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Baubau is a city in Southeast Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The city is located on the southwest coast of Buton island. Baubau attained city status on 21 June 2001 after Law Number 13 of 2001 was passed. It covers an area of, of which about is water. It had a population of 136,991 at the 2010 Census and 159,248 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate in mid 2025 was 165,145 (comprising 81,653 males and 83,492 females). The city is the economic center of the Buton Island region and the second-largest city in the province. It was the cultural center of the Butonese people, the former capital of the Sultanate of Buton, the seat of the colonial administration of Eastern Sulawesi (Afdeeling Ost Celebes), and briefly the capital of the entire Southeast Sulawesi regency until 1955 when the capital status shifted to neighbouring Kendari.

The city's agriculture centers are Bungi, Sorawalio, and Lea-Lea districts, which between them have 59.6% of the city's registered agriculture business. In 2023, the city's most produced commodities were papaya and jackfruit, with the city producing 3,610 and 2,143 tonnes respectively, with high quantities of pineapple, tangerine, and dragon fruit also being produced. Around 1,300 hectares of the city were allocated for rice fields, however, many of these were underutilized and often abandoned by its farmers due to the soil being unsuitable for large-scale rice farming. The city also has significant seaweed farming output, exporting 4,914 tonnes in 2022, and fishing boats around the city catch decapterus fish, anchovies, mackerel tuna, and skipjack tuna. In addition, Baubau is a center of fish processing from nearby regions and processed around 10,000 tonnes of fish that were frozen and re-exported elsewhere in 2021. The city planned to establish a shrimp aquaculture industry within the city in 2023.

Sultan of Buton praying to a grave in Baubau As the city was the capital of the Buton Sultanate, it retains many of the old sultanate's events and ethnic processions. A mix of Islamic influences and local cultures can be seen in celebrations such as Haroana Maludhu, which celebrates Mawlid, led by the sultan in the royal palace complex and attended by Butonese people. The procession lasts around a month and ends with an event celebrated inside the Buton royal mosque. Another event, Haroana Rajabu, involves the Butonese people praying to their dead ancestors on the fourth Friday of the month of Rajab. Aside from Islam-related events, many other events and processions take place, several of which are related to the sea. These include Tuturangina Andala, to ward off bad weather or disaster while seaborne, Harona Andala, to wish for success while fishing, and Phalantoana Bhangka, to inaugurate newly built ships made by local workshops.

The city hosts several urban parks; one of the most prominent is Kotamara Park, which is located on the city's waterfront facing the sea. Built in 2010, the park was constructed on top of reclaimed land in Batupoaro district. Hutan Pinus Samparona, an urban forest in Sorawolio district, is also a popular location with locals for hangouts and selfies. It is managed jointly by the city government and private investors. Another park, Bukit Kaluku Park, was built in 2019 as part of a slum-upgrading project by the city. The park itself is located close to Kaluku Beach and has a direct view of Murhum Port. There is also another park located close to a different beach within the city called Kamali Park. A park located close to Wameo Market is used by vendors and hawkers in addition to its park function, while BRI Park near the city center was planned in 2022 to be a center for small businesses. In 2012, the city has total of 1,192 hectares of land classified as city parks.Walls of Wolio Fortress in Baubau

The most prominent historical site in the city is Buton Palace Fortress, sometimes known as Wolio Fortress, which contains a royal complex. It was constructed around the 16th century, starting during the reign of Sultan La Sangaji and ending under Sultan La Buke. In local folk legend, the fortress's construction was so time-consuming that subjects who took part were unable to work elsewhere, and the siolimbona, the sultanate's legislative body, threatened to impeach the sultan who insisted on continuing it. Due to the presence of this fortress and several others around the city, Baubau is nicknamed the "city of thousand fortresses". These fortresses, including Wolio, were all built using carved coral reefs and limestone and were used as the main defense infrastructure of the sultanate. Fortresses were so ubiquitous a part of the sultanate's infrastructure that the Wolio language word for "fortress" is synonymous with "city", and every single kadie (administrative division of Sultanate of Buton) had at least one fortress built on it. The fortress itself and the complex inside of it were declared to be cultural heritage by Indonesia's Ministry of Education, who granted it legal protection. It is also the largest fortress in the Indonesian archipelago by land area, at 22.8 hectares, and has a circumference of 2,740 meters. The fortress has a trench of around 1.5 kilometers in length which is divided into several parts for defensive purposes. Each part (baluara) of the fortress, is divided by internal walls and armed with cannons. It also has twelve gates (lawa) scattered around the fortress's outer layer. The inner part of the fortress is an old settlement complex said to have been founded by migrants from Johor and divided into limbo, each of which had administrative functions and a royal official. Inside this part is the royal mosque, built in 1712. The fortress also contains a 21-meter wooden flagpole, traditionally called kasulana tombi, which was built that year and is thought by Indonesian historians to be the oldest flagpole in the world still standing. In 1871, the flagpole was struck by lightning, resulting in parts of it being replaced. In 2020, due to its old age and to prevent further damage, the flagpole was reinforced by the city government with additional supports and a protective structure made of iron.

Certain parts of the city, especially around Balai Kota Street, contain colonial-era buildings, with their design resembling Art Deco style. A former colonial resident office building, a former house of the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army officer, a colonial-era post office, and the town square (today called Merdeka Square) are located along this street. According to the Dutch administration, the spatial planning around this area with a central town square was a common feature of indigenous Muslim towns; the area was then reinforced for better surveillance and management of the natives' activities. The Dutch also constructed a garden, called Keboen Raja, with a fountain at the intersection of Kartini Street and Sudirman Street. Today, only the fountain is left; the rest of the garden was converted into a landfill. Other colonial-era buildings included several palaces and residences constructed by the Dutch for the Buton sultans and royal family members. In addition to buildings built by the Dutch administration, the city also has a Chinatown area consisting of shophouses and old commercial buildings built by ethnic Chinese who immigrated during the 19th and 20th centuries.

The area's more recent historical buildings, dating back to the early independence era in 1950s, include a housing complex for new civil servants dating to 1952. Baubau also includes the Galangi Monument, a monument of a figure wearing galangi, Butonese traditional wear, with their hand pointing to the port. In total, there are 51 historical objects dating back to this era noted; most are managed or protected by the city's Culture and Tourism Department, though others lack documentation.

Baubau has one stadium, called Betoambari Stadium, mainly for association football and large ceremonies. In 2021, the stadium was renovated with FIFA-standard grass. The city is home to Persibau Baubau, an Indonesian football club playing in Liga 3. The city also has other sports venues such as GOR Badminton Baubau for badminton, and several futsal fields, basketball, and volleyball courts, such as those in Murhum district, and the Lowu-Lowu Public Swimming Pool. The Islamic Center of Baubau is located in Wameo subdistrict in Murhum district and is often visited by religious tourists.

There are several theories regarding the origin of the city's name. The first traces it to the word "bhaau", a Wolio language word meaning 'new', as the location was a bustling new town under the Sultanate of Buton. Another theory suggests that it came from "bau", a Malay word meaning "to smell", since it was a busy port town with unpleasant-smelling fish markets around the area. A third suggestion descends the word from the Bugis noble title "Andi Bau", as many holders of this title settled in the city after fleeing the first and second Bone Wars.

Boats docking around harbour in Baubau, 1920 According to local legends, the city's history started when four groups of Malay merchants in the late 13th century landed on Buton Island. Sipajonga and Simalui landed first on the southern coast and arrived with a banner that would become the banner of the sultanate. Sitamanjo and Sijawangkati followed, landing on the northern coast and eventually moving inland, establishing the area now known as Wolio Fortress, which became the center of governance. These four are collectively known as "mia patamiana" and are said to be the origin of the royal family. The sultanate is said to have been a unification of four villages that later founded the kingdom. Islam spread to the region after a visiting scholar from Johor in the 16th century converted the ruling royals and eventually turned the kingdom into a sultanate with its own constitution called "Murtabat Tujuh". During much of its existence, the political position of the Buton Sultanate was mainpulated by more powerful entities such as Makassar, Ternate, and the Dutch East India Company. It was constantly under threat of invasion by the neighbouring Sultanate of Gowa and of raids by pirate ships from the Sultanate of Ternate, eventually falling under Dutch East India Company protection in the 17th century. A settlement later grew around Wolio Fortress and the palace complex that eventually become Baubau city.

In 1911, under the Dutch colonial government, the city became the capital of Afdeeling Oost Celebes, and the governance of the whole eastern Sulawesi region was consolidated to the city. As a result, the city grew in administrative importance and received modern infrastructure such as sealed roads, telephones, and military installments. The development of the city's infrastructure was modeled after Sibolga and was tailored to help fight the spread of malaria due to the region's swampy nature. This development was followed by economic expansion to the rest of Buton Island, starting with the opening of an asphalt mine in 1924. The asphalt was then used to construct inland roads to an economically important part of the island where there were coconut plantations and harvesting of forest goods such as rattan. During this time, the city also saw the founding of migrant quarters such as Kampung Bone and Kampung Wajo. Baubau acted as Southeast Sulawesi's main port, local goods hub, and main market town.

Baubau's economic importance declined following Indonesian independence, as the country's political power shifted from the sultanate to local figures and politicians. A local parliament was formed, with an election taking place in 1955, in which Masyumi and the Indonesian National Party gained the most seats (six and five respectively). The local parliament had already met in an ethnic Chinese school building in the city on 21 July 1953 and consisted of members appointed prior to the election.

Between 1952's Law Number 34 and 1955, the city was the capital of the Southeast Sulawesi Regency (today corresponding to Southeast Sulawesi province). The regency was later divided into Buton Regency, Kendari Regency, Kolaka Regency, and Muna Regency, whose seats were Baubau, Kendari, Kolaka, and Raha, respectively. When Southeast Sulawesi province formed, Kendari replaced Baubau as the capital, resulting in the latter becoming less relevant economically and politically. Despite the creation of the province being the result of popular demand, the vision was initially that Baubau would become the capital; hence, the decision to choose Kendari was seen as betrayal of the original plan for the province. The decision to choose Kendari instead of Baubau was both the result of the city's losing a public vote against Kendari, 45–27, and of an incident where the city drafted two budgets produced by two different officials at the same time, creating dualism in the city's bureaucracy. Both cities also experienced an influx of refugees in the 1950s due to the Darul Islam rebellion. People from outside of the cities were evacuated to camps within the city, with kidnappings of civilians by Darul Islam forces commonplace until the following decade.

Baubau was granted city status in 2001 following the fall of Suharto and consequent decentralization across Indonesia, separating itself from Buton Regency. Residents of Buton later demanded the creation of a new Buton Islands Province with Baubau as the capital, which would separate the regency from the rest of Southeast Sulawesi. The creation of this province was supported by the governor of Southeast Sulawesi and the Regional Representative Council, but did not go ahead due to a moratorium on creating new autonomous regions under the presidency of Joko Widodo.

Geographically, Baubau lies between latitude 5.21°S and 5.33°S and longitude 122.30°E and 122.47°E, and is located in the southern part of Southeast Sulawesi province. Baubau is bordered to the north by the Buton Strait (between Buton Island and Muna Island), to the east and south by the Buton Regency districts Kapontori and Pasarwajo, and to the west by South Buton Regency's Kadatua District.

The topographical condition of Baubau consists mostly of mountains and hills above a long coast. Long hills stretch above the surrounding terrain with the variation of altitude between 0 and 100 meters above mean sea level. Baubau has a land slope of up to 40%. The dominant soil types in the city are cambisol, podzol, and latosol. Soils in the city and the rest of Buton Island are not fertile and are relatively unsuitable for large-scale farming. Similar to other Indonesian cities, Baubau has tropical weather. The day and night temperatures typically vary from 29 to 33 °C during the day and 20 to 29 °C at night.

The city area includes seven small offshore islands, six in Lea-Lea District and one in Kokalukuma District.