Baubau

Baubau
City
City of Baubau Kota Baubau
Clockwise from top: Baubau city waterfront, Buton Palace Fortress, Baubau Dragon Statue, Islamic Center of Baubau
Coat of arms
Location within Southeast Sulawesi
OpenStreetMap
Baubau Location in Sulawesi and Indonesia Show map of Sulawesi Baubau Baubau (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 5°27′44″S 122°36′21″E / 5.46222°S 122.60583°E / -5.46222; 122.60583
Country	Indonesia
Province	Southeast Sulawesi
City Status	21 June 2001
Government
• Acting Mayor	La Ode Ahmad Monianse
Area
• Total	294.98 km2 (113.89 sq mi)
Population  (2023 estimate[1])
• Total	161,280
Time zone	UTC+8 (Indonesia Central Time)
Area code	(+62) 402
HDI (2023)	0.775 (High)
Website	baubaukota.go.id

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 after Law Number 13 of 2001 was passed.^[2] It covers an area of 294.98 km², of which about 30 km² is water, and had a population of 136,991 at the 2010 Census^[3] and 159,248 at the 2020 Census;^[4] the official estimate as at mid-2023 was 161,280.^[5] The city is the economic center of Buton Island region and the second largest city in the province. It was the cultural center of Butonese people, former capital of Sultanate of Buton, colonial administration of Eastern Sulawesi (Afdeeling Ost Celebes), and briefly capital of the entire Southeast Sulawesi regency until 1955 when the capital status and economic development shifted to neighbouring Kendari.