Palembang

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Palembang

Bridge in Palembang

Coat of arms

Palembang

Location of Palembang in Indonesia

Coordinates: 2°59′27.99″S 104°45′24.24″E / -2.9911083, 104.7567333

Country

Indonesia

Province

South Sumatra

Area

- Total

400.5 km² (154.6 sq mi)

Population (2000)

- Total

1,441,500

- Density

3,599/km² (9,321.4/sq mi)

Time zone

WIB (UTC+7)

Website: www.palembang.go.id

Palembang is a city of 1,286,000 in the south of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the capital of the province of South Sumatra and its metropolitan area includes more than 1,730,000 people.

[edit] History

The city was once the capital of the ancient, Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya that controlled a large part of what is now Malaysia and Indonesia. Following a 1025 raid by the Chola Empire (In the period of Emperor Rajendra Chola I) of southern India it began to gradually decline in importance. Srivijaya's capital eventually moved northward to Jambi. Palembang is also the origin of Parameswara, the ruler of Malacca (a state in Malaysia) who established the most important empire in Malaysian history.

The architectural legacy of Dutch colonization is still visible in the city. Deep-water port facilities are built along the Musi River, which flows through the city.

The naval Battle of Palembang was fought near the city during the Second World War between February 13-February 15, 1942.

[edit] Economy

Palembang's economy has been developed significantly since it became a host for National Sporting Event in 2004. The city government has set a revenue target of IDR 3.5 billion from advertising alone.^{[citation needed]}. Palembang is also one of hosts of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.^{[citation needed]}

The city is served by Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport which has many scheduled flights to many cities in Indonesia and also to Singapore and Malaysia.

This city is famous in Indonesia for its "Pempek" fish cakes.