Gunungsitoli

Precolonial 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. 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. 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 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. Mid-to-late 20th century 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. 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. The banknotes were known as ORIPDA-Nias (Regional Money of Republic Indonesia-Nias). The republican government of Nias was evacuated from Gunungsitoli in the aftermath. Despite these improvements the boom was short-lived. The city's infrastructure has been improved and development of the tourist industry has been a particular focus of both local and central government. 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. == Geography ==

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 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. Climate 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 . Wind speed on average per month reaches per hour. == Demographics ==

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. festival celebrated by Chinese Indonesians in Gunungsitoli, February 2020. The city has significant population of Chinese Indonesians. 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 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. Indonesian is also well-understood in the city. == Governance ==

Administrative districts Gunungsitoli has an area of comprising 0.63% of North Sumatra 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 of mid-2024. The table also includes the location of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 98 rural desa and 3 urban kelurahan - the latter all in Gunungsitoli District), and its postal code. Note: (a) including the 3 kelurahan (with populations in mid 2024) of Ilir (9,585), Pasar Gunungsitoli (4,864) and Saombo (2,997). 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 Council, and is equivalent in status to a regency. Executive power lies in the mayor and vice-mayor while legislation duties are carried on by the City Council. The Mayor, vice-mayor, and City Council 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, South Nias, North Nias, and West Nias Regencies (i.e. the entire Nias Island), which together have six representatives in the provincial parliament. On the city level, it is divided into three electoral districts and the City Council consists of 25 representative members overall. == 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 (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 city government runs an ice factory mainly to support the city's fisheries. The factory has the 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 industry; tofu is produced from soybeans from other regions such as Sibolga. Other processed products in the city includes dodol with durian flavour, which is Nias' signature dish; furniture products, and taro-related products. 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, Bank Negara Indonesia, Bank Mandiri, 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. 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, 20 healthcare centers, and six pharmacies. Convenience store chains such as Alfamart and Indomaret 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 though both cellular and fiber optic for its service IndiHome. The fiber optic service is available in Gunungsitoli, South Gunungsitoli, and Gunungsitoli Idanoi districts. Other providers in the city are XL Axiata and Indosat. 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, Christmas, 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, 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. Perum DAMRI has a bus route to the town Telukdalam, South Nias. == References ==