Poso Regency

The regency as created in 1959 covered a much larger area to the east. However on 4 October 1999 the regency's south-eastern districts were split off to form a separate Morowali Regency, and on 18 December 2003 the regency's north-eastern districts were likewise split off to form a separate Tojo Una-Una Regency. In 2007 there were calls to divide the remaining Poso Regency into two regencies to overcome religious-based conflicts; one new regency in the southeastern and western sectors would by named Tentena Regency (comprising the first twelve kecamatan listed below), while the residual Poso Regency in the northeast sector (bordering the Gulf of Tomini) would consist of the last seven kecamatan listed below;{{Cite news|author=Sangadji, Ruslan|date=21 February 2007|title=Residents say a divided Poso could be a more peaceful place|newspaper=The Jakarta Post|url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2007/02/21/residents-say-divided-poso-could-be-more-peaceful-place.html|access-date=5 May 2013|archive-date=5 May 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130505225417/http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2007/02/21/residents-say-divided-poso-could-be-more-peaceful-place.html|url-status=dead}} however, this proposal was not enacted.

Poso Regency is located within the folds of various mountain ranges, namely the Fennema and Toneba Mountains in the west, the Takolekaju Mountains in the southwest, the Verbeek Mountains in the southeast, and the Pompangeo and Lumut Mountains in the northeast.

At the time of the 2010 Census, the Poso Regency was divided at 2010 into eighteen districts (kecamatan), but an additional 19th district (Pamona Pusalemba) was subsequently added by splitting off the western and southern villages of Pamona Utara District.{{cite web|url=https://peraturan.bpk.go.id/Home/Download/70808/perda%20no%2011%20thn%202010%20ttg%20pemb%20kec%20pamona%20utara.pdf |title=Perda No 11 Thn 2010 ttg Pemb Kec Pamona Utara |trans-title=Regional Regulation No. 11 of 2010 concerning Pemb Pemb Pamona Utara District|pages=4|date=2010}} The districts are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 Census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.{{sfn|Badan Pusat Statistik|2024|p=40}} The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the numbers of villages and urban subdistricts in each district (totalling 142 rural desa and 28 urban kelurahan), and its postal code.

Notes: (a) including 3 urban kelurahan (Petirodongi, Sawidago and Tendeadongi). (b) including 3 urban kelurahan (Pamona, Sangele and Tentena). (c) including 3 urban kelurahan (Mapane, Kasiguncu and Tabalu).
(d) all 19 classed as urban kelurahan, comprising 7 in Poso Town (Gebangrejo, Kayamanya, Moengko Baru, Moengko Lama, Gebangrejo Barat, Gebangrejo Timur and Kayamanya Sentral), 5 in South Poso Town (Bukit Bambu, Kawua, Lembomawo, Ranononcu and Sayo) and 7 in North Poso Town (Bonesompe, Kasintuwu, Lawanga, Lawanga Tawongan, Lombogia, Madale and Tegalrejo).

{{bar box

|title=Religions in Poso – 2020

|titlebar=

|left1=Religions

|right1=Percentage

|float=right

|bars=

{{bar percent|Protestant|blue|59.45}}

{{bar percent|Islam|green|33.6}}

{{bar percent|Hinduism|orange|5.6}}

{{bar percent|Roman Catholic|lightblue|1.35}}

{{bar percent|Buddhism|yellow|0}}

}}

The population of Poso district consists of various ethnic groups, so it is considered a multicultural regency in Indonesia. The population is also quite diverse in religion. Data from the Ministry of Religion in 2020, around 60.80% (151,261 people) embraced Christianity.{{cite web|url=https://rupawan.kemenag.go.id/s/fIDuNZgxqMxtCSp|title=Data Pemeluk Agama Kristen di Sulawesi Tengah|website=www.kemenag.go.id|accessdate=12 June 2024|archive-date=2021-03-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210306223419/https://rupawan.kemenag.go.id/s/fIDuNZgxqMxtCSp|url-status=dead}} Regency's Religious Office noted that the majority of the population in Poso in 2020 was Protestant, with the number of adherents stated to be as many as 147,899 inhabitants (59% of the population). This was followed by 83,597 Muslims (33.6%), 13,937 Hindus (5.6%), 3.362 Roman Catholics (1.35%){{cite web|url=https://rupawan.kemenag.go.id/s/NW4UzpcuF8n8ahV|title=Data Pemeluk Agama Katolik di Sulawesi Tengah|website=www.kemenag.go.id|accessdate=12 June 2024|archive-date=2021-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210320011639/https://rupawan.kemenag.go.id/s/NW4UzpcuF8n8ahV|url-status=dead}} and 4 Buddhists, respectively. {{As of|2022}}, the number of places of worship in Poso consisted of 280 mosques, 690 Protestant churches, 26 Catholic churches and 102 Hindu temples.{{sfn|Badan Pusat Statistik|2023|p=100}}

Prior to colonial rule, the inhabitants of Poso followed a traditional belief system known as Lamoa. Islam became the first prominent religion in Poso during the early 19th century when it was brought by the Mandarese people who settled in the To Kadombuku area (present-day Tomasa River region), although the exact means of their arrival remain unknown.{{sfn|Adriani|Kruyt|1912|p=42}}{{sfn|Kaudern|1925b|p=112}} The spread of Christianity in Poso began in the late 19th century with the arrival of Albert Christian Kruyt, a Dutch Calvinist missionary sent by the Netherlands Missionary Society (NZG) to initiate a mission. Following seventeen years of work, their efforts bore fruit when hundreds of To Pebato residents were baptized on Christmas Eve, December 25, 1909.{{sfn|Tampake|2009|p=1}} Central Sulawesi Christian Church (GKST) is a church organization that was established on 18 October 1947 in Tentena.{{cite web|url=http://www.reformiert-online.net/adressen/detail.php?id=1332&lg=eng|title=Address data base of Reformed churches and institutions|last=Fasse|first=Cristoph|publisher=Reformiert Online|accessdate=27 February 2017}} GKST serves Central, West and South Sulawesi. In 2006, 188 thousand people registered to become members, and there are 376 congregations served by 625 priests.{{cite web|url=http://www.oikoumene.org/en/member-churches/christian-church-of-central-sulawesi|title=Christian Church of Central Sulawesi — World Council of Churches|date=January 1948 |publisher=Oikoumene.org|accessdate=27 February 2017}}

Tambing Lake is located in Lore Lindu National Park, 3 hours drive from Palu and 100 meters away from Palu-Napu Road. In 2014, there are 3,000 foreign tourists visited Tambing Lake which is known as Endemic Bird Paradise with 30 percent of 270 kinds of birds are endemic.{{cite web |url=http://www.beritasatu.com/destinasi/268506-danau-tambing-kembali-ramai-dikunjungi-wisatawan.html |title=Danau Tambing Kembali Ramai Dikunjungi Wisatawan |date=25 April 2015}}

File:Xenopoecilus sarasinorum (Wroclaw Zoo).JPG, endemic fish that only exist in Lake Poso and Lake Lindu]]

Sulawesi black Ebony, also known as diospyros celebica, naturally can be found in Central Sulawesi (Parigi, Poso, Donggala), South Sulawesi (Maros), West Sulawesi (Mamuju) and Maluku. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has issued their red list in 2000 and D. celebica belong to the category of vulnerable species, which means that ebony is at the limit of high risk for extinction in the wild (vulnerable to exploitation).{{cite web|url=https://blogs.uajy.ac.id/yunicefemilia/2014/09/09/eboni-si-kayu-hitam-dari-sulawesi/|title=Eboni, si Kayu Hitam dari Sulawesi|website=Universitas Atma Jaya Yogyakarta|language=id|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151029154629/http://blogs.uajy.ac.id/yunicefemilia/2014/09/09/eboni-si-kayu-hitam-dari-sulawesi/|archive-date=29 October 2015|access-date=31 October 2016|url-status=live}}

Most of the endemic fauna in Poso is located in the area of cultural and natural heritage, such as Lake Poso and Lore Lindu National Park. Whitten (1987), Maurice Kottelat, and L.R. Parenti states that there are several species of endemic biota that is only found in Lake Poso, such as Xenopoecilus poptae (Adrianichthys poptae); Adrianichthys kruyti, Weberogobius amadi and Nomorhamphus celebensis. Other endemic fish is Anguilla celebensis, Xenopoecilus sarasinorum, Xenopoecilus oophorus (adrianichthys oophorus), Adrianichthys roseni; gastropods such as Miratesta celebensis; and some small shrimp (Caridina sp).

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{{refend}}

{{Central Sulawesi}}

{{coord|1|22|59|S|120|44|55|E|region:ID-ST_type:adm2nd_source:kolossus-dewiki|display=title}}

Category:Regencies of Central Sulawesi