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 Census^[2] and 244,875 at the 2020 Census;^[3] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 251,654 (129,720 males and 121,940 females).^[4] The principal town lies at Poso.

Poso Regency Kabupaten Poso
Regency
A megalithic statue on Bada valley
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Sintuwu Maroso (Strong Brotherly Ties)
Location within Central Sulawesi
Poso Regency Location in Sulawesi and Indonesia Show map of Sulawesi Poso Regency Poso Regency (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 1°22′59″S 120°44′55″E
Country	Indonesia
Province	Central Sulawesi
Capital	Poso
Government
• Regent	Verna Gladies Merry Inkiriwang
• Vice Regent	Yasin Mangun
Area
• Total	7,438.55 km2 (2,872.04 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
• Total	251,654
• Density	34/km2 (88/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (ICST)
Area code	(+62) 452
Website	posokab.go.id

History

The regency as created in 1959 covered a much larger area to the east. However on 4 October 1999 the regency's south-eastern districts were split off to form a separate Morowali Regency, and on 18 December 2003 the regency's north-eastern districts were likewise split off to form a separate Tojo Una-Una Regency. In 2007 there were calls to divide the remaining Poso Regency into two regencies to overcome religious-based conflicts; one new regency in the southeastern and western sectors would by named Tentena Regency (comprising the first twelve kecamatan listed below), while the residual Poso Regency in the northeast sector (bordering the Gulf of Tomini) would consist of the last seven kecamatan listed below;^[5] however, this proposal was not enacted.

Geography

Poso Regency is located within the folds of various mountain ranges, namely the Fennema and Toneba Mountains in the west, the Takolekaju Mountains in the southwest, the Verbeek Mountains in the southeast, and the Pompangeo and Lumut Mountains in the northeast.

Administrative districts

At the time of the 2010 Census, the Poso Regency was divided at 2010 into eighteen districts (kecamatan), but an additional 19th district (Pamona Pusalemba) was subsequently added by splitting off the western and southern villages of Pamona Utara District.^[6] The districts are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census^[2] and the 2020 Census,^[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the numbers of villages in each district (totalling 142 rural desa and 28 urban kelurahan), and its postal code.

Kode Wilayah	Name of District (kecamatan)	Area in km2	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020	Pop'n estimate mid 2023	Admin centre	No. of villages	Post code
72.02.06	Pamona Selatan (South Pamona)	474.65	18,372	20,977	21,388	Pendolo	12	94664
72.02.20	Pamona Barat (West Pamona)	174.91	9,344	10,214	10,283	Meko	6	94662
72.02.26	Pamona Tenggara (Southeast Pamona)	227.17	6,487	7,888	8,191	Korobono	9	94665
72.02.27	Pamona Utara (North Pamona)	422.04	30,191	14,628	12,955	Sulewana	10 (a)	94667
72.02.04	Pamona Pusalemba	367.54	(a)	19,357	19,404	Tentena	11 (b)	94663
72.02.05	Pamona Timur (East Pamona)	549.38	9,531	12,271	15,121	Taripa	13	94666
	Southeast Sector	2,215.69	73,925	85,335	87,342		61
72.02.09	Lore Selatan (South Lore)	771.59	5,631	6,774	7,012	Gintu	8	94655
72.02.23	Lore Barat (West Lore)	331.36	2,821	3,188	3,241	Lengkeka	6	94654
72.02.07	Lore Utara (North Lore)	466.75	11,902	15,659	16,636	Wuasa	7	94658
72.02.08	Lore Tengah (Central Lore)	657.06	4,033	4,971	5,182	Doda	8	94656
72.02.24	Lore Timur (East Lore)	112.40	4,877	6,690	7,194	Maholo	5	94657
72.02.25	Lore Peore	525.20	2,944	4,015	4,310	Watutau	5	94653
	Western Sector	2,864.36	32,208	41,297	43,575		39
72.02.02	Poso Pesisir (Coastal Poso)	307.66	20,098	22,285	22,529	Mapane	16 (c)	94652
72.02.19	Poso Pesisir Selatan (South Coastal Poso)	609.39	8,842	9,910	10,050	Tangkura	9	94650
72.02.18	Poso Pesisir Utara (North Coastal Poso)	558.34	15,681	17,427	17,630	Tambarana	10	94651
72.02.01	Poso Kota (Poso Town)	11.29	20,250	24,145	24,931	Gebangrejo	7 (d)	94617 - 94619
72.02.21	Poso Kota Selatan (South Poso Town)	25.06	8,992	10,402	13,275	Kawua	5 (d)	94613 - 94619
72.02.22	Poso Kota Utara (North Poso Town)	20.22	11,058	12,930	10,646	Lawanga	7 (d)	94611 - 94616
72.02.03	Lage	498.24	18,174	21,144	21,676	Tagolu	16	94661
	Northeast Sector	2,030.20	103,095	118,243	120,737		70

Notes: (a) including 3 urban kelurahan (Petirodongi, Sawidago and Tendeadongi). (b) including 3 urban kelurahan (Pamona, Sangele and Tentena). (c) including 3 urban kelurahan (Mapane, Kasiguncu and Tabalu).
(d) all 19 classed as urban kelurahan, comprising 7 in Poso Town (Gebangrejo, Kayamanya, Moengko Baru, Moengko Lama, Gebangrejo Barat, Gebangrejo Timur and Kayamanya Sentral), 5 in South Poso Town (Bukit Bambu, Kawua, Lembomawo, Ranononcu and Sayo) and 7 in North Poso Town (Bonesompe, Kasintuwu, Lawanga, Lawanga Tawongan, Lombogia, Madale and Tegalrejo).

Social

Religions

Religions in Poso – 2020
Religions			Percentage
Protestant			59.45%
Islam			33.6%
Hinduism			5.6%
Roman Catholic			1.35%
Buddhism			0%

The population of Poso district consists of various ethnic groups, so it is considered a multicultural regency in Indonesia. The population is also quite diverse in religion. Data from the Ministry of Religion in 2020, around 60.80% (151,261 people) embraced Christianity.^[7] Regency's Religious Office noted that the majority of the population in Poso in 2020 was Protestant, with the number of adherents stated to be as many as 147,899 inhabitants (59% of the population). This was followed by 83,597 Muslims (33.6%), 13,937 Hindus (5.6%), 3.362 Roman Catholics (1.35%)^[8] and 4 Buddhists, respectively. As of 2022^[update], the number of places of worship in Poso consisted of 280 mosques, 690 Protestant churches, 26 Catholic churches and 102 Hindu temples.^[9]

Prior to colonial rule, the inhabitants of Poso followed a traditional belief system known as Lamoa. Islam became the first prominent religion in Poso during the early 19th century when it was brought by the Mandarese people who settled in the To Kadombuku area (present-day Tomasa River region), although the exact means of their arrival remain unknown.^[10][11] The spread of Christianity in Poso began in the late 19th century with the arrival of Albert Christian Kruyt, a Dutch Calvinist missionary sent by the Netherlands Missionary Society (NZG) to initiate a mission. Following seventeen years of work, their efforts bore fruit when hundreds of To Pebato residents were baptized on Christmas Eve, December 25, 1909.^[12] Central Sulawesi Christian Church (GKST) is a church organization that was established on 18 October 1947 in Tentena.^[13] GKST serves Central, West and South Sulawesi. In 2006, 188 thousand people registered to become members, and there are 376 congregations served by 625 priests.^[14]

Tourism

Tambing Lake is located in Lore Lindu National Park, 3 hours drive from Palu and 100 meters away from Palu-Napu Road. In 2014, there are 3,000 foreign tourists visited Tambing Lake which is known as Endemic Bird Paradise with 30 percent of 270 kinds of birds are endemic.^[15]

Ecology

Oryzias sarasinorum, endemic fish that only exist in Lake Poso and Lake Lindu

Sulawesi black Ebony, also known as diospyros celebica, naturally can be found in Central Sulawesi (Parigi, Poso, Donggala), South Sulawesi (Maros), West Sulawesi (Mamuju) and Maluku. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued their red list in 2000 and D. celebica belong to the category of vulnerable species, which means that ebony is at the limit of high risk for extinction in the wild (vulnerable to exploitation).^[16]

Most of the endemic fauna in Poso is located in the area of cultural and natural heritage, such as Lake Poso and Lore Lindu National Park. Whitten (1987), Maurice Kottelat, and L.R. Parenti states that there are several species of endemic biota that is only found in Lake Poso, such as Xenopoecilus poptae (Adrianichthys poptae); Adrianichthys kruyti, Weberogobius amadi and Nomorhamphus celebensis. Other endemic fish is Anguilla celebensis, Xenopoecilus sarasinorum, Xenopoecilus oophorus (adrianichthys oophorus), Adrianichthys roseni; gastropods such as Miratesta celebensis; and some small shrimp (Caridina sp).

References

1. Badan Pusat Statistik 2024, p. 40.
2. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
3. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
4. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Poso Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.7202)
5. Sangadji, Ruslan (21 February 2007). "Residents say a divided Poso could be a more peaceful place". The Jakarta Post. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 5 May 2013.
6. "Perda No 11 Thn 2010 ttg Pemb Kec Pamona Utara" [Regional Regulation No. 11 of 2010 concerning Pemb Pemb Pamona Utara District] (PDF). 2010. p. 4.
7. "Data Pemeluk Agama Kristen di Sulawesi Tengah". www.kemenag.go.id. Archived from the original on 6 March 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
8. "Data Pemeluk Agama Katolik di Sulawesi Tengah". www.kemenag.go.id. Archived from the original on 20 March 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2024.
9. Badan Pusat Statistik 2023, p. 100.
10. Adriani & Kruyt 1912, p. 42.
11. Kaudern 1925b, p. 112.
12. Tampake 2009, p. 1. sfn error: no target: CITEREFTampake2009 (help)
13. Fasse, Cristoph. "Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions". Reformiert Online. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
14. "Christian Church of Central Sulawesi — World Council of Churches". Oikoumene.org. January 1948. Retrieved 27 February 2017.
15. "Danau Tambing Kembali Ramai Dikunjungi Wisatawan". 25 April 2015.
16. "Eboni, si Kayu Hitam dari Sulawesi". Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 29 October 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2016.

Bibliography

• Abubakar, Jamrin (2015). 15 Tokoh Bersejarah Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Dinas Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Daerah Sulawesi Tengah. ISBN 978-602-1158-09-8.
• Adriani, Nicolaus (1919). Posso (Midden-Celebes). Zendingsstudie-Raad.
• Adriani, Nicolaus; Kruyt, Albert Christian (1912). De Bare'e sprekende Toradja's van Midden-Celebes. Landsdrukkerij.
• Henley, David (2005). Fertility, Food and Fever: Population, Economy and Environment in North and Central Sulawesi, 1600–1930. KITLV Press. ISBN 906-7182-09-5.
• Kaudern, Walter (1925a). Ethnographical studies in Celebes: results of the author's expedition to Celebes, 1917–1920 – Structures and settlements in Central Celebes. Vol. 1. Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.
• Kaudern, Walter (1925b). Results of the author's expedition to Celebes, 1917–1920: Migrations of the Toradja in Central Celebes. Vol. 2.
• Kaudern, Walter (1927). Results of the author's expedition to Celebes, 1917–1920: Musical Instruments in Celebes. Vol. 3. Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.
• Kaudern, Walter (1929). Ethnographical studies in Celebes: results of the author's expedition to Celebes, 1917–1920 – Games and Dances in Celebes. Vol. 4. Elanders Boktryckeri.
• Kaudern, Walter (1938). Ethnographical studies in Celebes: results of the author's expedition to Celebes, 1917–1920 – Megalithic Finds in Central Celebes. Vol. 5. Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag.
• Kahn, Joel S. (1998). Southeast Asian Identities: Culture and the Politics of Representation in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. I.B.Tauris. ISBN 1-86064-243-8.
• Kruyt, Albert Christian (2008). Keluar dari Agama Suku, Masuk ke Agama Kristen. BPK Gunung Mulia. ISBN 978-979-6873-37-1.
• Kutoyo, Sutrisno (2005). Sejarah Daerah Sulawesi Tengah. Dinas Kebudayaan dan Pariwisata Sulawesi Tengah.
• Mahid, Syakir; Sadi, Haliadi; Darsono, Wilman (2012). Sejarah Kerajaan Bungku. Penerbit Ombak. ISBN 978-602-7544-09-3.
• Raven, H. C. (1926). The Stone Images and Vats of Central Celebes. National Museum of American History.
• Sadi, Haliadi; Mahid, Syakir; Ibrahim, M. Anas (2007). Gerakan pemuda Sulawesi Tengah (GPST) di Poso, 1957–1963: perjuangan anti Permesta dan pembentukan Provinsi Sulawesi Tengah. Penerbit Ombak. ISBN 978-979-3472-70-6.
• Sarasin, Paul; Sarasin, Fritz (1905). Reisen in Celebes. Kreidel.

Sources

• Aragon, Lorraine Victory (2005). "Mass Media Fragmentation and Narratives of Violent Action in Sulawesi's Poso Conflict". Indonesia (79).
• Badan Pusat Statistik (2024). Kabupaten Poso dalam Angka 2024. BPS Kabupaten Poso. Archived from the original on 25 May 2024.
• Badan Pusat Statistik (2023). Kabupaten Poso dalam Angka 2023. BPS Kabupaten Poso. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023.
• Brown, Graham; Tajima, Yukhi; Hadi, Suprayoga (2005). "Overcoming Violent Conflict: Peace and Development Analysis in Central Sulawesi". Indonesia. 3. United Nations Development Programme. ISBN 979-9987-84-9.
• Human Rights Watch (2002). "BREAKDOWN: Four Years of Communal Violence in Central Sulawesi". Indonesia. 14 (9).
• Weber, Robert; Kreisel, Werner; Faust, Heiko (2003). "Colonial Interventions on the Cultural Landscape of Central Sulawesi by "Ethical Policy": The Impact of the Dutch Rule in Palu and Kulawi Valley, 1905–1942". University of Göttingen.

1°22′59″S 120°44′55″E