Metere – a village in Kecamatan Lakudo, Kabupaten Buton Tengah regency
Metere is an Indonesian village (desa) belonging to Kecamatan Lakudo within the area of Kabupaten Buton Tengah, in Sulawesi Tenggara province. The kecamatan is situated in the eastern part of Buton Tengah and serves as a connecting zone between Pulau Muna and Pulau Buton islands. The entire territory of Kabupaten Buton Tengah is located not on Pulau Buton but on Pulau Muna. The provincial capital, Kendari, lies considerably further north; the administrative capital of Kabupaten Buton Tengah is Labungkari, also within Kecamatan Lakudo. The province itself, Sulawesi Tenggara, was formerly administratively part of Kabupaten Buton, an arrangement that proved cumbersome as access to the kabupaten seat required traveling by sea through Kota Baubau and then overland to Pasarwajo.
General overview
Metere does not appear as a standalone entry in settlement-level statistical sources; accordingly, the information below relies on verifiable data from Kecamatan Lakudo and Kabupaten Buton Tengah, with the context clearly indicated. The settlements within Kecamatan Lakudo include Boneoge, Lolibu, Madongka, Matawine, Metere, Moko, Mone, Nepa Mekar and numerous other villages (desa), each bearing the postal code 93763. Kabupaten Buton Tengah became an independent regency in mid-2014 when it separated from Kabupaten Buton — coinciding with the establishment of Kabupaten Buton Selatan and Kabupaten Muna Barat. The regency comprises 7 kecamatan, 10 kelurahan, and 67 villages (desa), with a total area of 958.31 km² and a population of 115,121 according to 2017 data, yielding a population density of 120 persons/km². The territory covered by Buton Tengah is ethnically diverse: among the inhabitants are Buton-Gulamasta (Pancana), Moronene-Kabaena, Bajo, Muna, and Wolio ethnic groups. Regarding religious composition within the Buton Tengah community, 98.24% of the population is Muslim and 1.76% is Christian. Livelihoods are based on agriculture, fishing, marine transport, and commerce, with a smaller portion engaged in the mining sector. It is characteristic of the entire region that the Buton Tengah territory formerly fell under the sovereignty of the Buton Kingdom and Sultanate.
Real estate and investment
Independent real estate market data specific to Metere village does not appear in publicly accessible sources; accordingly, the broader regional context of Kabupaten Buton Tengah is presented below. The regency is a relatively young administrative unit, having gained independence from Kabupaten Buton in 2014. From an economic potential perspective, significant opportunities exist within the regency's territory for dryland rice cultivation, corn, cassava, sweet potato, and green bean production. The sale of these potential commodities occurs through three main maritime ports of Buton Tengah engaged in inter-island trade. One of these three ports is Pelabuhan Ferry Wamengkoli, one of Sulawesi Tenggara's busier ferry ports, conducting traffic at least 12 times daily on the Wamengkoli–Baubau route. This port infrastructure reinforces the regency's connecting character, which can indirectly serve as a driver for local real estate and economic development. Under Indonesia's general real estate regulations, foreign nationals cannot acquire full ownership rights (Hak Milik) over land; for them, primarily Hak Pakai (usage rights) and Hak Sewa (lease arrangement) are available, or alternatively, the establishment of a PT PMA (foreign-owned shareholding company) may offer a solution for business purposes. These regulations constitute uniform frameworks applicable throughout the country, and thus are equally applicable to Metere and its surrounding area.
Safety and security
No settlement-level public security statistics are available in publicly accessible sources for Metere village; accordingly, the broader regional context is presented below. Sulawesi Tenggara province generally belongs to the less urbanized regions, primarily characterized by agricultural and fishing activities; Kabupaten Buton Tengah is similarly a rural area tied to these forms of livelihood. The local population's sources of income — agriculture, fishing, marine transport, and small-scale trade — presuppose a relatively stable, traditional community structure. At the provincial level, the province is not classified among Indonesia's areas bearing heightened security risks; however, regarding local conditions specific to individual settlements, guidance from local authorities remains authoritative for visitors. General precautions — particularly when staying in rural, less well-known areas — are recommended everywhere.
Tourist attractions
No verifiable source contains a tourist attraction named after or located in Metere village. Regarding Kecamatan Lakudo, however, it is worth noting that the village of One Waara, also located within Kecamatan Lakudo, contains a distinctive cave whose endpoint features a freshwater, inland basin. Considering the Kabupaten Buton Tengah regency as a whole, among historical attractions, fortifications from the Buton Sultanate period play a prominent role, including Benteng Kota Bombonawulu, Benteng Wasilomata, and Benteng Gumanano. Natural attractions include white sand beaches such as Pantai Mutiara, Pantai Katembe, and Pantai Lamena; among these, Pantai Mutiara — located in Gumanano village, Kecamatan Mawasangka — is the most well-known. From a cultural perspective, the Wasilomata kampung in Kecamatan Mawasangka is noteworthy, where the community has preserved its traditions to this day, and the houses display an almost uniformly consistent traditional form. The regency as a whole serves a connecting role between Kota Baubau, Kabupaten Muna, and Kabupaten Bombana, an attribute that also represents an asset in terms of transit traffic. Kabupaten Buton Tengah is accessible by PELNI ship via sea route or by ferry from Baubau.
Summary
Metere is a village in Kecamatan Lakudo, Kabupaten Buton Tengah regency, situated in the eastern part of Buton Tengah within the connecting zone between Pulau Muna and Pulau Buton. The settlement itself possesses limited documentation in publicly accessible sources; at the broader kabupaten level, however, the rich historical heritage of the Buton Sultanate, the port infrastructure supporting inter-island trade, and natural and historical tourism assets collectively define the regional framework within which Metere is situated. The regency is a relatively young administrative unit, having gained independence in 2014, and its development trajectory remains in formation; this simultaneously represents both a constraint and an opportunity for those with interest in the area.
