Kendari

Capital city of Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia

Kendari is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Southeast Sulawesi. It had a population of 289,966 at the 2010 Census and 345,107 at the 2020 census, making it the most populous city in the province, and the fourth most on Sulawesi. The official estimate as at mid 2023 was 351,085 comprising 176,279 males and 174,806 females. The city covers an area of , or about 0.7 percent of Southeast Sulawesi's land area. Located on Kendari Bay, it continues to be an important trade center, with the province's main port and airport. It is the economic and educational center of the province, home to various universities and colleges. Kendari has the highest Human Development Index (HDI) in Sulawesi.

The word "Kendari" is thought to come from a version of the word "Kandai", meaning a tool made of bamboo and wooden planks to push boats away from a dock. Over time, the pronunciation changed, and the city is now officially known as Kendari.

The Bay of Kendari has been known since the 15th century and appears on Portuguese chartered maps, marked with the name "Citta dela Baia" ("City of the Bay"). The bay was known as "Baia du Tivora" ("Tivora Bay"). Its first king was Mokole Roro, who ruled the kingdom between 428 and 447, in a period known as Ancient Konawe. The kingdom was still small and did not yet rule all of today's Konawe region or Kendari city. The kingdom's capital was in Rahambuu, a town known today as Unaaha, around from Kendari. The kingdom included three smaller kingdoms loyal to Unaaha.

Islam has been present in the kingdom since the early 15th century, especially after the foundation of the neighbouring Sultanate of Buton, just south of Konawe, brought by Buginese merchants from Makassar who mostly settled in coastal regions, and through trade. The kingdom officially embraced Islam during the reign of King Lakidende (1724–1786), who had embraced Islam after traveling around Western parts of Sulawesi and studying Islam in the Bone kingdom around today's South Sulawesi. During his reign, the kingdom banned things that were considered un Islamic, such as eating pork. He promoted the construction of mosques in each village, and marriage in accordance with Islamic tradition. The kingdom's governance structure did not change significantly, and many animist traditions were incorporated with Islamic beliefs by the people. The Kalo Sara symbol was interpreted in accordance with Islamic beliefs instead of being abandoned altogether. During this period, Konawe became a multicultural society, with merchants from Java, Makassar, and Maluku settling on the island. In 1905, following the end of the war against the Gowa Sultanate, the Dutch turned their attention to the eastern coast of Sulawesi. La Mangu had died by now, but the Dutch maintained the plans to establish Laiwoi, approaching nobles from Ranome Eto with the treaty and finally, naming Saosao as king, increasing tensions with the Konawe nobility. To avoid armed conflict, the Dutch government mediated an agreement. However, Konawe secretly mobilised its troops and established an arms store in Puwilalo. In response, the Dutch attempted, and failed, to negotiate with their leader, Watukila. Finally, the Dutch decided to attack Watukila's troops and invaded the kingdom. In 1908, Dutch troops besieged Puundombi Fort, and Konawe fell. In 1978, Kendari gained city status as an administrative city and in 1995 as a kotamadya.

Kendari borders the Konawe Regency in the north, South Konawe Regency in the south and west, and Kendari Bay in the east. The city is on the southeastern part of mainland Sulawesi island; several smaller islands around the bay are within its boundaries. The city's topography varies from flat to hilly. Coastal areas tend to be flatter, while the northern part of the city is part of the Nipa Nipa mountain formation, which reaches elevations of approximately In general, the city's slopes are less than 25 percent except for those in the north, which in some places exceed 40 percent. Soil formations in the city are relatively young, dominated by cambisols, which make up around 30 percent of the city's soil. Other formations also exist with less frequency, such as alluvium and podzols, which account for less than eight percent overall. Rivers and coastal areas contain the most abundant alluvium sediments.

At the time of the 2010 census, the city was divided into ten districts (kecamatan), but an 11th district (Nambo) was subsequently created from part of Abeli District. All districts are tabulated below with their postcodes, areas and populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of urban villages (kelurahan) in each district, and its post codes. Kode Wilayah Name of District (kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'ncensus2010 Pop'ncensus2020 Pop'nestimatemid 2023AdmincentreNo. ofvillagesPostCodes 74.71.01 Mandonga 23.6336,16337,22036,681Wawombalata 6 93111 93113 74.71.03 Baruga 44.3819,36833,29037,354Watubangga 4 93116 74.71.09 Puuwatu 39.8827,74940,00042,374Puuwatu 6 93114 & 93115 74.71.08 Kadia 6.5639,24436,61036,002Kadia 5 93117 & 93118 74.71.07 Wua Wua 11.8224,40733,45032,759Anawai 4 93117 & 93118 74.71.04 Poasia 37.5124,97740,66042,409Rahandouna 4 93231 93233 74.71.06 Abeli 16.0522,43817,19017,703Anggalomelai 7 93234 93238 74.71.10 Kambu 25.3527,13524,72023,836Padaleu 4 93231 74.71.11 Nambo 26.44(a)11,17012,315Nambo 6 74.71.02 Kendari 17.2725,55728,58028,385Kandai 9 93121 93129 74.71.09 West Kendari 21.2542,92842,23041,267Punggaloba 9 93121 93127 Totals 270.14289,966345,107351,085 67

Note: (a) The 2010 population of the new Nambo District, and its post codes, are included in the figures for Abeli District, from which it was later cut out.

The city's economy consists largely of service related sectors employing 77 percent of its workforce. The construction sector, retail, agriculture and fisheries, processing and manufacturing, education, logistics and the financial and insurance industries are also major industries, listed here in order of percentage of gross regional product (GRP). Kendari is also industrial, with the manufacturing sector employing 21.04 percent of the workforce, while agriculture employs 1.34 percent. Shipping comes to Kendari New Port, a large industrial container port, and the Samudera Fishery Port, which hosts 27 fish processing companies as of 2016 and is among the largest centers for that industry in Eastern Indonesia. The fish catch was around tons in 2018, consisting largely of skipjack tuna. There are 142 hotels registered in the city. Kendari is home to 28 large industrial companies and 446 registered small and medium sized enterprises employing more than 1,500 people. Agricultural exports include frozen shrimp, processed cashew nuts, cocoa butter, and raw octopus; most of these products are exported to Japan and India.

Around 90 percent of Kendari's population are members of groups native to the region such as Tolaki, Muna, Buton, and Moronene; the rest are mostly migrants from other parts of Indonesia. There were 176,279 males and 174,806 females in the city in mid 2023. The population grew by 1.7 percent in 2020, with Baruga district growing the most (5.38 percent) while the Kambu district decreased the most, losing 0.9 percent of its population. The most densely populated district was the Kadia district with 5,488 people per square kilometer in 2023, while the least was Nambo. The most populated districts in 2023 were Poasia with 42,409 people and West Kendari with 42,374 people, while the least populated was Nambo, which has a population of 12,315 people. According to Statistics Indonesia, 189,534 people are considered part of the workforce as of 2020. Most of the city's population are Muslim, with considerable Christian, Buddhist, and Hindu minorities.

There are 133 kindergartens, 141 elementary schools, 58 junior high schools, and 32 senior high schools. There are 20 vocational high schools in the city as of 2020. Kendari State Islamic Institution is the largest Islamic college in the province. It has over 6,000 active students, primarily undergraduates, mainly studying Islamic education and sharia economics. Construction of the Kendari Modern Library, in Kadia District, was completed in 2021. The library is managed by the provincial government and was modeled after the Harvard Library. The library has seven floors, a cinema room, meeting spaces, an area for local artifacts, and a cafe. The school participation rate is relatively high—99.44 percent for ages seven to 12 years old, and 94.76 percent for ages 13 to 15. The city reports a literacy rate of 97.94 percent. It is claimed to be the first cardiology hospital in Eastern Indonesia.

There are of road within the city boundaries, of which have been paved and sealed with asphalt. Most of the roads are owned by the city government; the rest are state owned national roads or provincial roads. The Kendari Bay Bridge, with a length of , opened in 2020 and shortened travel times crossing the bay between Kota Lama and Poasia from a half hour to 5 minutes. The city is served by Haluoleo Airport, formerly Wolter Monginsidi Airport. It has regular flights to Jakarta and Makassar and smaller regions around it. Haluoleo is being developed into an international airport to relieve pressure on the already congested Sultan Hasanuddin International Airport. Kendari New Port, in the city, is an international seaport, managed by Pelindo IV, which is used for the export and import of goods from the region. It is one of two international container ports on Sulawesi island that are currently being developed along with Makassar New Port in the city of Makassar. There are smaller ports, such as Wawonii and Nusantara, used mostly for ferries to the smaller islands surrounding the city. Almost 4,800 ships visited the city in 2020. Like most other Indonesian cities, angkots run on routes regulated by city government within Kendari. For long distance land travel, the city is served by Perum DAMRI with various routes to the city of Baubau, Kolaka Regency, and the towns of Raha, Ereke, and Tondasi inside the province as well as interprovince routes to Tana Toraja Regency and Makassar. The city also has an urban bus system run by the city government since 2015.

Many online and print media companies are based in the city, largely serving southeastern Sulawesi. One is the Fajar Group, a media conglomerate that owns several television channels, print media, and online news websites in the city and province. There are several private television channels in Kendari including Net. Kendari, GlobalTV Kendari, and local channels including Sigma TV. The Indonesian state owned television channel TVRI and state owned radio broadcaster Radio Republik Indonesia also have branches in the city.