Palembang, 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.

City (pop., 2000: 1,451,419) and river port, Indonesia. It is located on both banks of the Musi River. It was the capital of a Buddhist kingdom from the 7th to the 14th century AD and was subsequently overthrown by the Hindu Majapahit empire. The Dutch East India Company established a trading post there and in 1659 built a fort. Palembang was occupied by the Japanese during World War II and was the capital of South Sumatra until that state was included in the Republic of Indonesia in 1950. The port is accessible to ocean traffic and conducts considerable trade with ports on the Malay Peninsula and in Thailand and China.

Learn more about Palembang with a free trial on Britannica.com.