:: North Sulawesi Travel Guides ::
North
Sulawesi
(Indonesian: Sulawesi Utara) is a province of Indonesia.
It is on the island of Sulawesi, and borders the
province of Gorontalo to the west (originally a part of
North Sulawesi until 2001 when it became its own
province). The islands of Sangihe and Talaud form the
northern part of the province, which border the
Philippines.
The capital and largest city in North Sulawesi is Manado.
With a population of about 2 million (2006[1]), the
region is predominantly Christian (70%) with Muslim,
Hindu, and Buddhist minorities, which is an exception in
this predominantly Muslim country. The largest ethnic
group is Minahasan.
Administrative areas
North Sulawesi is
divided into nine regencies (Indonesian: kabupaten) and
four cities (Indonesian: kotamadya).
Regencies (seat):
* Bolaang Mongondow (Kotamobagu)
* Minahasa (Tondano)
* North Bolaang Mongondow (Boroko)
* North Minahasa (Airmadidi)
* Sangihe Islands (Tahuna)
* Sitaro Islands (Ondong)
* South Minahasa (Amurang)
* Southeast Minahasa (Ratahan)
* Talaud Islands (Melonguane)
Cities:
* Bitung
* Kotamobagu
* Manado
Get in
You can get to North Sulawesi by air, sea, and land.
By plane
Manado has an
International airport with numerous flights a week to
Singapore, Davao (in the Philippines), and just about
all the big cities in Indonesia.
By Boat
Manado has a
harbour with ships going to and from the more Northern
Islands (Sangir Talaud area). Bitung is the major port
of North Sulawesi and you can get on board a Pelni ship
to sail towards other area's of Indonesia. Some of the
larger cruise ships that travel from Australia towards
Thailand or other Asian countries also make a stop at
Bitung.
By car or bus
You can travel by car or bus from South Sulawesi towards
Manado, however due to security issues in Central
Sulawesi this is currently not recommended. So, if you
plan on travelling by land, check the local situation
first!
Do
Scuba diving is
the main draw for tourists to North Sulawesi. Famous
diving areas are:
* Bunaken National Marine Park
* Lembeh Strait, for it's excellent muck diving
* Bangka area, for it's brilliant soft coral and
diversity in dive sites (from beginner to very advanced)
Languages
In the Minahasa
area alone there are 8 indigenous languages spoken:
Tonsea, Tondano, Tombulu, Tontemboan and Tonsawang,
Bantik, Ratahan and Ponosakan. The first five languages
form a genetic group called proto-Minahasan. They are
more closely related to each other and cover the greater
part of Minahasa. It is therefore reasonable to assume
that they all derive from a common parent language which
was itself spoken in Minahasa.
The
other three languages have their closest links with
languages spoken outside Minahasa. Ponosakan is closely
related to Mangondow, spoken in the Bolaang Mangondow
Regency. Ratahan, also referred as Bentenan, and Bantik
have their closest links with Sangir, spoken on the
islands of the Sangihe Talaud Archipelago and in the
north of Minahasa District.
The use of these languages, however, is decreasing as
many people are more and more switching to Manadonese,
also known among the local people as Malayu Pasar or
Manado Malay. It is Malay, mixed with words derived from
the Spanish, Portugish, English, Dutch and local
languages.
North Sulawesi is a land of magnificent coral reefs
protecting virginwhite beaches, mountains and active
volcanos, reminding the islanders and the world of the
potential power of one of the earth's most awesome
forces. It is a land of vast coconut plantations fringed
along the coastline, which is why the area is also known
as "Bumi Nyiur Melambai" or "The Land of Waving Coconut
Palms."
The origins of both the names Sulawesi, which has only
become common after the Indonesian Independence, and the
island's original name Celebes are not clear. Celebes is
said to come from the Portuguese, who landed as the
first Europeans on the island. When they sailed around
it they called it Ponto dos Celebres which means point
of the notorious/ill-famed/ill-reputed. This might refer
to the many pirates that were sailing in Sulawesi (and
Indonesian) waters those days, or to the strong Monsoon
winds which caused many ships to sink.
A local myth says that when the Portuguese first landed
on the island, the captain of the ship met a man who was
busy working as a blacksmith. The captain asked the man
- in Portuguese - what the name of the island was. The
blacksmith, not understanding, thought the captain had
asked him what he was doing, and answered "sele besi",
which means "heat iron" or "work with iron". The captain
was satisfied with the answer and registered Selebesi as
name of the island in his logbook.
The modern name Sulawesi is said to be derived from the
two words sula (island) and besi (iron), referring to
the rich sources of iron on the island.
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