Provinces are the first-level administrative divisions of Indonesia. It is formerly called the first-level provincial region before the Reform era. Provinces have a local government, consisting of a governor and a regional legislative body. The governor and members of local representative bodies are elected by popular vote for five-year terms, but governors can only serve for two terms. Provincial governments have the authority to regulate and manage their own government affairs, subject to the limits of the central government.
Southeast Sulawesi, is a province on the island of Sulawesi, forming the southeastern peninsula of that island, together with a number of substantial offshore islands such as Buton, Muna, Kabaena and Wawonii, together with many smaller islands. It is bordered by South Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi to the north, sharing a maritime border with Maluku and North Maluku to the east and East Nusa Tenggara to the south, as well a very narrow maritime border with East Timor to the south. The capital is the city of Kendari, on the east coast of the peninsula.
Maluku is a province of Indonesia. It comprises the central and southern regions of the Maluku Islands. The largest city and capital of Maluku province is Ambon on the small Ambon Island. It is directly adjacent to North Maluku, Southwest Papua, and West Papua in the north, Central Sulawesi, and Southeast Sulawesi in the west, Banda Sea, Australia, East Timor and East Nusa Tenggara in the south and Arafura Sea, Central Papua and South Papua in the east. The land area is 57803.81 km2, and the total population of this province at the 2010 census was 1,533,506 people, rising to 1,848,923 at the 2020 census, the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 1,908,753. Maluku is located in Eastern Indonesia.
The Obi Islands are a group of 42 islands in the Indonesian province of North Maluku, north of Buru and Ceram, and south of Halmahera. With a total area of 3,048.08 km2, they had a population of 41,455 at the 2010 Census and 50,760 at the 2020 Census. The official estimate as at mid 2022 was 52,588.
Muna is an island in the Southeast Sulawesi province of Indonesia with an area of 3,219.84 km2 (1,243.19 sq mi) and had a population of 316,293 at the 2010 Census and 368,654 at the 2020 Census. It is just southeast of the island of Sulawesi and west of Buton Island. It currently comprises most of three administrative regencies within the province: Muna Regency, West Muna Regency, and Central Buton Regency.
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, based on Law Number 13 of 2001. It covers an area of 294.98 km2, including about 30 km2 of water area, and had a population of 136,991 at the 2010 Census and 159,248 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 161,280. The city is the economic center of Buton Island region and the second largest city in the province. It was cultural center of Butonese people and former capital of Sultanate of Buton, colonial administration of Eastern Sulawesi, and for a brief moment the entire Southeast Sulawesi until 1955 when the capital status and economic development shifted to neighbouring Kendari.
Tukangbesi Islands, is a group of islands off the coast of Sulawesi immediately east of Buton island in the Banda Sea region, and part of Sulawesi Tenggara. "Tukang Besi" literally means "iron worker" or "blacksmith" in Indonesian. There is a Tukang Besi language. Separating Buton and the group is the Gulf of Kolowana Watabo.
The Muna–Buton languages are a group of languages spoken on the islands of Muna and Buton off the coast of South East Sulawesi province, Indonesia. They belong to the Celebic subgroup of the Austronesian family.
On the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, 114 native languages are spoken, all of which belong to the Malayo-Polynesian subgroup of the Austronesian language family. With a total number of 17,200,000 inhabitants, Sulawesi displays a high linguistic diversity when compared with the most densely populated Indonesian island Java, which hosts 4–8 languages spoken by 145,100,000 inhabitants.
Cia-Cia, also known as Buton or Butonese, is an Austronesian language spoken principally around the city of Baubau on the southern tip of Buton island, off the southeast coast of Sulawesi, in Indonesia. It is written using the Latin and Hangul scripts.
Buton Regency is a regency of Indonesia's Southeast Sulawesi Province, lying entirely on Buton Island. Until 2014 it had an area of 2,681.22 km2, and a population estimated at 276,944. However, in 2014 it was divided into three regencies, with two new regencies being cut out of it; the residual area now is 1,647.87 km2, and the districts in that area contained a population of 94,388 at the 2010 Census while the 2020 Census produced a total of 115,207; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 120,873 The capital is nominally at Pasarwajo, but the regency's administration is actually undertaken in the city of Baubau on the south-west of the island, although that city is administratively separate from the Regency.
Muna Regency is a regency of Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia, covering parts of the island of Muna as well as part of the neighbouring Buton Island and smaller islands off its coast. Until 2014 it had an area of 2,945.05 km2, but in that year the western eleven districts of that Regency were split off to form a new West Muna Regency. The reduced regency now covers an area of 2,057.69 km2, and the districts comprising that area had a population of 196,645 at the 2010 Census; the total at the 2020 Census was 215,527, and the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 228,639, comprising 112,624 males and 116,015 females. The principal town lies at Raha, in Katobu District.
North Buton Regency is a regency of Indonesia's Southeast Sulawesi Province, which was separated from Buton Regency in accordance with Indonesia's Law Number 14 of 2007. The area of the regency, which covers the north part of Buton Island, is 1,923.03 km2. Its population was 54,736 at the 2010 Census and 66,653 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 72,757. The administrative capital of the regency is at the town of Buranga, in Bonegunu District.
Southeast Minahasa Regency is a regency in North Sulawesi, Indonesia. It covers a land area of 730.63 km2, and had a population of 100,443 at the 2010 Census; this had risen to 116,323 at the 2020 Census, and the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 118,946. It was established as a separate regency from the south-eastern part of the South Minahasa Regency on 2 January 2007. Its administrative centre is at the town of Ratahan.
Buri Wolio is an Arabic script modified to write Wolio, a language spoken in and around Baubau, the capital of Buton, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Generally, this script is same with Jawi script, except in Buri Wolio, vowel sounds are symbolized. This script has 35 letters, 28 letters from Arabic alphabet and 7 additional letters similar to those in Jawi script to represent sounds not found in Arabic. Of these, 22 are used for writing of Wolio language, while 13 are reserved for writing loanwords of Arabic origin.
The Butonese people is a collective term that embraces a number of ethnic groups of Buton and neighbouring islands in Southeast Sulawesi. Like many other ethnic groups in Sulawesi, the Butonese are seafarers and traders. Butonese have long since migrated to many parts of the Malay archipelago using smaller vessels ranging from those that can only accommodate five people to large boats that can hold up to about 150 tons of goods. In general, the Butonese are a community that inhabits the region of the historical Buton Sultanate. When the swapraja domain was abolished, so did the Buton Sultanate which ended in 1951. The area of the former Sultanate is now distributed over several regencies and cities of Southeast Sulawesi. Among them are Baubau, Buton Regency, South Buton Regency, Central Buton Regency, North Buton Regency, Wakatobi Regency and Bombana Regency.
West Muna Regency is a new regency of Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia,and is situated in the northwest corner of Muna Island and smaller ilsands of its coast. It was established under Act No.14 of 2014, dated 23 July 2014 by separation from the Muna Regency. It covers an area of 906.28 km2, and the districts comprising it had a population of 71,632 at the 2010 Census; the 2020 Census resulted in a population of 84,590, and the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 85,706, comprising 42,242 males and 43,464 females. The administrative centre lies at Laworo in the Tiworo Islands District.
Central Buton Regency is a new regency of Southeast Sulawesi established by separation from Buton Regency under Act No.15 of 2014, dated 23 July 2014. It covers an area of 837.16 km2 comprising the southern parts of Muna Island and Kabaena Island, together with several small offshore islands adjacent to these two main islands, but with no territory located on Buton Island. It had a population of 86,112 at the 2010 Census and 114,773 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 121,369. The administrative centre lies at Labungkari in Lakudo District.
South Buton Regency is a regency located on Buton Island in Southeast Sulawesi Province of Indonesia. This regency was formed from the southern part of Buton Regency, from which it was separated by Act No.16 of 2014, dated 23 July 2014. It covers an area of 546.58 km2, and the population of the districts now comprising the new regency was 74,974 at the 2010 Census and 95,261 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 101,635. The regency capital is located in Batauga.
The Sultanate of Buton was an indigenous sultanate in what is today Indonesia. It used to rule over Buton island and adjacent areas within present-day Southeast Sulawesi province. It was a constitutional monarchy with its own written constitution and law, complete with bodies acting as a legislature, a system of judiciary, and executive power.
Southeast Sulawesi 
