THE City of Sibolga may be the smallest autonomous area in North Sumatra province, but the 2005 KPPOD survey on investment competitiveness places Sibolga as number 8 out of 59 regencies and municipalities surveyed in Indonesia. In fact, this is the highest-ranking municipality in the entire province.

With a population of 229,011 in 2004, Sibolgas per capita income was Rp8,238,905. Its 1,077-hectare area comprises 890 hectares of land and 187 comb