Makassar in the context of "Bali"

The government of Indonesia defines a metropolitan area as an urban agglomeration where its spatial planning is prioritised due to its highly important influence on the country. The metropolitan areas in Indonesia are managed based on Presidential Regulation (Peraturan Presiden). The national government has established 10 metropolitan areas across the country, anchored by the cities of Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Semarang, Medan, Makassar, Palembang, Denpasar, Banjarmasin, and Manado. Despite having no official metropolitan areas recognised on national level, there are several other cities whose urbanised area exceeds their city limits such as Yogyakarta, Malang, and Cirebon.

Surabaya is the capital city of East Java province and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern corner of Java island, on the Madura Strait, it is one of the earliest port cities in Southeast Asia. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Surabaya is one of the four main central cities of Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Medan, and Makassar. The city covers a land area of 335.93 km, and had a population of 2,874,314 within its city limits at the 2020 census. With 3,018,022 people living in the city as of mid 2024 (comprising 1,494,734 males and 1,523,288 females) and over 10 million in the extended Surabaya metropolitan area, according to the latest official estimate, Surabaya is the second-largest metropolitan area in Indonesia. Surabaya metropolitan is also ASEAN's 6th largest economy ahead of Hanoi. In 2023, the city's GRP PPP was estimated at US$150.294 billion.

The city was settled in the 10th century by the Kingdom of Janggala, one of the two Javanese kingdoms that was formed in 1045 when Airlangga abdicated his throne in favor of his two sons. In the late 15th and 16th centuries, Surabaya grew to be a duchy, a major political and military power as well as a port in eastern Java, probably under the Majapahit empire. At that time, Surabaya was already a major trading port, owing to its location on the River Brantas delta and the trade route between Malacca and the Spice Islands via the Java Sea. During the decline of Majapahit, the lord of Surabaya resisted the rise of the Demak Sultanate and only submitted to its rule in 1530. Surabaya became independent after the death of Sultan Trenggana of Demak in 1546.

Denpasar (Indonesian pronunciation: [denˈpasar]; Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ, Dénpasar) is the capital and the largest city of the province of Bali, Indonesia.Denpasar is the largest city in the Lesser Sunda Islands and the second largest city in Eastern Indonesia after Makassar. It is bordered by Badung Regency to its west, Gianyar Regency to its east, and the Indian Ocean and the Badung Strait to its south. The growth of the tourism industry on the island of Bali has pushed the city of Denpasar to become a center of business activities, and has positioned the city as an area with high per capita income and growth in Bali. The population of the City at the end of 2024 was 670,210.

Denpasar is the main gateway to the Bali island, the city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands.

The native Makassar, Macassar, Makassarese, Makassan (in Thai), or Macassan (in Australian English), are one of the Austronesian people native to the southern Celebic peninsular regions (concentrated around the Makassar area) in Indonesia. The Makassar people are rich in culture and they are acknowledged for their traditional culinary and maritime knowledges, together with the Bugis, its closest related ethnic group. The Makassar people speak various Makassaric languages, including Standard Makassarese, as well as Standard Indonesian and Makassar Malay.

The Phinisi, a worldwide well-known boatbuilding of Southern Sulawesi-origin, a joint invention of Bugis-Makassar people, is internationally inscribed as the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The caves in the Maros-Pangkep karst or Leang-Leang Caves (from the Makassarese word for "many caves") are located in Maros Regency, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, roughly one hour north of Makassar city. The village of Leang-Leang lies in a limestone karst region densely packed with caves that contain paintings from the Paleolithic considered to be the earliest figurative art in the world, dated to at least 45,500 years ago.

Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of human presence in several of these caves dating back approximately 5,000 years (circa 3000 BCE), predating the first Austronesian migrations from Taiwan to the Philippines and the broader Indonesian archipelago, which began around 2000 BCE.Among the findings are prehistoric paintings, including red and ochre negative hand stencils. In the Maros cave complex, some of these artworks have been dated to around 40,000 years ago. Similar techniques can be seen at prehistoric sites in Europe, such as the Pech Merle cave in the Lot region of France, dated to around 25,000 years ago.

Medan (/mɛˈdɑːn/ meh-DAHN, Indonesian: [ˈmɛdan] , Batak: ᯔᯩᯑᯉ᯳) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multicultural metropolis, acting as a financial centre for Sumatra and a gateway to the western part of Indonesia. About 60% of the economy in North Sumatra is backed by trading, agriculture, and processing industries, including exports from its 4 million acres of palm oil plantations. The National Development Planning Agency listed Medan as one of the four main central cities in Indonesia, alongside Jakarta, Surabaya, and Makassar. In terms of population, it is the most populous city in Indonesia outside of the island of Java. Its population as of 2024 is approximately equal to the country of Moldova.

As of the 2020 Census, Medan had a population of 2,435,252 within its city limits; the official population estimate as of mid 2024 was 2,486,283 - comprising 1,237,602 males and 1,248,681 females - and projected to rise to 2,498,293 at mid 2025. When the surrounding urban area is included, the population is over 3.4 million, making it the fourth largest urban area in Indonesia. The Medan metropolitan area—which includes neighbouring Binjai, Deli Serdang Regency, and a part of Karo Regency—is the largest metropolitan area outside of Java, with 4,744,323 residents counted in the 2020 Census, rising to 4,944,979 in mid 2024.

Manado (Indonesian pronunciation: [maˈnado], Tombulu: Wenang) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of North Sulawesi. It is the second largest city in Sulawesi after Makassar, with the 2020 census giving a population of 451,916, and the official estimates for mid 2023 showing 458,582 inhabitants (229,982 males and 228,600 females), distributed over a land area of 157.26 km. The Manado metropolitan area had a population of 1,377,815 as of mid 2023. The city is situated on the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area.

Manado is among Indonesia's top-five tourism priorities and Bunaken National Park is one of the city's most famous tourist attractions. Tunan Waterfall in Talawaan village and Mount Tumpa are some of the many attractions for visitors who like to take Manado city tour especially to natural places. The city is served by Sam Ratulangi International Airport, which connects Manado with various domestic destinations, as well as international destinations in East Asia and Southeast Asia. The city is also known for its Christian-majority population, and holds the country's biggest Christmas celebration annually. It is also recognised as one of the most tolerant and peaceful cities in Indonesia.

South Sulawesi (Indonesian: Sulawesi Selatan; Lontara: ᨔᨘᨒᨓᨙᨔᨗ ᨔᨛᨒᨈ) is a province in the southern peninsula of Sulawesi, Indonesia. The Selayar Islands archipelago to the south of Sulawesi is also part of the province. The capital and largest city is Makassar. The province is bordered by Central Sulawesi and West Sulawesi to the north, the Gulf of Bone and Southeast Sulawesi to the east, Makassar Strait to the west, and Flores Sea to the south.

The 2010 census estimated the population as 8,032,551, which makes South Sulawesi the most populous province on the island (46% of the population of Sulawesi is in South Sulawesi), and the sixth most populous province in Indonesia. At the 2020 Census, this had risen to 9,073,509, and the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 9,463,390 (comprising 4,701,970 males and 4,761,410 females). The main ethnic groups in South Sulawesi are the Buginese, Makassarese and Torajan. The economy of the province is based on agriculture, fishing, and the mining of gold, magnesium, iron, and other metals. The pinisi, a traditional Indonesian two-masted sailing ship, is still used widely by the Buginese and Makassarese, mostly for inter-insular transportation, cargo, and fishing purposes within the Indonesian archipelago.