Capital and largest city of South Sulawesi, Indonesia
About Makassar
Makassar, formerly Ujung Pandang, is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Bandung. The city is located on the southwest coast of the island of Sulawesi, facing the Makassar Strait.
Names and etymology
The name Makassar was long spelled Macassar in English and many other European languages, whereas the Portuguese spelled it Macáçar during their presence there in the 17th century. The Dutch spelled the name both Makasser and Makassar during their rule over the city as part of the Dutch East Indies. With the independence following World War II, the Indonesians kept the Dutch spelling of Makassar with a double 's', despite the fact that the Indonesian language does not have geminate consonants (although the Makassar and Bugis languages do have them, neither has such geminate -ss- in their names for this city). On 1 September 1971, the city was renamed after a variant of the pre-colonial name of the city's Fort Rotterdam, Ujung Pandang (Makassarese: Jumpandang). …
History
The trade in spices figured prominently in the history of Sulawesi, which involved frequent struggles between rival native and foreign powers for control of the lucrative trade during the pre-colonial and colonial period, when spices from the region were in high demand in the West. Much of South Sulawesi's early history was written in old texts that can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries. Makassar is mentioned in the Nagarakretagama, a Javanese eulogy composed in the 14th century during the reign of Majapahit king Hayam Wuruk. In the text, Makassar is mentioned as an island under Majapahit dominance, alongside Butun, Salaya, and Banggawi. …
Geography
Makassar is the capital of the province of South Sulawesi, located in the southern part of Sulawesi Island, formerly known as Ujung Pandang, bordered to the north by Maros Regency and Pangkajene and Islands Regency, to the east by Maros Regency, to the south by Gowa Regency, and to the west by Makassar Strait. The area of Makassar City is recorded as 175.77 square kilometers. Makassar City is a city located near the coast that stretches along the western and northern corridors and is also known as the "Waterfront City" which contains several rivers such as the Tallo River, Jeneberang River, and Pampang River) all of which flow into the city. Makassar City is a stretch of lowland at an altitude of between 0–25 meters above sea level. Makassar has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen: Am). The average temperature for the year in Makassar is 27.5 °C (81. …
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