Sibolga Bay

Sibolga Bay (formerly known by the Dutch Baai van Tapanoeli, literally The Bay of Tapanoeli; alternatively Tapanuli Bay) is a natural harbour on the west coast of North Sumatra, Sumatra, Indonesia. It is named after the city of Sibolga which is located inside of the bay.

There are a few islands in the bay, one of which was formerly the site of a fort controlled by the English and the Dutch.

Tsunamis

The area is relatively exposed to tsunamis. An alleged tsunami of November 13, 1925 is debated. The December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami hit the area hard.

References

See also

Coordinates: 1°38′56″N 98°47′55″E / 1.6488°N 98.7985°E / 1.6488; 98.7985

Sibolga

Sibolga (formerly sometimes Siboga) is a city and a port located in the natural harbour of Sibolga Bay on the west coast of North Sumatra province, in Indonesia. It is located on the western side of North Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean and is a transit harbour to the Nias island which was hard hit during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. The City has an area of 10.77 km² and had a population of 84,444 at the 2010 Census.

Administration

The city is divided into four districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their 2010 Census population:

History

Poncan Ketek Island (Small Poncan Island) in Sibolga Bay was once the location of a fort. British, Dutch, French and American traders passed through here. It is thought Stamford Raffles passed through before he moved to Bengkulu in south Sumatra. From Bengkulu Raffles, after relinquishing the Port to the Dutch, established the trade port that became Singapore.

At some point between 1890-1920 there was a major fire in the city, which was presumably mostly built from wood from the surrounding mountains (shown partly denuded in the 1928 panorama).