Manado
Manado is the capital of North Sulawesi, one of the provinces of Indonesia. Manado is located at the Bay of Manado, and is surrounded by a mountainous area. The city has about 330,000 inhabitants. The municipality of Manado is divided into five districts: Wenang, Sario, Malalayang, Molas, and Mapanget.
The local language spoken in Manado and the surrounding area is called Manado Malay.
History
The Dutch East India Company built a fortress in Manado in 1658. The Javanese prince Diponegoro was exiled to Manado by the Dutch government in 1830. The English biologist Alfred Wallace visited Manado in 1859, and praised the town for its beauty. The city was heavily damaged during the second world war, and was bombed again by the Indonesian air force in 1958.
Nowadays many tourists come to Manado to enjoy the excellent diving and snorkeling opportunities on the nearby island of Bunaken. Other interest places are Lake Tondano and Mount Lokon.
