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Gowa is a regency in the province of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and includes many of the suburbs of the city of Makassar on its landward side. It has an area of 1,883.33 km2 and a population of 652,329 at the 2010 census, increasing to 765,836 at the 2020 census; the official estimate at mid-2025 was 841,730 (comprising 416,797 males and 424,933 females). The majority of the regency (the western eleven districts, with 664,883 inhabitants, or 79% of the regency's population in mid 2025) lies within the official metropolitan area of the city of Makassar, including the regency's administrative capital at Sungguminasa. The hill resort of Malino is in the eastern (non-metropolitan) part of the regency.

Gowa's real potential is agriculture. The main job of the regency in 2000 per capita income of Rp. 2.09 million is farming, with the food crops sub-sector as the mainstay. The agricultural sector contributed 45 percent or Rp. 515.2 billion.Rice Field in Parigi, Gowa Regency, South Sulawesi Paddy fields were less than 20 percent (3,640 hectares) of the total land area of the regency and is able to provide sufficient results. There is also production of various agricultural crops such as rice and other crops, and horticultural crops.

Sub-districts in the highlands like Parangloe, Bungaya and especially Tinggimoncong are vegetable producing centers. The most widely cultivated vegetables are potatoes, cabbage, mustard, onion and beans. Per year, the harvest of vegetables exceed 5,000 tons. Vegetables of Gowa Makassar city is able to meet the market and its surroundings, even to the island of Borneo and the Maluku through the port of Pare Pare and Port Mamuju.

In addition to farming vegetables that have a short growing season, there are many farmers in Gowa who also who farm crops with longevity. One of them is the passion fruit plant (Fassifora sp). Visited Makassar less afdol feel if not bring fruit or juice passion fruit syrup hands. Plants from the mainland of South America are synonymous with South Sulawesi. Kanreapia Village, District Tinggimoncong is one of the passion fruit producing areas in Gowa. Passion fruit becomes sour. The taste of the fruit is sweet and capable of moving a small food and beverage industry, but it is now beginning to be less desirable to farmers. Planting of passion is not easy, except for the long cropping period, and they require special care, such as high surface soil, fertilizers and drugs which are quite expensive.

Furthermore, the price of passion fruit is also unstable and likely to continue to decline. These vines have one harvest per year (November to January) with a production of about 300,000 fruit per hectare. The price at the time of harvest for one kilo (approximately 25 pieces) was only Rp. 500,- up to Rp. 800,- so that farmers only received Rp 6.0 million to Rp 9.6 million per hectare. This situation causes the passion fruit planting area to continue to decline. In 1996 there were 1,241 hectares with a production of 21,861 tonnes. Four years later the planting area consisted of 854 hectares with a production of 7,189 tons. Many farmers are switching crops from passion fruit to vegetables.

Dalam khasanah sejarah nasional, nama Gowa sudah tidak asing lagi. Mulai abad ke-14 (1320), Kerajaan Gowa merupakan kerajaan maritim yang besar pengaruhnya di perairan Nusantara. Bahkan dari kerajaan ini juga muncul nama pahlawan nasional yang bergelar Ayam Jantan dari Timur, Sultan Hasanuddin, Raja Gowa XVI yang berani melawan VOC Belanda pada tahun-tahun awal kolonialisasinya di Indonesia. Kerajaan Gowa memang akhirnya takluk kepada Belanda lewat Perjanjian Bungaya. Namun meskipun sebagai kerajaan, Gowa tidak lagi berjaya, kerajaan ini mampu memberi warisan terbesarnya, yaitu Pelabuhan Makassar. Pelabuhan yang kemudian berkembang menjadi Kota Makassar ini dapat disebut anak kandungnya, sedangkan Kerajaan Gowa sendiri merupakan cikal bakal Kabupaten Gowa sekarang.

Kota Makassar lebih dikenal khalayak dibandingkan dengan Kabupaten Gowa. Padahal kenyataannya sampai sekarang Kabupaten Gowa ibaratnya masih menjadi ibu bagi kota ini. Kabupaten yang hanya berjarak tempuh sekitar 10 menit dari Kota Makassar ini memasok sebagian besar kebutuhan dasar kehidupan kota. Mulai dari bahan material untuk pembangunan fisik, bahan pangan, terutama sayur-mayur, sampai aliran air bersih dari Waduk Bili-bili.

Kemampuan Kabupaten Gowa menyuplai kebutuhan bagi daerah sekitarnya karena keadaan alamnya. Kabupaten seluas 1.883,32 kilometer persegi ini memiliki enam gunung, di mana yang tertinggi adalah Gunung Bawakaraeng. Daerah ini juga dilalui Sungai Jeneberang yang di daerah pertemuannya dengan Sungai Jenelata dibangun Waduk Bili-bili. Keuntungan alam ini menjadikan tanah Gowa kaya akan bahan galian, di samping tanahnya subur.

Gowa is located at 12°38.16'E Longitude of Jakarta and 5°33.6'E longitude of the North Pole. While the location of the region his administration between, 12°33.19 'to 13°15:17'E longitude and 5°5' to 5°34.7'S latitude of Jakarta.

The regency is located in the southern part of South Sulawesi province, and is bordered to the north by the city of Makassar and Maros Regency, to the east by Sinjai Regency, Bulukumba Regency and Bantaeng, to the south by Takalar and Jeneponto Regencies, and to the west by the city of Makassar and Takalar Regency.

The total area is 1,883.33 km2, equal to 3.01% of the area of South Sulawesi province. Gowa regency is divided into eighteen districts, comprising 167 villages and 726 hamlets.

The Bili-Bili Dam, located about 30 km from Makassar, was completed in 1998.