Eleven Indonesian Towns from Poso to Waingapu in Order of Recorded Latitude, North to South

Recorded latitude 1.379 degrees south, the stop nearest the equator. Poso is the administrative capital of Poso Regency and the main port and transportation hub for the central-southern coast of Central Sulawesi. It sits on the shore of the Gulf of Tomini and its urban area covers three districts, Poso Kota, North Poso Kota and South Poso Kota.

Recorded latitude 2.743 degrees south. Tanjungpandan is the capital of Belitung Regency on the island of Belitung and was founded on July 1, 1838. It is the largest town on the island, with 103,062 residents at the 2020 census, and it is home to the Laskar Pelangi Port terminal named for Andrea Hirata's novel and film.

Recorded latitude 2.972 degrees south. Rantepao is the capital of North Toraja Regency in South Sulawesi and serves as the cultural center of the Toraja ethnic group. It stands on the Sadang River about three hundred kilometers northeast of Makassar and became the entry point for tourism to the Tana Toraja area after the region opened to visitors in the 1970s.

Recorded latitude 3.001 degrees south. Kuala Kapuas is the regency seat of Kapuas Regency and one of the major towns of Central Kalimantan, about 137 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital Palangka Raya. The town is centred on six urban subdistricts and two rural villages within the district of Selat, and its founding day is recorded as March 21, 1806.

Recorded latitude 4.548 degrees south. Timika is a chartered city and the capital of Mimika Regency on the southern coast of Central Papua, with 142,909 residents recorded in the surrounding district at the 2020 census. It grew as a hub for mining and services around the gold mining operations of PT Freeport Indonesia and is served by Mozes Kilangin International Airport.

Recorded latitude 6.553 degrees south. Purwakarta is a town in West Java and the seat of Purwakarta Regency, with a mid-2023 population estimate of 183,613 across 24.39 square kilometers. Dutch colonial authorities established it as an administrative center in the early 1830s, and it now sits near the Jatiluhur Dam and hosts the Sri Baduga Water Fountain Park.

Recorded latitude 6.740 degrees south. Cirebon is a port city on the northern coast of Java, approximately 297 kilometers east of Jakarta, straddling the border between West and Central Java. Its history has been shaped by Sundanese and Javanese culture as well as Arab and Chinese influence, and the 2020 census recorded 333,303 residents in the city itself.

Recorded latitude 7.426 degrees south. Purwokerto is a large non-autonomous town in Central Java and the capital of Banyumas Regency, near Mount Slamet. It became the regency's administrative center after an 1861 flood damaged the original capital at Banyumas, about 18 kilometers away, and it now serves as a regional hub for medical, educational and transportation services.

Recorded latitude 8.613 degrees south. Ruteng is a highland town on the western end of Flores Island in East Nusa Tenggara province and the capital of Manggarai Regency, at an elevation of 1,188 meters. Its mostly Roman Catholic population still practices the traditional Manggarai custom of caci, or whip fighting, and the Liang Bua archaeological site lies about 10 kilometers to the north.

Recorded latitude 8.617 degrees south. Maumere is the administrative seat of Sikka Regency and the second-largest town on Flores Island, on the island's northern coast. A 1992 earthquake and tsunami destroyed roughly 90 percent of its buildings, after which it rebuilt and became the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maumere from 2005.

Recorded latitude 9.650 degrees south, the southernmost stop. Waingapu is the largest town on the eastern half of Sumba Island and the capital of East Sumba Regency, with a mid-2023 population estimate of 71,218 across 125.8 square kilometers. Archaeological evidence from the nearby Lambanapu site shows human occupation dating back roughly 2,800 BC, and the town is Sumba's only port capable of handling oil tankers.