Manado (, Minahasan: 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,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. and the official estimates for mid 2025 showing 462,658 inhabitants (232,553 males and 230,105 females),Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kota Manado Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.7171) distributed over a land area of 162.35 km2.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Manado Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.7171) The Manado metropolitan area had a population of 1,377,815 as of mid 2023.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Manado Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.7171) 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.Manado city tour 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.
Etymology The name Manado is derived from the Sangir language word manaro, meaning 'on the far coast' or 'in the distance', and originally referred to the further of two islands which can be seen from the mainland. When the settlement on this island was relocated to the mainland, the name Manado was brought with it, after which the island itself became referred to as Manado Tua (Old Manado). The name for Manado in the Sangir language is Manaro, while in Gorontalo is Moladu.
History The first mention of Manado comes from a world map by French cartographer , which shows the island of Manarow (today's Manado Tua). Before Europeans arrived in North Sulawesi, the area was under the rule of the Sultan of Ternate, who exacted tribute and introduced Islam to its inhabitants. The Portuguese made the Sultan their vassal, ruling over the Minahasa people, and establishing a factory in Wenang.
Meanwhile, the Spanish had already set themselves up in the Philippines and Minahasa was used to plant coffee because of its rich soil. Manado was further developed by Spain as a centre of commerce for the Chinese traders who traded the coffee in China. With the help of native allies, the Spanish took over the Portuguese fortress in Amurang in the 1550s, and Spanish settlers also established a fort at Manado, so that eventually, Spain controlled all of the Minahasa. It was in Manado where one of the first Indo-Eurasian (Mestizo) communities in the archipelago developed during the 16th century.Wahr, C.R. Minahasa (history) Website The first King of Manado (1630) named Muntu Untu was in fact the son of a Spanish Mestizo.Wahr, C. R. Minahasa (history) Website
Spain renounced its possessions in Minahasa by means of a treaty with the Portuguese in return for a payment of 350,000 ducats. Minahasan natives made an alliance treaty with the Dutch, and expelled the last of the Portuguese from Manado a few years later.
The Dutch East India Company built a fortress in Manado named Fort Amsterdam in 1658. As with regions in eastern Indonesia, Manado underwent Christianisation by missionaries such as Johann Friedrich Riedel and Johann Gottlieb Schwarz. The Dutch missionaries built the first Christian church in Manado called Oude Kerk (Old church), which still stands, and is now called Gereja Sentrum. HMS Dover captured Manado in June 1810. The Javanese prince Diponegoro was exiled to Manado by the Dutch government in 1830 for leading a war of rebellion against the Dutch. In 1859, the English biologist Alfred Wallace visited Manado and praised the town for its beauty.
In 1919, the Apostolic Prefecture of Celebes was established in the city. In 1961, it was promoted to the Diocese of Manado.
The Japanese captured Manado in the Battle of Manado in January 1942. The city was heavily damaged by Allied bombing during World War II.
In 1958, the headquarters of the rebel movement Permesta was moved to Manado. When Permesta confronted the central government with demands for political, economic and regional reform, Jakarta responded by bombing the city in February 1958, and then invading in June 1958.
In 1962, the People's Representative Council declared Manado as the official capital city of North Sulawesi Province.
Climate Manado has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) according to the Köppen climate classification, as there is no real dry season. The wettest month is January, with an average rainfall of , while the driest is September with an average rainfall of . The abundance of rain seems to be influenced by the monsoon. As its location is near the equator, the temperature is essentially constant throughout the year. The hottest month is August with an average temperature of , while the coolest months are January and February with an average temperature of .
Climate data for ManadoMonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYearAverage sea temperature °C (°F)28.9(84.0)28.8(83.8)29.1(84.4)29.4(84.9)29.8(85.6)29.3(84.7)28.9(84.0)28.7(83.7)28.6(83.5)29.4(84.9)29.6(85.3)29.3(84.7)29.0(84.0)Mean daily daylight hours12.012.012.012.012.012.012.012.012.012.012.012.012.0Average Ultraviolet index7777777777777Source: Weather Atlas
Administrative districts
The city is divided into eleven districts (kecamatan), including the new districts of Bunaken Kepulauan (Bunaken Islands) and Paal Dua established in 2012. These are all tabulated below with their areas and populations at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 2020 census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2025.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kota Manado Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.7171) The table also includes the location of the district administrative centres, the number of urban villages (all rated as kelurahan) in each district, and its post codes.
Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan)Areainkm2Pop'ncensus2010Pop'ncensus2020Pop'nestimatemid 2025AdmincentreNo.ofvillagesPostcodes 71.71.09 Malalayang17.6854,95961,89163,076Malalayang Satu995115 - 95163 71.71.06 Sario2.0023,19821,74020,798Sario795113 - 95116 71.71.07 Wanea8.7056,96259,75759,347Wanea995117 - 95119 71.71.04 Wenang3.3832,79632,60132,190Tikala Kumaraka1295111 - 95124 71.71.05 Tikala6.6869,73430,17431,214Tikala Baru595124 - 95129 71.71.11 Paal Dua9.37(a)44,01543,679Ranomuut795127 - 95129 71.71.08 Mapanget53.5953,19463,27569,154Paniki Bawah1095249 - 95259 71.71.03 Singkil4.8846,72152,73254,112Singkil995231 - 95234 71.71.02 Tuminting5.2652,08953,75954,548Bitung Karang Ria1095238 - 95239 71.71.01 Bunaken 32.0320,82825,66928,186Molas595231 - 95249 71.71.10 Bunaken Kepulauan (b)18.78(c)6,3036,354Bunaken495231 - 95246 Totals 162.35410,481451,916462,658 87
Notes: (a) the 2010 population of Paal Dua District is included in the figure for Tikala District, from which it was cut out in 2013. (b) including the small offshore islands of Pulau Bunaken, Pulau Siladen, and Pulau Manadotua. These islands form (with the larger Mantehage Island and Nain Island in North Minahasa Regency) the land components of the Bunaken National Park.(c) the 2010 population of Bunaken Kepulauan District is included in the figure for Bunaken District, from which it was cut out in 2013.
The boundaries of Manado city are as follows: East = Minahasa Regency North = North Minahasa Regency South = Minahasa Regency West = Celebes Sea
Demographics Ethnicity and languages
Currently, the majority of Manado city residents are from the Minahasa ethnic group. The indigenous people of Manado are from the Tombulu sub-tribe. The Tombulu language is considered one of the Minahasa languages and is spoken widely in several urban villages within Manado, for example: Wenang (Wenang / Mahawenang - kolintang), Tumumpa (down), Mahakeret (yelling), Tikala Ares (Walak Ares Tombulu, where the word 'ares' means punishable), Ranotana (ground water), Winangun (built), Wawonasa (wawoinasa - sharpened above), Pinaesaan (unity place), Pakowa (Tree of Treasure), Teling (fur / bamboo to make equipment), Titiwungen (excavated), Tuminting (from the word Ting-Ting: a bell, the inserted syllable -um- changing the noun to a verb, so Tuminting: ringing bell), Pondol (Edge), Wanea (from the word Wanua: meaning the country), etc. While the Malalayang area has residents mainly from the Bantik people, other indigenous groups in Manado today are from the Sangir, Gorontalo, Mongondow, Babontehu, Talaud, Tionudese, Siau, and Borgo peoples. There are also Arabian peranakan communities, mainly in the Kampung Arab area which is near Pasar '45 and has become a destination for religious tourism. Other ethnicities represented include Javanese, Chinese, Batak, Makassar, and Moluccans. A small Jewish community also exists.
Manado Malay is the main language spoken in Manado. It is a Malay-based creole. Some of the loan words in the Minahasan vernacular are derived from Dutch, Portuguese, and other foreign languages.
Religion , Protestant Christianity is the major religion in Manado, constituting around 62.89 percent of all residents, Islam comes second forming about 30.93 percent, Catholicism comes in third forming around 5.32 percent, and the rest follow Buddhism, Hinduism, and Confucianism, each coming in at less than 1 percent each, according to North Sulawesi regional office of Statistics Indonesia. In addition, about 20 Indonesian Jews live in Manado. The people of Manado identify as tolerant, harmonious, open and dynamic. Therefore, the city of Manado has a relatively conducive social environment, and is known as one of the safest cities in Indonesia. When Indonesia was vulnerable to political upheaval around 1999, and there were riots in other Indonesian cities, Manado was little affected. This is shown through the slogan of the people of Manado: Torang samua basudara, which means We are all family. And also through the words of Dr. Sam Ratulangi: "Sitou, Timou, Tumou, Tou", which roughly translates to 'Man lives to educate others'.
Transportation
Sam Ratulangi International Airport of Manado is one of the main ports of entry to Indonesia. In 2005, more than 15,000 international passengers entered Indonesia via Manado airport, connected with other major cities like Jakarta, Surabaya and Makassar, etc. Manado is also connected with several major cities in Asia for international routes.
Other public transportation in Manado are: Local share taxi services, known as mikrolets. Perum DAMRI buses serving airport to Manado Other buses serving Manado to other cities in North Sulawesi as well as other cities in the island of Sulawesi
Manado–Bitung Toll Road connects the city with Bitung. Terminal Malalayang, or Malalayang Bus Terminal serves as the main gateway for long-distance buses in Manado.
Cityscape
Manado is home to some of the biggest and most influential churches in the province, with many of them located along the iconic Sam Ratulangi Street.
Tourism
Ban Hin Kiong Temple is the oldest temple in the city of Manado, which was established in 1819. It is also a popular tourism spot in the city, especially during the Chinese New Year celebration. Citraland, a wealthy suburb of Manado, is home to Asia's second tallest and the world's fourth tallest statue of Christ (Christ Blessing Statue), and perhaps the world's first statue in the flying posture. Manado Boulevard Carnaval (MBC) is a fashion carnival annually every 16 July, aligned with Manado City Birthday.