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Founding
Founding of Gunungsitoli
city in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia
- 1678 – 2008
- Southeast Asia
Founding
city in North Sumatra Province, Indonesia
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Gunungsitoli (Nias pronunciation: [gu.nuŋ.si.to.li]) is a city located in North Sumatra province, Indonesia, on the Indian Ocean island of Nias, west of Sumatra. 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 126,202 at the 2010 Census and 136,017 at the 2020 Census; in mid 2024, Gunungsitoli had a population of 145,233 (comprising 70,954 males and 74,279 females); it was officially projected to rise to 147,516 by mid 2025, and reach 150,000 in mid 2026. which makes it the seventh-most-populous city in North Sumatra. It had a population density of 309 people per square kilometre in 2024, 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 but was separated on 29 October 2008.
Nias island, together with groups of other islands off the western coast of Sumatra, was mentioned by Ptolemy 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 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 in August 1999. The excavation shows sign of Mesolithic 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 led by Zheng He 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, 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.
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 made agreements with village chiefs around the location of modern-day Gunungsitoli city and the Hinako islands. 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.
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 but were unable to establish a military presence on the island outside of 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. 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.
Gunungsitoli was one of two locations on Nias where Dutch authorities held German prisoners during World War II. The prisoners were formerly part of a larger German prisoner group aboard the 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. Once occupied German prisoners established the unrecognized state of the Free Republic of Nias. 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, Gunungsitoli and Nias came under blockade from the Dutch Navy 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 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. 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 and the Indonesian National Police 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 to Singapore and donating pigs and oil to Tapanuli. Gunungsitoli was one of the main centers of Republican support on the island. Due to Operation Kraai, communication between Nias and Tapanuli was cut off so the island tried to establish communication with Kutaraja, Aceh. 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.
Nias, including Gunungsitoli, was devastated by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami and the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake. Much of the infrastructure was destroyed, and between 2005 and 2010, the residents became reliant on aid from nonprofit organizations to recover.
On 29 October 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 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 2023, however, the creation of the new province and other proposed new provinces and regencies has been halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic which put strain on government budgets, as well as by a government moratorium since 2013 on the creation of new provinces and regencies.
Gunungsitoli borders North Nias Regency in the north, Nias Regency in the south and west, and the Indian Ocean in the east. The city has many hills with heights of up to 800 meters (2,600 ft) above sea level. The city's soil is mostly unstable, and often causes landslides and damage to roads. Soil composition varies from alluvium 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 of the Eurasian Plate and Indo-Australian Plate, making it extremely prone to earthquakes. The city was devastated by the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake. According to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency, on average, Gunungsitoli experiences more than 300 earthquakes per month. Due to its coastal location, the city is also prone to tsunamis.
Gunungsitoli is located close to the equator, 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 26 °C (79 °F). Wind speed on average per month reaches 5.17 knots (2.66 m/s) per hour.
The average annual population growth in Gunungsitoli between 2020 and 2024 was 1.75%, with a sex ratio of 95.5 males to 100 females. As with other Indonesian cities, the population is young, with 93,655 of the total population of 145,233 between the ages of 15 and 65, of reproductive age and considered part of the workforce. In 2024, 46.3% of the city population lived in Gunungsitoli District. Despite the high birthrate and expansive structure of its population pyramid, the population growth was slow because of internal migration to bigger cities such as Padang and Medan.
The majority of the city's population is Protestant with a minority of Muslims, Catholics, and Buddhists. The Protestant population was 116,435 in 2020, followed by 21,979 Muslims, 10,363 Catholics and 382 Buddhists. The majority of city's residents are Nias people, and there are significant minorities of other ethnicities such as Batak, Minangkabau, Javanese, Chinese Indonesians 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. There were historically populations of Bugis people, especially around the region close to the Hinako Islands, 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 is also well-understood in the city.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Gunungsitoli”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.