Palembang

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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, 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, founder of the Malacca Sultanate.

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 a National Sporting Event in 2004. The city government has set a revenue target of IDR 3.5 billion from advertising alone.. Palembang is also one of hosts of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

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.

External links

• City of Palembang government - in Indonesian
• Heraldry of Palembang
• Visit Musi 2008

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Last updated on Monday July 21, 2008 at 12:44:39 PDT (GMT -0700)
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