Sulawesi is one of the most uniquely shaped islands you will find. The four peninsulas give the island an extremely long coastline. The interior of the island is quite mountainous, with not a few volcanoes scattered about.
Sulawesi was called Celebes by the Portuguese, and some maps still carry that name. The island's largest city has also had a couple of different names. For many years at the end of the last century, Makassar went by the name Ujung Pandang.
Map of Sulawesi, Indonesia
The island's most well known tourist attraction is the region of Tana Toraja, high in the mountains near the center of the island. The region features spectacular scenery that is home to a unique culture. But there's more to Sulawesi than Tana Toraja. Manado at the far northeastern tip of the island has some of the best diving on the planet.
Tana Toraja, high in the mountains near the center of Sulawesi, is one of the few places in Indonesia where you can still see a unique culture that keeps its traditions alive, and not just for the benefit of the tourists. In the high mountain valleys, you will see traditional tongkonan houses set in terraced rice fields. The culturally distinctive Torajans are perhaps most well known for their elaborate death rituals, which includes funerals that can last for several days, followed by burials in rock tombs.
Makassar is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi. It started to become an important trading port beginning in the early sixteenth century as part of the kingdom of Gowa. The Kings who ruled Gowa were strong believers in free trade, which proved a hindrance to the Dutch plans to monopolize the spice trade when they arrived. The Dutch sponsored a revolt by some of the other kingdoms under Gowa's rule, and eventually forced a treaty which allowed them to effectively occupy Makassar in 1667.
Manado was established by the Dutch in the 17th century, and was once praised for its beauty. Unfortunately, the city was heavily bombed during World War II, and again during the Indonesia battle for independence, and the modern reconstruction has left the city less than picturesque.
While there are monuments to the heroes of the struggle for independence all around town, there is little to see in Manado itself. Most international visitors come to explore the jungles and volcanoes around the city, or dive the waters of the offshore islands.
