Bitung City is a small town located in the northeastern part of North Sulawesi Province. Bitung is located approximately 44 kilometers from Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi.
Geographically, Bitung City is situated on the mainland of Sulawesi, with part of its area consisting of islands, including Lembeh Island.
The name "Bitung" is derived from the Bitung tree (Hivia hospital), a tropical plant known as tariang in the Sangihe language.
The early history of Bitung began with fishermen who frequented the area, which eventually turned into a settlement. Starting as a fishing village, the area developed into Bitung Village.
Initially, the inhabitants of Bitung Village were from the Minahasa ethnic group (specifically the Tonsea sub-ethnic group) and Sangihe-Talaud. Later, people from North Maluku, Mongondow, and other ethnicities also settled there. As a village, Bitung was under the Kauditan subdistrict, which was part of the Tonsea district.
Bitung Village was first led by Hukum Tua (village chief) Arkelaus Sompotan, who governed for around 25 years. Under his leadership, the population of Bitung continued to grow, and the religious beliefs of the inhabitants became more diverse. The majority of Bitung Village’s population at that time was Christian, followed by Islam. Bitung Village was officially recognized by the Dutch East Indies government as a negeri (recognized settlement) on January 1, 1918, with the official decree issued on January 1, 1928.
