Palu is a chartered city on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, at the mouth of the Palu River. It is the capital of the province of Central Sulawesi, situated on a long, narrow bay. Because of its sheltered position between mountain ridges, the climate is unusually dry. At the 2015 census Palu had a population of around 367,600, not including those living in neighboring regencies. On 28 September 2018, the city suffered many casualties due to a tsunami, where at least 2,256 people lost their lives, while many others are still buried under the rubble and presumed dead.
Etymology
The name of Palu comes from the wordTopalu'e because this area was meant to be the ocean. There was an earthquake and plate shift so that the area that was once the sea was lifted and formed the land that is now Palu. Another source mentions that the word origin of Palu comes from the Kaili wordVolo, a term of bamboo that grows from the Tawaeli area to the Sigi region. Bamboo is very closely related to the Kaili tribe, this is due to they dependence of bamboo usage as their daily needs, whether it be used as foodstuffs, building materials, daily equipment, games, as well as musical instruments.
History
Palu originated from a unity of four villages; namely Besusu, Tanggabanggo, Panggovia and Boyantongo. They formed a customary council called Patanggota. One of their assignments was to elect the king and his assistants for royal activities. The kingdom, which would be known as the Palu Kingdom, eventually became one of the well-known and very powerful kingdom. The Dutch first visited Palu during the reign of King Maili to get protection from Manado in 1868. In 1888, the Dutch governor of Celebes together with armies and several ships arrived Palu kingdom, they fought in Kayumalue. After the Kayumalue war, King Maili was killed by the Dutch and his body was brought to Palu. He was succeeded by King Jodjokodi, on 1 May 1888 he signed a short agreement to the Dutch East Indies colonial authority. The town was part of the Dutch Empire until Indonesia won independence in 1945–49. The Dutch controleurs house survives as a testament of that era.
In April 1958 during the Permesta rebellion in North Sulawesi, the USA supported and supplied the rebels. Pilots from a CIA Taiwan-based front organization, "Civil Air Transport," flew CIA B-26 Invader aircraft, repeatedly bombed and machine-gunned targets in and around Palu; destroying vehicles, buildings, a bridge and a ship.
2005 earthquake
On 24 January 2005 at 04:10, an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.2 occurred in the city. According to the local meteorological office, the epicenter of the earthquake was around 1.249° S, 119.922° E, some southeast of Palu at the depth of of Bora Village's hot spring, Biromaru sub-district, Donggala Regency. Panic ensued as most people sought refuge in the highlands for fear of a repeat disaster like the tsunami as occurred in Aceh. The earthquake killed one person, injured four others, and destroyed 177 buildings.
2005 market bombing
On 31 December 2005 at about 07:35 a bomb blast, described as a nail bomb or similar, detonated around 07:00 in a butcher's market mostly frequented by ChristianMinahasa shopping for New Year's Eve celebrations, killing eight people and wounding another 53.
2018 tsunami
On 28 September 2018, Palu was hit by a 5-meter-high tsunami shortly after a magnitude 7.5 earthquake occurred 80 km north of the city. The earthquake killed 1,705 people, with 1,549 injured and 832 missing in the city. Other cities were also struck by the tsunami. As of 2019, the death toll has reached 4,340 as reported by the Indonesian National Board for Disaster Management, over 4 places that were hit by the tsunami.
Palu is the site of an Indonesian Navy base, and the planned home of the Indonesian Navy's submarines. A quay wall and environmental shelter covering the submarine berthing area were destroyed in the 2018 Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami.
Indonesia Open Paragliding Championship is one of the world championship series which it was the first Indonesia Open held in the region on 19–25 June 2011. 78 paragliders taking part in the championship from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Russia, South Korea and Switzerland competed at Wayu village about from Palu.
