buton served as an important secondary regional center within the Ternaten empire, controlling regional trade and collecting tribute to be sent to Ternate.
The
Sultanate of Buton ruled over the island from the 14th until the 20th century.
Sultan Murhum, the first Islamic monarch on the island, is remembered in the name of the island's major harbor, Murhum Harbor, in Baubau.
Geography
Its largest town is
Baubau, where the
Wolio and
Cia-Cia languages are spoken. Major nearby islands include
Wawonii (to the north),
Muna and
Kabaena (to the west) and Siumpu (to the southwest). The
Tukangbesi Islands
Tukangbesi Islands, is a group of islands off the coast of Sulawesi immediately east of Buton island in the Banda Sea region, and part of Sulawesi Tenggara. "Tukang Besi" literally means "iron worker" or "blacksmith" in Indonesian. There is a T ...
lie just to the east where
Tukang Besi
Tukang Besi is an Austronesian language spoken in the Tukangbesi Islands in southeast Sulawesi in Indonesia by a quarter million speakers. A Tukang Besi pidgin is used in the area.
Phonology
The northern dialect of Tukang Besi has 25 consonan ...
is spoken, and is separated by the
Gulf of Kolowana Watabo
A gulf is a large inlet from the ocean into the landmass, typically with a narrower opening than a bay, but that is not observable in all geographic areas so named. The term gulf was traditionally used for large highly-indented navigable bodies ...
(''Teluk Kolowana Watabo'').
Batuatas Island is to the south. Also the ''Bouton Passage'' (as it was known in the pre-Independence era) was an important inter-island navigational location of the northern
Flores Sea.
Ecology
The island is largely covered by
rainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
and is known for its wildlife. It is one of only two habitats of the
anoa, a type of
buffalo.
People

The languages spoken on Buton include
Wolio,
Cia-Cia, various dialects of
Muna,
Tukang Besi
Tukang Besi is an Austronesian language spoken in the Tukangbesi Islands in southeast Sulawesi in Indonesia by a quarter million speakers. A Tukang Besi pidgin is used in the area.
Phonology
The northern dialect of Tukang Besi has 25 consonan ...
,
Kumbewaha,
Lasalimu,
Kamaru,
Pancana,
Busoa,
Taloki,
Kulisusu and
Kioko. The
Indonesian language, the national language of Indonesia, is also widely used and taught in schools.
In 2009, the
Cia-Cia tribe in Baubau city began to use the Korean
Hangul alphabet for their language, based on textbooks created by the
Hunminjeongeum Society, a linguistic society in Seoul., but in 2012 it was reported that adoption ultimately failed and has been abandoned.
Economy
The island has a massive reserve of natural
asphalt and several other minerals. Asphalt from Buton can be utilized as bitumen modifiers
as well as a substitute for petroleum asphalt. As a result, natural asphalt can be used to reduce dependency on conventional fossil based resources.
Administration
Buton Island is administratively divided into five second level administrative divisions (''Daerah Tingkat II''):
Baubau City,
Buton Regency
Buton Regency (''Kabupaten Buton'') is a regency of Indonesia's Southeast Sulawesi Province, lying entirely on Buton Island. Until 2014 it had an area of 2,681.22 km2, and a population estimated at 276,944 (for January 2014). However, in 2014 ...
, (part of)
South Buton Regency
South Buton Regency ( id, Kabupaten Buton Selatan) is a regency located in Southeast Sulawesi. This regency was formed from the southern part of Buton Regency, from which it was separated by Act No.16 of 2014, dated 23 July 2014. It covers an area ...
(which includes several smaller islands to the west and south of Buton),
North Buton Regency
North Buton Regency (''Kabupaten Buton Utara'') is a regency of Indonesia's Southeast Sulawesi Province, which was separated from Buton Regency in accordance with Indonesia's Law Number 14 of 2007. The area of the regency, which covers the north p ...
and (part of)
Muna Regency
Muna Regency (''Kabupaten Muna'') is a regency of Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, covering parts of the island of Muna as well as part of the neighbouring Buton Island and smaller islands off its coast. Until 2014 it had an area of 2,945. ...
.
However, the eponymous archipelago is administered under an additional four regencies: the rest of
Muna Regency
Muna Regency (''Kabupaten Muna'') is a regency of Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, covering parts of the island of Muna as well as part of the neighbouring Buton Island and smaller islands off its coast. Until 2014 it had an area of 2,945. ...
and
South Buton Regency
South Buton Regency ( id, Kabupaten Buton Selatan) is a regency located in Southeast Sulawesi. This regency was formed from the southern part of Buton Regency, from which it was separated by Act No.16 of 2014, dated 23 July 2014. It covers an area ...
, together with
West Muna Regency,
Wakatobi Regency
Wakatobi Regency is a group of ''ca.'' 150 islands forming an administrative regency located in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. The four largest islands are Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Binongko and Tomia. The capital of the regency is located on Wangi- ...
,
Central Buton Regency
Central Buton Regency ( id, Kabupaten Buton Tengah) is a new regency of Southeast Sulawesi established by separation from Buton Regency under Act No.15 of 2014, dated 23 July 2014. It covers an area of 837.08 km2 comprising the southern parts ...
(which does not include any portion of Buton Island), and (part of)
Bombana Regency
Bombana Regency (''Kabupaten Bombana'') is a regency of Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It consists of part of the southeast peninsula of Sulawesi, together with most of the substantial offshore island of Kabaena to the south. It covers a ...
.
Notes
{{reflist
Islands of Sulawesi
Landforms of Southeast Sulawesi