West Sulawesi
Sulawesi Barat
Province
Province of West Sulawesi
Coat of arms of West Sulawesi
Coat of arms
Motto(s): 
Mellete Diatonganan (Mandar)
Stick to the Truth
Location of West Sulawesi in Indonesia
Location of West Sulawesi in Indonesia
OpenStreetMap
Map
Coordinates: 2°41′S 118°54′E / 2.683°S 118.900°E / -2.683; 118.900
CountryIndonesia
Established22 September 2004[1]
CapitalMamuju
Government
 • BodyWest Sulawesi Provincial Government
 • Acting GovernorZudan Arif Fakrulloh (Acting)
 • Vice GovernorVacant
Area
 • Total16,594.75 km2 (6,407.27 sq mi)
 • Rank31st in Indonesia
Highest elevation
3,074 m (10,085 ft)
Population
 (mid 2022 estimate)[2]
 • Total1,458,606
 • Density88/km2 (230/sq mi)
Demographics
 • Ethnic groups (2010 census)[3]45.42% Mandar
12.49% Buginese
10.91% Mamasa
8.12% Kalumpang
4.92% Javanese
2.61% Pattae'
2.19% Makassarese
9.0% other
 • Religion (2016)[4]82.2% Islam
14.8% Protestantism
1.47% Catholicism
1.25% Hinduism
0.19% Folk
0.04% Buddhism
0.01% Confucianism
 • LanguagesIndonesian, Mandar, Mamasa, Kalumpang, Mamuju
Time zoneUTC+08 (CIT)
HDIIncrease 0.675 (Medium)
HDI rank31st (2023)
Websitesulbarprov.go.id

West Sulawesi (Indonesian: Sulawesi Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It borders the provinces of South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi to the east, Makassar Strait to the west, and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The province also shares maritime borders with East Kalimantan and South Kalimantan to the west and West Nusa Tenggara to the south. It is located on the western side of Sulawesi island. It covers an area of 16,594.75 km2, and its capital is the town of Mamuju. The 2010 Census recorded a population of 1,158,651,[5] while that in 2020 recorded 1,419,228;[6] the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,458,606.[2]

The province was established in 2004, having been split off from South Sulawesi Province.

Geography

The province is on the island of Sulawesi (formerly Celebes) and includes the regencies (kabupaten) of Polewali Mandar, Mamasa, Majene, Mamuju, Central Mamuju and Pasangkayu (formerly called North Mamuju), which until 2004 were part of the neighbouring province of South Sulawesi. The area of the province is 16,594.75 km2.

Economy

See also: Economy of Sulawesi

Its economy consists mainly of mining, agriculture and fishing. Its capital is Mamuju.

Archaeological findings

On 11 December 2019, a team of researchers led by Dr. Maxime Aubert announced the discovery of the oldest hunting scenes in prehistoric art in the world which is more than 44,000 years old from the limestone cave of Leang Bulu’ Sipong 4. Archaeologists determined the age of the depiction of hunting a pig and buffalo thanks to the calcite ‘popcorn’, different isotope levels of radioactive uranium and thorium.[7][8][9][10]

Administrative divisions

See also: Regencies of West Sulawesi
Governor Office of West Sulawesi

West Sulawesi Province is divided into six regencies:[11] Polewali Mandar, Mamuju, Pasangkayu, Mamasa, Majene, and Central Mamuju. The sixth regency - Central Mamuju Regency (Kabupaten Mamuju Tengah) - was cut out of the existing Mamuju Regency on 14 December 2012.

Demographics

Its population at the 2010 census was 1,158,651 increasing at 2.67% annually.[5] Of those 171,356 were classified as below the poverty line of Indonesia.[12] The official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,458,606.[2]

Religion

Religion by Regency in West Sulawesi Province (2016)[4]
Regency Islam Protestant Catholic Hinduism Buddhism Confucianism
/Konghucu 		Folk
Majene 99.75% 0.10% 0.10% 0.02% 0.03% 0.00% 0.00%
Mamasa 20.29% 70.80% 4.35% 2.92% 0.01% 0.01% 1.62%
Mamuju 81.61% 16.61% 0.87% 0.88% 0.02% 0.01% 0.00%
Central Mamuju 80.24% 12.90% 2.18% 4.57% 0.10% 0.01% 0.01%
Pasangkayu 86.98% 6.99% 1.83% 4.19% 0.01% 0.01% 0.00%
Polewali Mandar 96.00% 2.77% 1.00% 0.19% 0.04% 0.00% 0.00%
West Sulawesi 82.22% 14.82% 1.47% 1.25% 0.04% 0.01% 0.19%

Religion in West Sulawesi (2022)[13]

  Islam (83.92%)
  Protestantism (13.25%)
  Hinduism (1.33%)
  Roman Catholic (1.09%)
  Folk religion and others (0.38%)
  Buddhism (0.03%)

See also

References

  1. ^ "J.D.I.H. - Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat".
  2. ^ a b c Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2023, Provinsi Sulawesi Barat Dalam Angka 2023 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.76)
  3. ^ Ananta, Aris; Arifin, Evi Nurvidya; Hasbullah, M Sairi; Handayani, Nur Budi; Pramono, Agus (2015). Demography of Indonesia's Ethnicity. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 978-981-4519-87-8. P. 102.
  4. ^ a b Sulawesi Barat Dalam Angka 2016, BPS
  5. ^ a b Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  6. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  7. ^ "Animal painting found in cave is 44,000 years old". BBC News. 2019-12-12. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  8. ^ "Narrative Cave Art in Indonesia Dated to 44,000 Years Ago | ARCHAEOLOGY WORLD". archaeology-world.com. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  9. ^ correspondent, Hannah Devlin Science (2019-12-11). "Earliest known cave art by modern humans found in Indonesia". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2020-04-26.
  10. ^ "The oldest story ever told is painted on this cave wall, archaeologists report". The Washington Post.
  11. ^ 2010 Indonesian Census
  12. ^ "Fajar Lokal News : Warga Miskin Sulbar 171.356 Jiwa". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  13. ^ "Jumlah Penduduk Menurut Agama" (in Indonesian). Ministry of Religious Affairs. 31 August 2022. Retrieved 29 October 2023. Muslim 241 Million (87), Christianity 29.1 Million (10.5), Hindu 4.69 million (1.7), Buddhist 2.02 million (0.7), Folk, Confucianism, and others 192.311 (0.1), Total 277.749.673 Million
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