Map - Luwu Regency (Kabupaten Luwu)

Luwu Regency (Kabupaten Luwu in Indonesian) is a regency of South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia. The administrative capital now lies at Belopa, since the former capital (Palopo) became an independent municipality (city) in 2006, at which date the then existing Luwu Regency was split into four entities - Palopo city, North Luwu Regency, East Luwu Regency, and the residual Luwu Regency. The regency now covers 2,909.08 km2 and had a population of 287,472 at the 2010 census and 365,608 at the 2020 census. The official estimate as at mid 2021 was 367,454.

The first regent of the reduced Luwu Regency was H. M. Basmin Mattayang from 2004 to 2009, then Ir. H. Andi Mudzakkar replaced him as regent from 2009 to 2014 following the first direct election in Luwu. Luwu is well known for its natural resources, such as rice, cocoa, coconut, banana, sagu (sago), rambutan, langsat, and others.

Luwu is named after the Luwu Kingdom, one of the three biggest kingdoms (and the oldest one) in South Sulawesi; the other two kingdoms were Gowa-Tallo (which became Gowa Regency and Makassar) and Bone (which became Bone Regency). The name "Luwu" had been known from the 13th century when the first king of the Lontara period of Luwu was throned. In Luwu history, there are two periods; the Galigo period and the Lontara period.

The Galigo period is matched from La Galigo or I La Galigo (an ancient literature, the longest epic in the world) which founded by B.F. Matthes in 1888. By R.A. Kern, a Dutch historian, the Galigo period is described as pre-historic time. The other historians said Galigo as pseudo-history. In I La Galigo, there are three places that said; Wara, Luwu, and Wewangriu that always said as Tompotikka.

Sanusi Daeng Mattata, author of Luwu dalam Revolusi, said that Luwu word is taken from riulo which means divine extended from above. This name is related to oral tradition that sacred in Luwu. In that oral tradition said that this world is divinely extended from sky, paved, then blessed by abundant natural resources.

The origin of Luwu name is taken from other words too; malucca (Bugis Ware' Language) and malutu (Palili' Language) which both mean turbid or dark. Turbid means always full with contents like river color when flooded. Dark interpreted as forest and sago near to the beach. Then malucca and malutu become malu and then becomes luwu.

C. Salombe in his book said that word 'Lu' in Luwu is taken from 'lau' word means sea or East. Salombe said Toraja is the way of Luwu people call the people who live in mountain or West. To Raja or To Riaja means people on the highland or people in the West. Luwu or Lu is the way of Toraja people call the people who live in beach or East or lowland.