Palu, officially known as the City of Palu (; ), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi Province in Indonesia. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi at the mouth of the long Palu River, whose extensive valley stretches far to the south (including the Lore Lindu National Park). It borders Donggala Regency to the north and west, Parigi Moutong Regency to the east, and Sigi Regency to the south. The city boundaries encompass a land area of . According to the 2020 Indonesian census, Palu had a population of 373,218, making it the third-most populous city on the island after Makassar and Manado; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 389,959 - comprising 195,416 males and 194,543 females. Palu is the center of finance, government, and education in Central Sulawesi, as well as one of several major cities on the island. The city hosts the province's main port, its biggest airport, and most of its public universities.
Palu is located in Palu Bay; it was initially a small agricultural town until it was selected to become the capital of the newly created province of Central Sulawesi in 1953. Palu is sited on the Palu-Koro Fault and is frequently struck by earthquakes, such as the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake. According to Indonesia's National Disaster Management Agency, the 2018 earthquake caused "the largest natural soil liquefaction phenomenon in the world". The creation of Palu was initiated by people from several villages around Ulayo Mountain. There are different accounts of the origin of the city's name; according to one explanation, it came from the word topalu'e, which means "raised land"; another version states it was derived from the word volo, the name of local bamboo plants.
Early history
The early history of Palu and its surroundings can be divided into the Tomalanggai Era, the Tomanuru Era, and the Independent Era. most of the inhabitants were hunter-gatherers and relatively violent. Due to scarce resources, many tribal groups waged war against each other, and the losing group would need to settle with the winner and work for them. The leaders of these early settlers were called Tomalanggai. The power structure was not yet formalized; the Tomalanggai were essentially absolute rulers with no limits of power, which caused frequent wars and rebellions. The following Tomanuru Era, in which power was consolidated and village structures became formalized, several reforms were made and life was relatively peaceful. According to local legend, during this era, villages were ruled by descendants of gods from heaven. It was said a Tomalanggai one day wanted golden bamboos, which grew around the region, for his water container and commanded his troops to chop all of them. After the bamboo were chopped down, a storm suddenly came but soon stopped; after the storm, a beautiful women appeared where the bamboo was. The Tomalanggai took her to his village and married her, and their descendant was wiser and stronger than his father. The name of the period roughly means "the one that brings blessing". This period lasted until about the 16th century. During this era, an aristocratic class called the madika appeared within Kaili society.
Following the surrender of Japan and Proclamation of Indonesian Independence in Jakarta, a paramilitary organization named Laskar Tanjumbulu was formed by surviving fighters of the previous Merah Putih Movement. The paramilitaries took over several Japanese military facilities and weapons while distributing news about Indonesian Independence. The remaining Japanese officials transferred governance to several native kings in the region including Palu before leaving. Some of these kings later supported an Indonesian republic and created difficulties for the returning Dutch administration. The King of Palu and Parigi accepted the return of the Dutch administration, which landed in Palu in late 1945. On 31 January 1946, a widespread repression of the nationalist movement occurred. The region, including the city, later became part of State of East Indonesia until the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, at which the Dutch acknowledged Indonesian sovereignty and the State of East Indonesia was disbanded one year later.
thumb|Aftermath of 2018 earthquake and tsunami in the city
On 28 September 2018, the city was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami. The city itself also experienced severe soil liquefaction. The liquefaction was the biggest in the world and caused massive destruction in parts of the city. The land where liquefaction happened is currently uninhabitable. In the aftermath of the disaster, several calls by politicians were made to relocate the capital city of Central Sulawesi away from Palu due to its vulnerability to earthquakes. The plan for city-wide relocation was made by the city government, dubbed Kota Palu Baru (New Palu City) was predicted to cost between five and six trillion of Rupiah. Affected areas of the earthquake are still being rebuilt, with progress only reaching 45% in May 2022 and predicted to last until the end of 2023. Ambiguity of land status outside city boundaries supposedly used for new housing for victims of the earthquake in particular hampered the relocation progress, and as many as 6,000 people still live in temporary housing in 2022.
Geography
The city of Palu is located in the Palu basin, close to Palu Bay, and lies directly on the Palu-Koro Fault. The basin is mostly composed of alluvial deposits of clay, silt, and sand, which were deposited by the flow of the Palu River from land above the valley. Alluvial sediments around the city are not consolidated and relatively young. The basement rock has been dated to the Cretaceous period. Below the layers of deposits, the rock in the region is mostly tertiary granite and granodiorite. The sediments are between depending on the location; sediments in the northern part of the city are thicker than those in the south because they are closer to the river's estuary.
The Palu–Koro Fault runs for around through Palu Bay, cutting into the middle of the city, and is connected to a subduction zone in northern Sulawesi. The abundance of relatively weak sediments below the city was among the causes of massive soil liquefaction and landslides that occurred during the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake; the soil below the city was not consolidated enough.
Climate
Palu has a tropical rainforest climate (Köppen Af), although it is relatively dry due to the strong rain shadow of the surrounding mountains.
| source 2 = climate-data
Governance
Administrative division
At the time of the 2010 Indonesian census, Palu was divided into four districts (kecamatan); in 2011 these were re-organized into a new division of eight districts. These are tabulated below with their areas and their population at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2024. The table also includes the number of urban villages (kelurahan) in each district.
{| class="sortable wikitable"
! Kode <br>Wilayah
! Name of <br>District<br>(kecamatan)
!Area <br>in km<sup>2</sup>
!Population<br>census<br>2010
!Population<br>census<br>2020
!Population<br>estimate<br>mid 2024
! Admin<br>centre
! No. <br>of <br>kelurahan
|-
| 72.71.02 || Palu Barat <br>(West Palu)
| align="right" |8.28
| align="right" |98,739
| align="right" |46,435
| align="right" |47,207
| Lere
| align="center" |6
|-
| 72.71.05 || Ulujadi
| align="right" |40.25
| align="center"|<sup>(a)</sup>
| align="right" |35,055
| align="right" |37,344
| Tipo
| align="center" |6
|-
| 72.71.03 || Palu Selatan <br>(South Palu)
| align="right" |27.38
| align="right" |122,752
| align="right" |72,059
| align="right" |72,497
| Birobuli Utara
| align="center" |5
|-
| 72.71.06 || Tatanga
| align="right" |14.95
| align="center" |<sup>(b)</sup>
| align="right" |52,580
| align="right" |55,116
| Tawanjuka
| align="center" |6
|-
|72.71.01 || Palu Timur <br>(East Palu)
| align="right" |7.71
| align="right" |75,967
| align="right" |43,318
| align="right" |44,738
| Besusu Barat
| align="center" |5
|-
| 72.71.08 || Mantikulore
| align="right" |206.80
| align="center" |<sup>(c)</sup>
| align="right" |76,745
| align="right" |83,786
| Talise
| align="center" |8
|-
| 72.71.04 || Palu Utara <br>(North Palu) <sup>(d)</sup>
| align="right" |29.94
| align="right" |39,074
| align="right" |24,458
| align="right" |25,670
| Mamboro
| align="center" |5
|-
| 72.71.07 || Tawaeli
| align="right" |59.75
| align="center" |<sup>(e)</sup>
| align="right" |22,568
| align="right" |23,601
| Lambara
| align="center" |5
|-
| || Totals
| align="right" |395.06
| align="right" |336,532
| align="right" |373,218
| align="right" |389,959
|
| align="center" |46
|}
Notes: (a) the 2010 population of Ulujadi District is included in the 2010 figure for West Palu District, from which it was cut out in 2011. <br>(b) the 2010 population of Tatanga District is included in the 2010 figure for South Palu District, from which it was substantially cut out in 2011. <br>(c) the 2010 population of Mantikulore District is included in the 2010 figure for East Palu District, from which it was substantially cut out in 2011. <br>(d) North Palu and Tawaeli District are bordered to the east and north by Tanantovea District of Donggala Regency, which is thus divided into two unequal parts.
<br>(e) the 2010 population of Tawaeli District is included in the 2010 figure for North Palu District, from which it was cut out in 2011.
Local government
As is the case with all Indonesian cities, the local government of Palu is a second-level administrative division run by a mayor and vice mayor, and the city parliament; it is of equivalent tier as a regency. Executive power lies in the mayor and vice mayor, and legislation duties are carried by local parliament. The mayor, vice mayor, and parliament members are democratically elected by residents of the city. Heads of districts are directly appointed by the city mayor on recommendations from the city secretary.
Politics
Palu is part of 1st Central Sulawesi electoral district, which consists of only the city itself, and has 6 representatives of 45 seats in the provincial parliament. The city is divided into four electoral districts. The city parliament has 35 seats. As the capital of Central Sulawesi, Palu is the location of the governor's office and the seat of the provincial parliament. The table below shows the division of electoral districts in the city and the number of representatives they send to city parliament as of 2019.
{| class="wikitable"
!Electoral district
!Districts
!Seats
|-
| align="center" |1st Palu City
|Mantikulore, East Palu
| align="center" |11
|-
| align="center" |2nd Palu City
|Tawaeli, North Palu
| align="center" |4
|-
| align="center" |3rd Palu City
|South Palu, Tatanga
| align="center" |12
|-
| align="center" |4th Palu City
|West Palu, Ulujadi
| align="center" |8
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
| align="center" |35
|}
Economy
Palu's gross regional product (GRP) was valued at 24.175 trillion Rupiah in 2020. The city's economic growth was 5.79% in 2019 but later fell to -4.54% in 2020. This contraction of the city's economic growth was caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and the ensuing restrictions. In 2021, Palu's economic growth rebounded to 5.97%. In Palu, raw materials used for industries mostly came from outside of the city; these include nickel from Morowali Regency, materials for asphalt from Buton Regency, and cocoa beans from plantations across the province, of which Central Sulawesi is one of the largest producers in the country.
Hotels and tourism
As the capital of Central Sulawesi, Palu has a significant hotel sector. In 2020, there were 116 registered hotels in the city according to Statistics Indonesia. Tourism, however, has been declining; the numbers of foreign and domestic tourists visiting the city decreased from 291,930 domestic visitors and 3,709 foreign visitors in 2017 to 156,733 domestic visitors and 1,110 foreign visitors in 2019. This number further decreased to 70,562 domestic visitors and 194 foreign visitors in 2020. and the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. Although there were signs of recovery in 2019 in the aftermath of the earthquake, the pandemic delayed further recovery of hotel industry until late 2021.
The city had 128 registered restaurants in 2021, although the number would be significantly higher if unregistered restaurants are included. The city has 215 registered cooperatives with combined assets of around 22 billion rupiah. The trading and wholesale sector, totaling almost 4 billion rupiah worth of credits, is the largest sector that received credit from banks in the city. In total, Palu's economy has 16 billion rupiah worth of credits from banks. The city has 27 branches of national and international banks, and several municipally owned people's credit banks (BPR). The city has several insurance companies and is the location of the Central Sulawesi branch of Indonesia Stock Exchange.
Most of the city's population are Muslims; the region was converted to Islam in the 17th century. The population of Christians are mostly migrants from other parts of Indonesia but there is also a local Christian population due to missionary activities in the region that started in 1888. Other minorities present are Buddhists and Hindus from other parts of Indonesia.
The relationship between the Kaili and Minahasan populations was tense during its early days partly due to religious differences between the mostly-Muslim Kaili and the mostly-Christian Minahasan; and because the Minahasan, who were usually government workers during the colonial era and the early days of Indonesian republic, were generally considered financially more capable.
Education
thumb|A highschool in Palu
, Palu has 171 kindergartens, 190 elementary schools, 73 junior high schools, and 39 senior high schools. There were also 26 vocational high schools in the city in the same year. According to Statistics Indonesia, there are 13 universities and higher-education institutions in the city .
The city's most prominent university is Tadulako University, which is the main public university of Central Sulawesi. It has B accreditation and more than 40,000 students registered according to Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology. Datokarama Islamic State University was previously named State Islamic Institute of Datokarama Palu before being upgraded into university status on 8 July 2021. Public colleges in the city include Kemenkes Health Polytechnic owned by Ministry of Health. The city also hosts private universities and colleges such as Alkhairaat University, Muhammadiyah Palu University, Palu Theological College, and Palu Polytechnic.
The city also hosts a public library that is managed by the provincial government. Palu's literacy rate is relatively high at 99.60% for people between 15 and 19 years old, and 99.84% on average in the wider city population. Other public hospitals in the city are Anutapura Palu Regional Hospital, Palu Wirabuana Hospital, Bhayangkara Hospital, and Madani Regional Hospital. There are also private hospitals in the city such as Woodward Hospital, Budi Agung Hospital, and Sis Aljufri Hospital. The monument functions as a museum containing messages about the importance of peace from different religions, and portraits and biographies of several figures advocating for peace, and displays several traditional crafts from several Indonesian cultures. The site is a popular with city residents because there are several cafes and an urban park nearby. A site nearby the monument is used as an evacuation site in an event of a tsunami. Nusantara Gong of Peace located in the site weights and has a diameter of . The gong contains symbols of the five religions that were recognized in Indonesia at its construction, as well as the coats of arms of the then-33 provinces, and 444 regencies and cities in Indonesia. Palu Museum is focused on the history of Central Sulawesi; Souraja is a former palace of a local kingdom; and natural attractions include Talise Beach, Pantoloan Beach, and Kaombana Urban Forest. The city also has several shopping malls.
Transportation
thumb|Pantoloan Port, largest port and main container port of Central Sulawesi is located in Palu
Palu has of road, from which are paved with asphalt. The city's main container port is Pantoloan Port, which is the main port of Central Sulawesi and the busiest in the province. Pantoloan Port is used for direct exports from Sulawesi. There are also smaller ports in the city such as Wani Port.
Palu is served by Mutiara SIS Al-Jufrie Airport, which is the province's largest airport, and one of two airports in the province that can handle large aircraft such as the Boeing 737, the other being Syukuran Aminuddin Amir Airport in Banggai Regency. It served around 1.2 million people in 2019 and handled around six million tons of cargo.
Perum DAMRI, a state-owned bus company, served several bus route to and from Palu. Many routes were closed due to financial problems the company branch in the city experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic and Russian invasion of Ukraine; , the company branch operates 14 long-distance bus routes. Many private bus companies serve the city, notably the route to Makassar.
thumb|Car-free day in Palu, April 2021
Share taxis known as angkot used to be a prominent means of public transport Palu but online ride-hailing services such as Gojek and Grab out-competed angkot. As of 2021, only 46 angkot vehicles remained operational compared to 400 in 2017. COVID-19 pandemic, Russian invasion of Ukraine and earthquake disaster in 2018 also affected angkot business.
In the city center around Vatulemo Square and along Moh. Yamin Street, car-free days are held every weekend from 6:00 to 10:00 am.
Media
Several mass media companies are based in Palu. In 2021, Statistics Indonesia noted there were 82 online newspapers operating in the city. The city also has local television channels such as Palu TV, a state-owned television station TVRI for Central Sulawesi province, and radio stations that are part of Radio Republik Indonesia.