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Kabupaten Luwu Kabuaten Luwu
Regency
Bua beach in Luwu
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Luwu wanua mappatuoe naewai alena, toddo puli temmalara
Location withinSouth Sulawesi
Coordinates:3°22′57″S120°22′08″E / 3.382509°S 120.368958°E /-3.382509; 120.368958
Country	Indonesia
Province	South Sulawesi
Anniversary	23 January 1268; 757 years ago (1268-01-23)
Capital	Belopa
Government
• Regent	Patahuddin
Area
• Total	3,000.25 km2 (1,158.40 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
• Total	380,679
• Density	130/km2 (330/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+8 (WITA)
Website	http://luwukab.go.id

Luwu Regency (Kabupaten Luwu in Indonesian) is aregency inSouth Sulawesi Province,Indonesia. On 20 April 1999, the northern districts of the original regency were separated to formNorth Luwu Regency. Subsequently, on 25 February 2003, some districts of North Luwu Regency were further split off to establishEast Luwu Regency. Additionally, the former capital of Luwu Regency,Palopo, was designated as an independent municipality (city) on 10 April 2002.

The current Luwu Regency covers a land area of 3,000.25 km². It had a population of 287,472 at the 2010 Census^[2] and 365,608 at the 2020 Census.^[3] The official population estimate as of mid-2023 was 380,679.^[1] The administrative capital is now located inBelopa.

The first regent of the reduced Luwu Regency was H. M. Basmin Mattayang, who served from 2004 to 2009. He was succeeded by Ir. H. Andi Mudzakkar, who became regent following Luwu's first direct election and served from 2009 to 2014. Mudzakkar was re-elected for a second five-year term in 2014. In 2019, Drs. H. M. Basmin Mattayang, M.Pd., returned as regent for a second term. On 21 February 2024, Muhammad Saleh assumed the position of regent.

Luwu is known for its natural resources, which include rice, cocoa, coconut, bananas, sago (sagu), rambutan, and langsat.

Luwu derives its name from theLuwu Kingdom, one of the three largest and oldest kingdoms in South Sulawesi. The other two were the Gowa-Tallo Kingdom (which later becameGowa Regency andMakassar) and the Bone Kingdom (which becameBone Regency). The name "Luwu" has been known since the 13th century when the first king of the Lontara period of Luwu was crowned. The history of Luwu is divided into two periods: the Galigo period and the Lontara period.

The Galigo period is named afterLa Galigo orI La Galigo, an ancient literary work considered the longest epic in the world. It was discovered by B.F. Matthes in 1888. According to R.A. Kern, a Dutch historian, the Galigo period represents apre-historic era. However, other historians have describedLa Galigo aspseudo-history. InI La Galigo, three places are frequently mentioned: Wara, Luwu, and Wewangriu, which are collectively referred to as Tompotikka.

Sanusi Daeng Mattata, the author ofLuwu dalam Revolusi, stated that the name "Luwu" is derived fromriulo, which means "divinely extended from above." This name is linked to a sacredoral tradition in Luwu. According to this tradition, the world was divinely extended from the sky, prepared, and blessed with abundant natural resources.

The origin of the name "Luwu" is also linked to the wordsmalucca (from the Bugis Ware' language) andmalutu (from the Palili' language), both of which mean "turbid" or "dark." Turbid refers to being full of content, like the color of a river during a flood, while dark symbolizes forests and sago plants near the coast. Over time,malucca andmalutu evolved intomalu, which eventually becameLuwu.

C. Salombe, in his book, stated that the word "Lu" in "Luwu" is derived from the wordlau, which means "sea" or "east." Salombe explained that the people of Luwu refer to those living in the mountains or the west as "Toraja." The termTo Raja orTo Riaja translates to "people of the highlands" or "people in the west." Conversely, the Toraja people refer to those living near the coast, in the east, or in the lowlands as "Luwu" or "Lu."

Geographically, Luwu Regency is situated between 2°3’45” and 3°37’30” South Latitude and 119°15” and 121°43’11” East Longitude. Its administrative borders are as follows:

Luwu Regency is divided into two separate areas, with the city ofPalopo located in the middle. The northern area consists of six districts: Walenrang, Walenrang Timur (East Walenrang), Lamasi, Walenrang Utara (North Walenrang), Walenrang Barat (West Walenrang), and Lamasi Timur (East Lamasi). These districts are collectively referred to as "Walmas." The southern area includes the remaining sixteen districts, as listed below.

Luwu regency has atropical rainforest climate (Af), characterized by heavy to very heavy rainfall throughout the year. The following climate data is for Belopa, the seat of the regency.

In 2010, Luwu Regency comprised 21 administrativedistricts (Kecamatan). However, an additional district, Basse Sangtempe Utara, was later created from part of Basse Sangtempe District. The 22 districts are listed below, along with their populations from the 2010^[2] and 2020 censuses,^[3] as well as the official estimates as of mid-2023.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centers, the number ofadministrative villages in each district (a total of 207 ruraldesa and 20 urbankelurahan), and their postal codes.

Note: (a) including onekelurahan - the district admin centre as named in each case.
(b) including 4kelurahan (Balo-Balo, Senga, Tampumia Radda and Tanamanai). (c) including 2kelurahan - Pammanu and Sabe.
(d) the 2010 population of the new Basse Sangtempe Utara District was included in the 2010 total of Basse Sangtempe District.
(e) including 2kelurahan - Padang Sappa and Padang Subur. (f) including thekelurahan of Bulo.

On 24 October 2014, approximately 1,000 protesters expressed their anger that the House of Representatives did not include the proposed Central Luwu Regency in the planned creation of 65 new regencies and autonomous cities. The protesters, local residents, believed that Central Luwu was ready to become a separate regency, consisting of the six districts of Walenrang, East Walenrang, West Walenrang, North Walenrang, Lamasi, and East Lamasi. This would effectively leave the sixteen districts south of Palopo City to form a new South Luwu Regency.

The most well-known dish in Luwu iskepurung (also calledkapurung,pugalu,bugalu, orkapeda), made from thesago plant (Metroxylon sagu). Another dish made from sago isdange. Other local foods includepacco andbagea. Luwu is also known for producing fruits likedurian, langsat (Lansium parasiticum),rambutan, and others.

Luwu is the origin ofLa Galigo, the longest epic in the world, created before theMahabharata. Some manuscripts ofLa Galigo are preserved in European museums, including theLeiden University Library. TheLa Galigo manuscript tells the story ofSawerigading and is well-known inCentral Sulawesi,Southeast Sulawesi,Gorontalo, and throughoutMalaysia. On 25 May 2011, theLa Galigo manuscript in the Leiden University Library was inscribed in UNESCO'sMemory of the World Register, recognizing its world significance and outstanding universal value.

• Luwu Regency
• Regencies of South Sulawesi

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