Palembang

 

(pälĕmbäng') , city (1990 pop. 1,144,047), capital of South Sumatra province, on SE Sumatra, Indonesia. The island's largest city, it is a deepwater port on both banks of the Musi River and the trade and shipping center for the S Sumatra oil fields. Rubber, coffee, and coal are also exported. There are large oil refineries, rubber plants, textile mills, fertilizer factories, and food-processing plants. Palembang in the 8th cent. was the capital of the powerful Hindu-Sumatran kingdom of Sri Vijaya. The Dutch began trading there in 1617, and later it was intermittently under British rule. The sultanate of Palembang was abolished by the Dutch in 1825. Palembang is the seat of Sriwidjaja State Univ.

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
- City	km²  ( sq mi)
Population (2000)
- City
- Density	/km² (/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.

History

The city was once the capital of the ancient, partly Hindu partly Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya that controlled a large part of what is now Malaysia and Indonesia. Following a 1025 raid by the Chola Empire 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) which 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.

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]}

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

External links

• City of Palembang government - in Indonesian

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