Makassar

Makassar From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the city in Indonesia. For the town in South Africa, see Macassar, Western Cape. Makassar, (Macassar, Mangkasar) is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia. From 1971 to 1999, the city was formally named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably. The port city is located at 5°8′S 119°25′E, on the southwest coast of the island of Sulawesi, facing the Makassar Strait. Its area is 175.77 km² and has population of 1.25 million.

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1 History 2 Economy 3 See also

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4 References

[edit] History Beginning in the sixteenth century, Makassar was the dominant trading/pao center of eastern Indonesia, and soon became one of the largest cities in island Southeast Asia. The Makassarese kings maintained a strict policy of free trade, insisting on the right of any visitor to do business in the city, and rejecting the attempts of the Dutch to establish a monopoly over the city. Further, tolerant religious attitudes meant that even as Islam became the dominant faith in the region, Christians and others were still able to trade in the city. With these attractions, Makassar was a key center for Malays working in the Spice Islands trade, as well as a valuable base for European and Arab traders from much further afield. The importance of Makassar declined as the Dutch became more powerful in the region, and were better able to enforce the monopoly over the spice trade that they desired. In 1667 the Dutch, allied with the Bugis prince Arung Palakka, invaded and captured Makassar, eliminating its role as an independent trading center.

[edit] Economy

Pinisi boats at the port of Paotere in Makassar The city is southern Sulawesi's primary port, with regular domestic and international shipping connections. It is nationally famous as an important port of call for the pinisi boats, sailing ships which are among the last in use for regular long-distance trade. During the colonial era, the city was famous for being the namesake of Makassar oil, which it exported in great quantity. Makassar ebony is a warm black, streaked with deep red, and highly prized for fine cabinetry and veneers. Makassar is also a major fishing center in Sulawesi. One of its major industries is the trepang (sea cucumber) industry.

Makassar language From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Makassar (sometimes spelled Makasar or Macassar) is both a language and a writing system used by the people in South Sulawesi island (Celebes) in Indonesia. The Makassar language is a member of the Austronesian language family, and closely related to Buginese. Although Makassarese is now often written with the Roman alphabet, it is still widely written in its own distinctive script, also called Lontara, which once was used also to write important documents in Bugis and Mandar, two related language from Sulawesi. The Makassar symbols are written using mostly straight oblique lines and dots. In spite of its is quite distinctive appearance, it is derived from the ancient Brahmi scripts of India. Like other descendants of that script, each consonant has an inherent vowel "a", which is not marked. Other vowels can be indicated by adding one of five diacritics above, below, or on either side of each consonant. Some common words/phrases in the Makassar language using the Roman alphabet are as follows (' = glottal stop): • •

balla' = house; bulu = hair/fur;

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bambang = hot/warm; cipuru' = hungry; doe' = money; iyo = yes; jappa-jappa = to go for a walk; lompo = big/large; sallo = long; tabe' = excuse me; tena = no; karaeng = king; apa kareba? = how are you?; lakeko mae? = where are you going?; battu keko mae? = where have you been?