SULAWESI UTARA

English North Celebes propinsi (province), north-northeastern Celebes, Indonesia, bounded by Sulawesi Tengah (Central Sulawesi) province on the west, the Celebes Sea on the north, the Molucca Sea on the east, and Teliek (bay) Tomini on the south. It covers an area of 7,345 sq mi (19,023 sq km) and includes the Talaud and Sangihe groups of islands in the Celebes Sea. Celebes formed part of the Buddhist Srivijaya Empire of Palembang (Sumatra) until the 14th century, when it passed under the rule of the Hindu Majapahit Empire of eastern Java. With the gradual disintegration of the Majahabit Empire toward the end of the 15th century, many kingdoms such as Gorontolo, Limboto and other smaller Minahasa states were established in the region. The southern Celebes state of Gowa, ruled by the Makasarese, adopted Islam in 1605 and extended its sovereignty over these states. The Dutch, who had arrived on Celebes in 1609 and built a fort at Menado in 1658, attacked Gowa with the help of the Buginese of Bone (now called Watampone) and defeated Gowa in 1669. The Dutch subsequently established other trading and military posts in northern Celebes. During the 18th-century wars between the Makasarese and the Buginese, the states in northern Celebes survived as Dutch protectorates. The British took over the island in 181016. The refusal of the southern Celebes states to accept Dutch colonial sovereignty after the island reverted to the Dutch in 1817 led to prolonged warfare that ended with a Dutch victory in 1860. Unsuccessful sporadic resistance continued until colonial Dutch rule was firmly established in 1905. After Japanese occupation during World War II, the Celebes formed part of the Dutch-sponsored state of East Indonesia until it was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia in 1950. Most of the province is mountainous, with extensive uplifting and faulting and has many active volcanoes, notably Gunung (mount) Saputan. Gunung Klabat on the Minahasa Peninsula rises to an elevation of 6,634 ft (2,022 m). The coastal lowlands are narrow, the soils are fertile, and there are coral reefs offshore. The uplands are drained by many fast-flowing streams, including the Salo (stream) Milango and Sungai (stream) Marsa. The highlands are covered with rain forests of oak, chestnut, and conifers; hillslopes have teak and a dense ground cover of grasses and shrubs. Agriculture is the principal occupation, and rice, coffee, sugarcane, nutmeg, and coconuts are grown. Riverine fish are dried and salted for export. Industries produce processed food, beverages, leather goods, milled rice, carved wood, mats and baskets, and palm oil. Nickel and iron are mined, and ebony is processed. Roads run mostly parallel to the northern seacoast, and Menado, the provincial capital, is linked with Amurang, Tondano, Kotamobagh, Limboto, and Gorontalo. The population comprises Menadoese (Minahasan), many of whom are Christians. Pop. (1980) 2,115,384.