Tual
Tual is a city in Maluku Province of Indonesia, geographically located within the Kei Islands. On 17 July 2007, it was separated from the rest of the Kei Islands and was created an independent city.
The city covers a land area of, together with a sea area estimated at. It includes the urbanized Dullah Island which is situated to the northeast of the much larger Kei Kecil, and includes a further number of small islands to the west of Kei Kecil.
History
Early history
Colonial era
Recent history
Geography
The city comprises the main Dullah Island together with numerous smaller islands off the north of Kei Kecil island, together with the small archipelagoes of the Tayando Islands, and Kur Islands, which lie to the west of the Kei Islands. The total land area of these islands is. The Tayando Islands have a maximum altitude of around 100 metres above the sea, while the Kur Islands has an altitude of around 400 metres. On Dullah Island, the city has a small slope between 0 and 25 degrees, most of it generally considered to be a low-lying region. However, there are several points within the city boundaries that have steep slopes above 45 degrees.The majority of the soils in the city are latosol, podzol, and rendzina. The soils generally are fertile and have good drainage, with the inhabitants using the land for agriculture, especially during the rainy season, growing various tubers.
Climate
Tual has a tropical monsoon climate with moderate rainfall from August to October and heavy to very heavy rainfall from November to July.Governance
Administrative districts
The city as of 2010 was divided into four districts, but subsequently in 2018 a fifth district — Kur Selatan — was created from part of Pulau-Pulau Kur District. These are tabulated below with their areas and their populations as of the 2010 census and 2020 census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district, and its post code.| Kode Wilayah | Name of District | Area in km2 | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n Estimate mid 2024 | Admin centre | No. of villages | Post code |
| 81.72.04 | Pulau-Pulau Kur | 19.61 | 4,895 | 2,615 | 2,843 | Tubyal | 5 | 97615 |
| 81.72.05 | Kur Selatan | 28.72 | 3,325 | 3,929 | Warkar | 7 | 97614 | |
| 81.72.03 | Tayando Tam | 73.74 | 5,448 | 7,486 | 7,893 | Tayando Yamtel | 5 | 97613 |
| 81.72.01 | Pulau Dullah Utara | 91.57 | 14,564 | 23,433 | 24,620 | Namser | 8 | 97612 |
| 81.72.02 | Pulau Dullah Selatan | 40.75 | 33,175 | 51,421 | 51,185é | Tual | 5 | 97611 |
| Totals | 254.39 | 58,082 | 88,280 | 90,470 | Tual | 30 |
Note: including 3 kelurahan - Ketsoblak, Lodar El and Masrum. the 2010 population of the new Kur Selatan District is included in the figure for Pulau-Pulau Kur, from which it was split off.
Geography
The Kur Islands District comprises the northern part of the Kur Islands archipelago, consisting of the northern half of Kur Island together with islands to its north including Kaimear, Kanos and Bui, of which Kaimear is the only inhabited island. The South Kur District consists of the southern half of Kur Island, together with islands to its south including Mangur, Fadol and Wonen, of which only Mangur is inhabited. The Kur Islands are situated far to the west of the Kayando Tam group.The Tayando Tam District comprises 27 islands situated to the west of Kei Kecil. There are five villages - Ngurhir on Tam Island, and Langgiar, Yamtel, Ohoitel and Yamru on Yayando Island
North Dullah Island District comprises the northern half of Dullah Island, and 22 smaller islands, while the more urbanised South Dullah Island District comprises the southern part of Dullah Island and 7 smaller islands.
Economy
The city produced 3.9 tons of galangal, 3.7 tons of turmeric, and 2.02 tons of ginger in 2019. This is a sharp decrease from the previous year, in which the city produced 11 tons of galangal, 4.2 tons of turmeric, and 3.45 tons of ginger, suggesting a decline in the agricultural sector and a shift to the industry and service sectors. Other agricultural commodities such as sweet potatoes and cassava also experienced a decline in production, from 21 tons to 14 tons and 107 tons to 76 tons, respectively. Another sector, fishery, contributes significantly to the local economy, in which there were 30,638 tons of seafood products from the city in 2019, ranging from tuna to shrimp. In the industry sector, fish meal production is the main industry product with an investment value of more than $680,000. There are 12 registered restaurants in the city, not counting informal restaurants and shops. Unemployment rate was 9.3% as of 2019.As the city's location is isolated and dependent on logistics from the sea, it is very prone to high inflation. The inflation rate in 2020 was 1.15%, which was the highest inflation rate in Indonesia that year.