Baubau

Baubau is a city in Southeast Sulawesi province, Indonesia. The city is located on the southwest coast of Buton island. Baubau attained city status on 21 June 2001 after Law Number 13 of 2001 was passed. It covers an area of 293.87 square kilometres (113.46 sq mi), of which about 30 square kilometres (12 sq mi) is water. It had a population of 136,991 at the 2010 Census and 159,248 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate in mid 2025 was 165,145 (comprising 81,653 males and 83,492 females). The city is the economic center of the Buton Island region and the second-largest city in the province. It was the cultural center of the Butonese people, the former capital of the Sultanate of Buton, the seat of the colonial administration of Eastern Sulawesi (Afdeeling Ost Celebes), and briefly the capital of the entire Southeast Sulawesi regency until 1955 when the capital status shifted to neighbouring Kendari.