Poso ( Old Spelling: ''Posso'') is the administrative capital of

Poso Regency Poso Regency is a regency of Central Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. It covers an area of 7,438.55 km2, and had a population of 209,228 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 244,875 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statist ...

, Indonesia. It is the main port and transportation hub for the central-southern coast of

Central Sulawesi Central Sulawesi (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ''Sulawesi Tengah'') is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located at the centre of the island of Sulawesi. The administrative capital and largest city is located in Palu. The provin ...

. Its urban area consists of three districts,

Poso Kota Poso Kota () is a district in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Along with the neighboring districts of North and South Poso Kota, it makes up the capital region of Poso Regency, Poso Poso (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old Spelling: ' ...

North Poso Kota North Poso Kota () is a district in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Along with the neighboring districts of Poso Kota and South Poso Kota, the district makes up the capital region of Poso Regency, Poso Poso (Van Ophuijsen Spelling ...

, and

South Poso Kota South Poso Kota () is a district in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, Indonesia. Along with the neighboring districts of Poso Kota and North Poso Kota, it makes up the capital region of Poso Regency, Poso Poso (Van Ophuijsen Spelling System, Old ...

. Poso lies in the middle of the province on the shore of the

Gulf of Tomini The Gulf of Tomini (), also known as the Bay of Tomini, is the equatorial gulf which separates the Minahassa (Northern) and East Peninsulas of the island of Sulawesi (Celebes) in Indonesia. The Togian Islands lie near its center. To the east ...

, right in the central part of

Sulawesi Sulawesi ( ), also known as Celebes ( ), is an island in Indonesia. One of the four Greater Sunda Islands, and the List of islands by area, world's 11th-largest island, it is situated east of Borneo, west of the Maluku Islands, and south of Min ...

Island. With a total population of 47,477 in 2020, it is one of the biggest and oldest towns in the province. Poso began to develop as a small

port town A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manche ...

located at the mouth of the Poso River at the end of the 19th century—making it one of the oldest towns in Central Sulawesi, its presence was considered important for the

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

to control the southern region of Tomini in the early days of their arrival. Poso was the administrative center of Landschap Poso, Onderafdeling Poso, and later Afdeling Poso during colonial times. Amid

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, the

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

made Poso one of their military posts. Post-independence, Poso was chosen as the capital of the newly formed Central Sulawesi in 1948 before the capital was moved to

Palu Palu, officially known as the City of Palu ( Indonesian: ''Kota Palu''), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi and borders Donggala Regency to the north ...

in 1951. Poso's central location has historically made it a strategic stopover point for travelers moving between the north and south, as well as the west and

east East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

of Sulawesi. This has contributed to a diverse population, comprising various ethnicities, religions, and cultural backgrounds. The inhabitants are dispersed from coastal areas to the mountainous regions, with trade and services serving as the primary economic activities. Poso is crossed by the Trans-Sulawesi National Highway and served by

Kasiguncu Airport Kasiguncu Airport is located in Poso, the administrative capital of an Poso Regency, eponymous regency, in Indonesia. It was inaugurated in 1974. Airlines and destinations References

Airports in Central Sulawesi Airports establishe ...

, linking it to other cities in Sulawesi such as Palu and

Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...

Geography

Climate

Poso has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

Tourism and culture

Poso can be reached by plane from

or by bus from many other big cities on Sulawesi and is situated on the equator. It features tropical rain forest, seashore gardens, and other natural scenery. Sintuwu Maroso Square is the main

town square A town square (or public square, urban square, city square or simply square), also called a plaza or piazza, is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town or city, and which is used for community gatherings. Relat ...

and is located in central Poso. Rumah Katu Marine Park is a

water park A water park (also waterpark, water world, or aquapark) is an amusement park that features water play areas such as swimming pools, water slides, splash pads, water playgrounds, and lazy rivers, as well as areas for floating, bathing, swimming ...

located 10 km from the center of Poso. Modero is a well-known traditional dance that is performed during the celebration of

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

harvesting (Padungku), usually in the evenings.

References

Sources

Books

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Journals

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Reports

Websites

* * * * * * * {{authority control Populated places in Central Sulawesi Regency seats of Central Sulawesi