Poso

This article is about the Indonesian town. For the community in California formerly with this name, see Famoso, California. For the defunct Canadian bank, see Province of Ontario Savings Office. For the Filipino rice cake, see Pusô.

"Posso" redirects here. For the made-up Possum language, see DoggoLingo § Other_animals.

Poso
Town
Poso in 2015
Sentinel-2 L2A satellite image, featuring the city of Poso in December 2020
Poso Location of Poso in Sulawesi
Coordinates: 1°24′S 120°45′E
Country	Indonesia
Province	Central Sulawesi
Regency	Poso
Area
• Total	56.57 km2 (21.84 sq mi)
Population  (2020 Census)
• Total	47,477
Time zone	UTC+8 (Central Indonesia Time)
Website	http://posokab.go.id/

Poso (Old Spelling: Posso) is the administrative capital of Poso Regency, Indonesia. It is the main port and transportation hub for the central-southern coast of Central Sulawesi. Its urban area consists of three districts, Poso Kota, North Poso Kota, and South Poso Kota. Poso lies in the middle of the province on the shore of the Gulf of Tomini, right in the central part of Sulawesi Island. With a total population of 47,477 in 2020, it is one of the biggest and oldest towns in the province.

Poso began to develop as a small port town located at the mouth of the Poso River at the end of the 19th century—making it one of the oldest towns in Central Sulawesi, its presence was considered important for the Dutch to control the southern region of Tomini in the early days of their arrival. Poso was the administrative center of Landschap Poso, Onderafdeling Poso, and later Afdeling Poso during colonial times. Amid World War II, the Japanese made Poso one of their military posts. Post-independence, Poso was chosen as the capital of the newly formed Central Sulawesi in 1948 before the capital was moved to Palu in 1951.

Poso's central location has historically made it a strategic stopover point for travelers moving between the north and south, as well as the west and east of Sulawesi. This has contributed to a diverse population, comprising various ethnicities, religions, and cultural backgrounds. The inhabitants are dispersed from coastal areas to the mountainous regions, with trade and services serving as the primary economic activities.

Poso is crossed by the Trans-Sulawesi National Highway and served by Kasiguncu Airport, linking it to other cities in Sulawesi such as Palu and Makassar.

Geography

Climate

Poso has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Poso
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	30.6 (87.1)	30.7 (87.3)	30.9 (87.6)	31.0 (87.8)	31.1 (88.0)	30.3 (86.5)	29.7 (85.5)	30.8 (87.4)	31.2 (88.2)	32.2 (90.0)	31.8 (89.2)	31.1 (88.0)	31.0 (87.7)
Daily mean °C (°F)	26.8 (80.2)	26.8 (80.2)	27.0 (80.6)	27.0 (80.6)	27.4 (81.3)	26.6 (79.9)	25.9 (78.6)	26.6 (79.9)	26.7 (80.1)	27.5 (81.5)	27.5 (81.5)	27.1 (80.8)	26.9 (80.4)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	23.0 (73.4)	23.0 (73.4)	23.1 (73.6)	23.1 (73.6)	23.7 (74.7)	23.0 (73.4)	22.2 (72.0)	22.5 (72.5)	22.3 (72.1)	22.9 (73.2)	23.2 (73.8)	23.2 (73.8)	22.9 (73.3)
Average rainfall mm (inches)	162 (6.4)	157 (6.2)	247 (9.7)	291 (11.5)	253 (10.0)	256 (10.1)	219 (8.6)	193 (7.6)	201 (7.9)	144 (5.7)	197 (7.8)	197 (7.8)	2,517 (99.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org

Tourism and culture

Poso can be reached by plane from Palu or by bus from many other big cities on Sulawesi and is situated on the equator. It features tropical rain forest, seashore gardens, and other natural scenery. Sintuwu Maroso Square is the main town square and is located in central Poso. Rumah Katu Marine Park is a water park located 10 km from the center of Poso.

Modero is a well-known traditional dance that is performed during the celebration of rice harvesting (Padungku), usually in the evenings.

See also

• 2002 Poso bus attacks
• 2005 Indonesian beheadings of Christian girls

References

Sources

Books

• Atkinson, Jane Monnig (1998). "Who Appears in the Family Album?: Writing the History of Indonesia's Revolutionary Struggle". In Rosaldo, Renato (ed.). Cultural Citizenship in Island Southeast Asia: Nation and Belonging in the Hinterlands. University of California Press. pp. 134–161. ISBN 9780520227484.
• Schrauwers, Albert (2000). Colonial 'reformation' in the Highlands of Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, 1892–1995. Anthropological Horizons (14). Toronto: University of Toronto Press. ISBN 978-0-80-208303-6. LCCN 00698098.

Journals

• Aragon, Lorraine (2001). "Communal Violence in Poso, Central Sulawesi: Where People Eat Fish and Fish Eat People". Indonesia (72). Southeast Asia Program Publications: 45–79. doi:10.2307/3351481. hdl:1813/54240. JSTOR 3351481.
• Aragon, Lorraine (2005). "Mass Media Fragmentation and Narratives of Violent Action in Sulawesi's Poso Conflict". Indonesia (79). Southeast Asia Program Publications: 1–55. JSTOR 3351332.
• Sadi, Haliadi; Agustino, Leo (2015). "Thought of Local Politics in the History of the Establishment of Central Sulawesi Province". COSMOGOV: Jurnal Ilmu Pemerintahan. 1 (2). Andalas University: 354–376. doi:10.24198/cosmogov.v1i2.11843.

Reports

• Gobée, Emile (2007). Colonising Poso: The Diary of Controleur Emile Gobee, June 1909 - May 1910. Working Papers. Translated by Coté, Joost. Monash University Press. ISBN 9781876924577.

Websites

• Elfarisi, Dimas (November 5, 2016). Fembrian, Widita (ed.). "Lepas Marathon 42 km, Menpora Ingin Poso Menjadi Kota Olahraga" [Open 42 km Marathon Race, Sports and Youth Minister Wants Poso to Become a Sports City]. Netral News (in Indonesian). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
• Fauzi (May 22, 2017). Malaha, Rolex (ed.). "Telkom Sulteng: Poso Sudah Aplikasikan Smart City" [Telkom Sulteng: Poso is Applying Smart City]. ANTARA News Sulawesi Tengah (in Indonesian). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
• Komunitas Historia Sulawesi Tengah (November 2, 2016). "Poso, Calon Ibu kota Provinsi yang Tereliminasi" [Poso, the Eliminated Prospective Capital of the Province]. Komunitas Historia Sulawesi Tengah (in Indonesian). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
• Mansur (May 3, 2016). Damanik, Caroline (ed.). "Penggusuran Pasar Diwarnai Bentrokan, Lima Pedagang Diamankan Polisi" [Market Eviction Colored by Clashes, Five Traders Secured by the Police]. Kompas (in Indonesian). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
• Pemerintah Kabupaten Poso (April 10, 2011). "Selayang Pandang Kabupaten Poso" [Overview of the Poso Regency]. Pemerintah Kabupaten Poso (in Indonesian). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
• Timparosa, Feri (May 28, 2017). Malaha, Rolex (ed.). "Poso Bangun TPA Sampah yang Representatif" [Poso Build a Representative Waste Landfill]. ANTARA News Sulawesi Tengah (in Indonesian). Retrieved April 16, 2018.
• Weatherbase (2018). "Poso, Indonesia Travel Weather Averages". Weatherbase. Retrieved April 16, 2018.