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Information about Yogyakarta
The Special Region of Yogyakarta, one of the smallest provinces in Indonesia, has been widely known as a center of Javanese culture as well as a center of learning.
It has 3,400,000 inhabitants, 511,000 of whom reside in the city of Yogyakarta. Its designation as a center of learning is marked by the existence of 120 state and private tertiary educational institutions, with a student population of over 300,000.
Yogyakarta is well-known as one of Indonesia's art centers. It is impossible to separate this town from culture where it is deeply rooted in the life and traditions of the people. In Yogyakarta you will find much that is quintessential Indonesia: towering volcanoes, verdant rice terraces, royal palaces, ancient temples, intricately patterned batik and graceful dances. Impressive archaeological sites remain such as the temples of Borobudur, which is still the world's largest Buddhist Monument, and the magnificent Hindu Temple at Prambanan. From Yogyakarta one can travel easily to the Borobudur and Prambanan temples, which are half-day trips from the city.
The 300-year-old city of Yogyakarta is the cultural heart of Java. Here also is Indonesia's oldest palace 'The Kraton,' still the domicile of Yogya's royalty. Even now the current Sultan of Yogyakarta retains remarkable political prestige. Yogyakarta offers an abundance of Javanese art, painting, silverwork, batik handcraft, traditional Javanese dances, gamelan music, wayang shadow puppetry, as well as contemporary art.
Most areas of interest center around Jalan Malioboro, whose wide, canopied sidewalks offer shelter from the mid-afternoon heat and by night turn into a colorful street market where you can buy leather goods, textiles, batiks, wayang puppets and much more. Close to the extraordinary monuments of Borobudur and Prambanan,
the silversmiths' village of Kota Gede and the beaches at Parangtritis.
Imogiri Royal Cemetery
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Parangtritis Beach
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