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Sibolga City

Overview

01Overview

Sibolga (formerly sometimes Siboga) is a city and a port located in the natural harbour of Sibolga Bay on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia.

The city is located on the western side of North Sumatra facing the Indian Ocean, is a transit harbour to Nias Island, and was hard hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. Sibolga is also a semi-enclave within Central Tapanuli Regency, as Sibolga borders Central Tapanuli Regency in the north, east, and south, while it borders the Mentawai Strait in the west.

The city has an area of — the smallest city by land area in Indonesia. It had a population of 84,444 at the 2010 census and 89,584 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 92,244 (comprising 46,365 males and 45,879 females).

Culture

Not yet available in English; shown in Indonesian.

01Suku Bangsa

Masyarakat Sibolga terdiri dari bermacam-macam etnis, antara lain Batak (Batak Toba, Batak Mandailing, Batak Angkola, Batak Karo, Batak Pesisir), Nias, Minangkabau, Jawa, dan Tionghoa. Dalam kesehariannya, bahasa yang dipergunakan adalah bahasa Batak Pesisir (bahaso Baiko) yang merupakan varietas bahasa Melayu yang dipengaruhi kuat oleh bahasa Batak serta bahasa Minangkabau. Selain itu juga dituturkan bahasa Indonesia, dan lainnya.

History

01History

Poncan Ketek Island (Small Poncan Island) in Sibolga Bay was once the location of a fort, with British, Dutch, French, and American traders passing through. It is thought Stamford Raffles passed through before he moved to Bengkulu in southern Sumatra. From Bengkulu Raffles, after relinquishing the port to the Dutch, established the trade port that became Singapore.

At some point between 1890 and 1920, there was a major fire in the city, which was presumably mostly built from wood from the surrounding mountains (shown partly denuded in the 1928 panorama below).

After the Japanese invasion of Sumatra in 1942, a makeshift prison described as a "civilian camp" was set up at Taroetoengweg, in the city center, from 16 March to 4 May 1942. It first housed 10 "European" men from in and around Sibolga, who were then joined on April 24 by another 10 men from the island of Nias. On May 4 they were taken to the Native Secondary School for Boys in Pearadja (Taroetoeng), located in the mountains behind Sibolga.

Geography

01Climate

This area has a tropical rainforest climate with no real dry season. Regions with this climate typically feature tropical rainforests, and are designated by the Köppen climate classification as "Af".