Gunungsitoli
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Gunungsitoli is a city located in
North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
province,
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, on the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
island of
Nias Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
, west of
Sumatra Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
. Gunungsitoli is the island's only city and is the main hub for the island and surrounding smaller islands. Located on the north-eastern side of Nias island, the city was historically a series of fortifications made by the Dutch colonial administration in the 1600s to defend against frequent raids from Nias tribes, especially those from southern parts of the island. Until 1914, it was the only part of the island that was effectively controlled by the Dutch. , Gunungsitoli had a population of 136,707, which makes it the seventh-most-populous city in North Sumatra. It had a population density of 291.3 people per square kilometre, making it the most-densely populated place on Nias island. Being the only city in the island, Gunungsitoli is the economic hub of the island and the surrounding Nias archipelago, as well as the only place with significant, non-agriculture industries, on the island. The city was previously part of the larger
Nias Regency Nias Regency is a regency in North Sumatra province, Indonesia; it lies on the east side of Nias Island. The regency originally covered the entire island, but was reduced to the northern half, with an area of 3,495.39 square kilometres, followin ...
but was separated in 2008.


History


Precolonial

Nias island, together with groups of other islands off the western coast of Sumatra, was mentioned by
Ptolemy Claudius Ptolemy (; grc-gre, Πτολεμαῖος, ; la, Claudius Ptolemaeus; AD) was a mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, and music theorist, who wrote about a dozen scientific treatises, three of which were of importanc ...
in 150 CE as "Barus islands". Nias had well-established trade contacts with Arab and Chinese traders since around the seventh century. In 1154, the island was mentioned by
Muhammad al-Idrisi Abu Abdullah Muhammad al-Idrisi al-Qurtubi al-Hasani as-Sabti, or simply al-Idrisi ( ar, أبو عبد الله محمد الإدريسي القرطبي الحسني السبتي; la, Dreses; 1100 – 1165), was a Muslim geographer, cartograp ...
as "Niyan" and described as "densely populated, with one big town, and inhabited by many tribes". Archeological evidence shows humans have inhabited the island for 12,000 years. Remains of tools were found in Tögi Ndrawa cave by Indonesian archeologists from
Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...
in August 1999. The excavation shows sign of
mesolithic The Mesolithic (Greek: μέσος, ''mesos'' 'middle' + λίθος, ''lithos'' 'stone') or Middle Stone Age is the Old World archaeological period between the Upper Paleolithic and the Neolithic. The term Epipaleolithic is often used synonymous ...
culture and that the cave was still inhabited until around 700 years ago. According to folk stories of the Nias people, the island was settled by six ancestor tribes but the current Nias people or ''Ono Niha''—which means "human" in the Nias language—arose more recently, according to records compiled by German missionary Wilhelm Heinrich Sundermann. Migration of ''Ono Niha'' people from mainland Sumatra occurred in around 1350; they brought with them knowledge of metallurgy, agriculture, husbandry, and woven clothing. It is unknown whether previous inhabitants of the island were assimilated or out-competed with the arrival of the ''Ono Niha''. In 1416,
Ming treasure voyages The Ming treasure voyages were the seven maritime expeditions undertaken by Ming China's treasure fleet between 1405 and 1433. The Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the treasure fleet in 1403. The grand project resulted in far-reach ...
led by
Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferred ...
occupied a portion of mainland Sumatra that directly faces Nias island and constructed a port town named ''Singkuang'' (New Land). The occupation led to a significant presence of Chinese communities on the island. Around the 1500s, the island was subject to frequent slave raids by ships from
Aceh Sultanate The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam ( ace, Keurajeuën Acèh Darussalam; Jawoë: كاورجاون اچيه دارالسلام), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major ...
, which at the time was under Sultan Ali Mughayat Syah, who sought to conquer the western coast of Sumatra. In 1642, seven ships from Aceh Sultanate were stranded on the eastern coast of the island, resulting in a significant presence of Acehnese communities, which are known locally as ''Polem'' people.


Contact with Europeans

First contact between Nias people and Europeans came on 2 July 1664 when Dutch traders and the king of Luaha Laraga made a trade agreement and tariffs for Dutch ships that were using the port in modern-day Idanoi district. In 1668, the
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
made agreements with village chiefs around the location of modern-day Gunungsitoli city and the
Hinako islands Hinako is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: Actors *Hinako Saeki, Japanese actress *Hinako Sakurai, Japanese model *Hinako Sano, Japanese actress Artists and musicians *Hinako Ashihara, Japanese manga artist * ...
. The company settled the region and built several warehouses but the Dutch traders left the region and abandoned the settlement in 1740 due to decreasing Dutch influence over the region.


Colonial era

In 1776, British traders tried to settled the region but soon also abandoned it because the region was not profitable. For several decades, there was no significant European presence on the island. The British again tried to settle the region in 1821 but the settlement was taken over by the Dutch in 1825. In 1840, the Dutch tried to gain control of the entire island following the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, also known as the Treaty of London, was a treaty signed between the United Kingdom and the Netherlands in London on 17 March 1824. The treaty was to resolve disputes arising from the execution of the Anglo-D ...
but were unable to establish military presence on the island outside a small area of Gunungsitoli, which was then known as Rapatgebied. Frequent raids by Nias tribes against Dutch fortifications concentrated the settlement in the area that would become the city. The Dutch were only able to start a significant military campaign against Nias tribes in 1900 and subjugated the entire island by 1914. Nias was one of the last regions of the Indonesian archipelago by to be conquered by the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
. Missionary activities on the island grew after the Dutch established control over the island. In 1916, a mass conversion to Christianity known as ''Fangesa Sebua'' (The Great Repentance) occurred on the island. The event started in Gunungsitoli from Idanoi and later spread throughout the island.


Mid-to-late 20th century

Gunungsitoli was one of two locations on Nias where Dutch authorities held German prisoners during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
. The prisoners were part of formerly bigger German prisoner groups abroad SS ''Van Imhoff'', which was sunk by Japanese bombers off the west coast of Sumatra. Upon hearing news about Japanese attacks on Sumatra, the German prisoners planned a coup against the Dutch colonial authority in the city. The prisoners tried to persuade native police, known as ''Veldpolities'', to revolt. At the time, the city was home to around 60 German prisoners. On 29 March 1942, the native police revolted by shooting Dutch residents and imprisoning Dutch officials, and the city was quickly occupied. On 17 April 1942, the Japanese military landed in the city and was welcomed by the German prisoners, who took over the city. By 24 April 1942, all German prisoners had left the island and the administration was handed over to the Japanese until the end of World War II. During the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution, or the Indonesian War of Independence, was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during Aftermath of WWII, postw ...
, Gunungsitoli and Nias came under blockade from the
Dutch Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...
to cut off the island from the western coast of Sumatra. Due to the blockade, the city printed its own banknotes because Republican banknotes from
Bukittinggi Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highlands ...
could not be transported. The banknotes were known as ORIPDA-Nias (Regional Money of Republic Indonesia-Nias). The Dutch military landed in the city in November 1945. The relationship between the newly arrived troops and the city's residents was tense, especially because of constant patrols of Republican youths armed with
bambu runcing A bambu runcing or prìng lancìp (which literally means "Spiked Bamboo") is a traditional spear made of a sharpened bamboo. History During the Majapahit kingdom in the 15th century, bambu runcing fighting was practiced on the island of Java. ...
. Small armed clashes occurred around the city when Dutch military tried to take back control of governmental buildings that were taken over by Indonesian nationalists following the end of the war. The republican government of Nias was evacuated from Gunungsitoli in the aftermath. In November 1946, the Indonesian National Committee or (''Komite Nasional Indonesia'') (KNI) led by Roos Telaumbanua attempted to establish armed elements of Republicans such as a branch of the
People's Security Agency The People's Security Agency ( id, Badan Keamanan Rakyat), or commonly abbreviated as BKR, was an Indonesian government agency established to undertake the task of maintaining security together with the people and the state offices. The BKR was fo ...
and the
Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...
around the island. The committee also established a ''Fonds Kemerdekaan'' (Independence Fund) to give economic support to the Indonesian republic in Tapanuli, mainland Sumatra, and ''Kongsi Pelajaran'' (Shipping Union). The economic support was in form of the sale of
copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...
to
Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
and donating pigs and oil to Tapanuli. Gunungsitoli was one of the main centers of Republican support on the island. Due to
Operation Kraai Operation Kraai (Operation Crow) was a Dutch military offensive against the ''de facto'' Republic of Indonesia in December 1948 after negotiations failed. With the advantage of surprise the Dutch managed to capture the Indonesian Republic's t ...
, communication between Nias and Tapanuli was cut off so the island tried to establish communication with Kutaraja,
Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
. On 19 November 1949, officials from North Sumatra visited Gunungsitoli to establish a local government council (''Dewan Pemerintah Daerah'') on Nias, which was realized in 1950. In 1975, Nias experienced a tourist boom, especially with Australian tourists, and became destination for surfers. The tourist boom was followed by general improvements to infrastructure in Gunungsitoli and the building of markets and roads. Despite these improvements the boom was short-lived.


21st century

Nias, including Gunungsitoli, was devastated by the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
and the
2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake The 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake occurred on 28 March off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. At least 915 people were killed, mostly on the island of Nias. The event caused panic in the region, which had already been devastated by ...
. Much of the infrastructure was destroyed, and between 2005 and 2010, the residents became reliant on aid from nonprofit organizations to recover. In 2008, Gunungsitoli was separated from Nias Regency and became an independent city based on Law Number 47. Following decentralization and becoming an independent city, Gunungsitoli has seen the highest average economic growth in North Sumatra with 6% in 2018 and 6.05% in 2019. The city's infrastructure has been improved and development of the tourist industry has been a particular focus of both local and central government. In 2019, Gunungsitoli, together with other regencies on Nias, hosted Sail Nias, which is an annual yacht tournament and part of the
Sail Indonesia Sail Indonesia is a series of sailing and other events for yachts conducted each year in Indonesia. The events are organised by Yayasan Cinta Bahari Indonesia (YCBI) and supported by the high-profile tourist destinations to international yachtsmen a ...
event. Gunungsitoli has been proposed as the capital of the newly proposed Nias Islands Province, which is projected to be separated from North Sumatra. As of 2021, however, the creation of the new province and other proposed new regions has been halted due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
which put strain on government budgets.


Geography

Gunungsitoli borders
North Nias Regency Nias Utara (North Nias) Regency is a regency in North Sumatra province of Indonesia. It comprises the northern portion of Nias Island and has an area of 1,242.14 km2. It had a population of 127,244 at the 2010 Census and 147,274 at the 2020 Censu ...
in the north,
Nias Regency Nias Regency is a regency in North Sumatra province, Indonesia; it lies on the east side of Nias Island. The regency originally covered the entire island, but was reduced to the northern half, with an area of 3,495.39 square kilometres, followin ...
in the south and west, and the
Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by th ...
in the east. The city has many hills with heights of up to above sea level. The city's soil is mostly unstable, and often causes landslides and damage to roads. Soil composition varies from
alluvium Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...
and limestone to corals and is generally prone to compaction. Limestone often makes underground water undrinkable. The slope in the city interior varies from 8% to 25%. Coastal areas are mostly flatter with a slope of less than 8%. Gunungsitoli is located between the
subduction zone Subduction is a geological process in which the oceanic lithosphere is recycled into the Earth's mantle at convergent boundaries. Where the oceanic lithosphere of a tectonic plate converges with the less dense lithosphere of a second plate, the ...
of the
Eurasian Eurasia (, ) is the largest continental area on Earth, comprising all of Europe and Asia. Primarily in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Eastern Hemispheres, it spans from the British Isles and the Iberian Peninsula in the west to the Ja ...
and
Indo-Australian plate The Indo-Australian Plate is a major tectonic plate that includes the continent of Australia and the surrounding ocean and extends northwest to include the Indian subcontinent and the adjacent waters. It was formed by the fusion of the Indian an ...
s, making it extremely prone to earthquakes. The city was devastated by the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake. According to the
Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency ( id, Badan Meteorologi, Klimatologi, dan Geofisika, abbreviated BMKG) is an Indonesian non-departmental government agency for meteorology, climatology, and geophysics. History Its history began ...
, on average, Gunungsitoli experiences more than 300 earthquakes per month. Due to its coastal location, the city is also prone to
tsunami A tsunami ( ; from ja, 津波, lit=harbour wave, ) is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explo ...
s.


Climate

Gunungsitoli is located close to the
equator The equator is a circle of latitude, about in circumference, that divides Earth into the Northern and Southern hemispheres. It is an imaginary line located at 0 degrees latitude, halfway between the North and South poles. The term can als ...
, and has a tropical rainforest climate with an average of 21 days of rain per month. The average rainfall per month in 2019 was 250.21 mm3 but this can vary widely from 100 and 300 mm3 per month. Moisture in the city is usually between 87% and 95%, and the average temperature is . Wind speed on average per month reaches per hour.


Demographics

The annual population growth in Gunungsitoli was 0.73% in 2020, with sex ratio of 94 males to 100 females. As with other Indonesian cities, the population is young with 95,147 of 136,017 of the population above 15, of reproductive age and considered part of the workforce. In 2020, 46.8% of the city population lived in Gunungsitoli District. Despite the high birthrate and expansive structure of its
population pyramid A population pyramid (age structure diagram) or "age-sex pyramid" is a graphical illustration of the distribution of a population (typically that of a country or region of the world) by age groups and sex; it typically takes the shape of a pyramid ...
, the population growth was slow because of internal migration to bigger cities such as
Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
and Medan. The majority of the city's population is
Protestant Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
with a minority of Muslims, Catholics, and Buddhists. The Protestant population was 116,435, followed by 21,979 Muslims, 10,363 Catholics and 382 Buddhists. The majority of city's residents are
Nias people Nias people are an ethnic group native to Nias, an island off the west coast of North Sumatra, Indonesia. In the Nias language, the Nias people are known as Ono Niha, which literally means 'descendants of human'. Nias island is known as ''Tanö N ...
, and there are significant minorities of other ethnicities such as
Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, ...
,
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to: * Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people * Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center * Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
, Javanese,
Chinese Indonesians Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have l ...
and Acehnese people. The Chinese population are mainly descendants of traders in the precolonial era while the Acehnese people, who are found mostly around Mudik village on Idanoi, are descendants from Acehnese ships' crews. Most of the Acehnese and Chinese population have been assimilated into Nias society and can fluently speak the
Nias language The Nias language is an Austronesian language spoken on Nias Island and the Batu Islands off the west coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It is known as Li Niha by its native speakers. It belongs to the Northwest Sumatra–Barrier Islands subgroup ...
. There were historically populations of
Bugis people The Bugis people (pronounced ), also known as Buginese, are an ethnicity—the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassar and Toraja), in the south-western province of Sulawesi, ...
, especially around the region close to the
Hinako Islands Hinako is a feminine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include: Actors *Hinako Saeki, Japanese actress *Hinako Sakurai, Japanese model *Hinako Sano, Japanese actress Artists and musicians *Hinako Ashihara, Japanese manga artist * ...
, who were killed by raids from Acehnese ships during the precolonial era. Other ethnicities are known by Nias people as "Orang Seberang" (Indonesian: people from across). Most people in the city speak the Nias language, which is also taught at schools as a regional language.
Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...
is also well-understood in the city.


Governance


Administrative districts

Gunungsitoli has an area of comprising 0.63% of
North Sumatra North Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Utara) is a province of Indonesia located on the northern part of the island of Sumatra. Its capital and largest city is Medan. North Sumatra is Indonesia's fourth most populous province after West Java, East Java and ...
province. The city is divided into six districts (''kecamatan''), which are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 and the 2020 Censuses, together with the official estimates as at mid 2021. The table also includes the number of administrative villages (urban ''kelurahan'') in each district, and its postal code.


Local government

As with all Indonesian cities, the local government of Gunungsitoli is a second-level administrative division that is run by a mayor and vice-mayor together with the city parliament, and is equivalent to a regency. Executive power lies in the mayor and vice-mayor while legislation duties are carried on by the local parliament. Mayor, vice-mayor, and parliament members are democratically elected by the city's residents. Heads of districts are directly appointed by the city mayor on the recommendation of the city secretary.


Politics

On a provincial level, Gunungsitoli is part of the eighth electoral district of North Sumatra province together with the
Nias Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
, South Nias, North Nias, and West Nias Regencies (i.e. the entire
Nias Island Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
), which together have six representatives in the provincial parliament. On the city level, it is divided into three electoral districts and together, the city parliament has 25 representatives.


Economy

The biggest contributor to Gunungsitoli's gross regional product is the trade sector with a figure of 25.49%, followed by construction with 21.82%, and fisheries and agriculture with 14.6%. Economic growth was 6.05% in 2019. The city's
gross regional product Gross regional product (GRP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced in a region or subdivision of a country in a period (quarterly or yearly) of time. A metropolitan area's GRP (gross metropolitan prod ...
(GRP) in 2021 was 5,776.11 billion rupiahs, which was the second-highest in the island after South Nias Regency.


Agriculture and fisheries

Despite it being smaller than other sectors in terms of contribution to the GRP, agriculture employs around 31% of the city's workforce. In 2019, of the city was cultivated for paddy with a crop yield of 12,997 tons. Copra is among the island's main exports and is shipped from Gunungsitoli after being harvested from neighbouring regencies. Other cultivated crops in Gunungsitoli are maize with a crop yield of 655.54 tons, cassava with 1,456 tons, and sweet potatoes with production of 634.25 tons. Most of the city's population planted cassava without harvesting it, and instead used its leaves to feed pigs. The pig population in Gunungsitoli as of 2020 was 2,699. The city's egg production was 268 tons in 2020. The same year's fish catch was 6,284 tons from the sea and 129 tons of freshwater fish.


Industry

North Gunungsitol hosts the only shipyard on Nias. The shipyard was built in 2017 and started operating in 2019, mostly repairing and painting ships. The city government runs an ice factory mainly to support the city's fisheries. The factory has capability to produce around 300 blocks of ice per day. Other industries in the city include production of foods for livestock. Gunungsitoli has significant
tofu Tofu (), also known as bean curd in English, is a food prepared by coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness; it can be ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', ''extra firm'' or ''super firm ...
industry; tofu is produced from
soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses. Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu an ...
s from other regions such as Sibolga. Other processed products in the city includes
dodol ''Dodol'' is a sweet toffee-like sugar palm-based confection commonly found in Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Originating from the culinary traditions of Indonesia, it is also popular in Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, the Philipp ...
with
durian The durian (, ) is the edible fruit of several tree species belonging to the genus ''Durio''. There are 30 recognised ''Durio'' species, at least nine of which produce edible fruit. ''Durio zibethinus'', native to Borneo and Sumatra, is the onl ...
flavour, which is Nias' signature dish; furniture products, and taro-related products. There are also fisheries-related industries such as fish processing and production of canned fish.


Tourism

Gunungsitoli is the main gateway to Nias and a hub for tourists before reaching their destinations elsewhere on the island. According to the city government, there are 110 tourist spots inside the city. Despite the decline of the tourist industry following earthquakes, there are still significant international tourist visits, mostly by Australians. Tourist potential includes Nias culture, as well as beaches and natural spots such as cave and waterfalls. In 2019, 64,767 tourists—mostly domestic—visited the city. The tourist sector is supported by 23 hotels in the city as of 2019.


Finance

There are several banks in Gunungsitol such as North Sumatra Bank,
Bank Rakyat Indonesia PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (Persero) Tbk ( 'Indonesian People's Bank', commonly known as BRI) is one of the largest banks in Indonesia. It specialises in small scale and microfinance style borrowing from and lending to its approximately 30 mill ...
, Bank Negara Indonesia,
Bank Mandiri PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk or Bank Mandiri, headquartered in Jakarta, is the largest bank in Indonesia in terms of assets, loans and deposits. Total assets as of March 2021, were IDR 1.58 quadrillion (around US$110.56 billion). As ...
, and Bank Danamon. There are also several insurance companies—mostly state-owned—such as Jiwasraya and Putra Muda. The finance sector contributed 3.29% to the city's GRP as of 2021.


Infrastructure

As of 2020, Gunungsitol had 28 kindergartens, 105 elementary schools, 35 junior high schools, and 12 senior high schools, in addition to 14 vocational high schools and six higher education institutions. In late 2021, several higher colleges and schools merged to form Nias Raya University. It is the island's first university and its main campus is located in South Nias Regency. There were four hospitals, nine polyclinics, six
puskesmas Puskesmas ( id, Pusat Kesehatan Masyarakat, ) are government-mandated community health clinics located across Indonesia. They are overseen by the Indonesian Ministry of Health and provide healthcare for the population on sub-district level. ...
, 20 healthcare centers, and six pharmacies. The city's main public hospital is Dr. M. Thomsen Regional Hospital, which is named after a Christian missionary and doctor who operated in the region during the colonial era. Previously, it was named Gunungsitoli Regional Hospital. The hospital is operated by the Nias Regency government because the city was previously part of that regency. It underwent an expansion in early 2021. Convenience store chains such as
Alfamart PT Sumber Alfaria Trijaya Tbk or Alfamart is a primarily-franchised Indonesian convenience store chain. As of May 2021, it had over 17,000 stores spread across Indonesia, 4 million daily customers and tens of thousands of micro, small and medium ...
and
Indomaret PT Indomarco Prismatama or Indomaret (short for Indonesia Market Retail) is a chain of retail convenience stores from Indonesia, with over 18,000 stores across Indonesia. It is the first and largest chain of this kind of store in Indonesia. Indom ...
opened shops in Gunungsitoli in mid-2020. This received harsh criticism and rejection from many locals. Incumbent mayor Lakhomizaro said he was threatened by an unknown person when attending a Christmas celebration in the city's main church because he had issued convenience store permits. Gunungsitoli's internet connectivity is mostly provided by
Telkomsel PT Telekomunikasi Selular ( trading as Telkomsel) is an Indonesian wireless network provider founded in 1995 and is owned by Telkom Indonesia (65%) and Singtel (35%). It is headquartered in South Jakarta. Telkomsel is the largest cellular ...
though both
cellular Cellular may refer to: *Cellular automaton, a model in discrete mathematics * Cell biology, the evaluation of cells work and more * ''Cellular'' (film), a 2004 movie *Cellular frequencies, assigned to networks operating in cellular RF bands *Cell ...
and
fiber optic An optical fiber, or optical fibre in Commonwealth English, is a flexible, transparent fiber made by drawing glass (silica) or plastic to a diameter slightly thicker than that of a human hair. Optical fibers are used most often as a means to ...
for its service
IndiHome IndiHome (abbreviated from Indonesia Digital Home) is a home telephone, internet, and Internet Protocol television services owned by Telkom Indonesia. IndiHome was launched on 2015 to replace Speedy (Telkom), Speedy. Its packages also come with di ...
. The fiber optic service is available in Gunungsitoli, South Gunungsitoli, and Gunungsitoli Idanoi districts. Other providers in the city are
XL Axiata PT XL Axiata Tbk (formerly PT Excelcomindo Pratama Tbk), is an Indonesia-based mobile telecommunications services operator headquartered at Jakarta. It is the second largest mobile telecommunications company in Indonesia. The operator's coverag ...
and
Indosat PT Indosat Tbk, trading as Indosat Ooredoo Hutchison, is a telecommunications provider in Indonesia which is owned by Ooredoo Hutchison Asia, a joint venture between Ooredoo and Hutchison Asia Telecom Group (a part of CK Hutchison Holdings) si ...
. As of 2019, all the providers are in 4G.


Landmarks

Gunungsitoli has a number of public parks, including Ya'ahowu Park located in Jl. Saompo, a coastal area of the city. The park is often used as place for cultural events and other celebrations such as
Indonesian Independence Day The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of t ...
,
Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...
, and Nias Festival. Ya'ahowu Park was built on the ruins of houses that were destroyed in the aftermath of the 2005 Nias earthquake. It was named after word "ya'ahowu" which roughly means "bless you" in Nias language, often used to greet each other. Around the park are monuments such as the Durian Monument and the Nias Earthquake Monument. Names of the victims from the 2005 earthquake are written on the monument to commemorate the disaster, and at the top is a piece of debris from the earthquake. Other parks such as Doa Bunda Maria Park and a heroes' cemetery also exist in the city. There are also other monuments in the city such as the Salib Monument in the city's main market. The monument was built by the city government and inaugurated on 6 December 2020. In South Gunungsitoli district, there are historical buildings such as cemetery and former house of missionaries that spread Christianity on Nias, Jemaat Petrus Ombolata church, and a former dormitory building. These buildings are said by city's Department of Tourism and Culture to be more than 100 years old; they had deteriorated due to their age and were restored. The city government plans to turn the buildings into a religious tourism destination, in addition to being proposed to be cultural heritage property.


Transportation

Gunungsitoli has of roads, most of which are paved with asphalt. Road quality varies, however, because of frequent earthquakes and poor soil condition. According to
Statistics Indonesia Statistics Indonesia ( id, Badan Pusat Statistik, BPS, ), is a non-departmental government institute of Indonesia that is responsible for conducting statistical surveys. Its main customer is the government, but statistical data is also availabl ...
, in 2019, more than 30% of city's roads were considered damaged. Gunungsitoli is served by Binaka Airport with regular flights to Medan and
Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...
. The city has two ports; Angin Port and Roro Siwalubanua II Port, both of which provide service for passengers and container freight. There are regular ferry routes to
Sibolga Sibolga (formerly sometimes Siboga) is a city and a port located in the natural harbor of Sibolga Bay on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. It is located on the western side of North Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean and is ...
,
Singkil Singkíl (or Sayaw sa Kasingkil) is a folk dance of the Maranao people of Lake Lanao depicting one of the episodes in the epic poem ''Darangen'', which was popularised by the Bayanihan Philippine National Folk Dance Company. Description ''S ...
, and Padang. The city is also served by
Sea Toll Program The Sea Toll Program (Indonesian: ''Tol Laut''), sometimes called the Sea Highway Program, is a program initiated by Indonesian president Joko Widodo. Its aim is to reduce price disparity between the main islands of Indonesia and smaller isolated ...
, which has routes to Padang and Jakarta. Like other Indonesian cities, Gunungsitoli has angkots (shared taxis), which are regulated by the city government and use Faekhu Passenger Terminal located at South Gunungsitoli. The terminal is intended both for angkot and buses.
Perum DAMRI DAMRI Public Corporation ( id, Perusahaan Umum DAMRI; was ''Djawatan Angkoetan Motor Repoeblik Indonesia'', lit. Motor Transport Enterprise of the Republic of Indonesia) is an Indonesian state-owned bus operator. Under further development as a ...
has a bus route to the town Telukdalam, South Nias.


References

{{Authority control Populated places in North Sumatra Populated coastal places in Indonesia Cities in North Sumatra