Semarang

Semarang is a city on the north coast of the island of Java, Indonesia. It is the capital of the province of Central Java. It has an area of 373.67 Km² and approximately 1.5 million people making it the Indonesia's fifth largest city. Semarang is located at 6°58′S 110°25′E. A major port during the Dutch colonial era, and still an important port today, the city is known in Indonesia for its large ethnically Chinese population. The name of the city, Semarang, may have originated from the concatenation of the words "asem" (tamarind) and "arang" (rare). Another version is that Semarang is originated from Chinese word Sam Po Lang (San Bao Loong), meaning the city of Sam Po (Admiral Zheng He).

History

Semarang's history dates back to the ninth century, when it was known as Bergota. By the end of fifteenth century, an Arab mullah with the name of Kyai Pandan Arang founded a village and an Islamic boarding school in this place. On 2 May 1547, after consulting Sunan Kalijaga, Sultan Hadiwijaya of Pajang declared Kyai Pandan Arang the first bupati (regent) of Semarang, thus culturally and politically, on this day Semarang was born.
In 1678, Sunan Amangkurat II promised to give control of Semarang to the Dutch East India Company (VOC) as a part of a debt payment. In 1682, the Semarang state was founded by the Dutch colonial power. On 5 October 1705 after years of occupations, Semarang officially became a VOC city when Susuhunan Pakubuwono I made a deal to give extensive trade rights to the VOC in exchange of wiping out Mataram's debt. VOC and later the Dutch East Indies government established tobacco plantations in the region, and built roads and railroads, making Semarang an important colonial trading centre.
Beginning in the 1920s the city became a center of leftist and nationalist activism. Particularly with the founding in the city of the Communist Party of Indonesia, Semarang became known as the "Red City". The Japanese military occupied the city, along with the rest of Java, in 1942 during Pacific War of World War II. During that time, Semarang was headed by a military governor (Shiko) from Japan and two vice governors (Fuku Shiko), one from Japan and one from local. After Indonesian independence in 1945, Semarang became the capital of Central Java province.


Administration
The city of Semarang divided into 16 districts (kecamatan) and 177 sub-districts of (kelurahan). The 16 districts are: West Semarang, East Semarang, Central Semarang, North Semarang, South Semarang, Candisari, Gajahmungkur, Gayamsari, Pedurungan, Genuk, Tembalang, Banyumanik, Gunungpati, Mijen, Ngaliyan, and Tugu.
A Bupati used to be the head of government in Semarang until 1906. After 1906, the city of Semarang was headed by a Mayor (Walikota).

The list of Mayor of Semarang after Indonesian independence:
1. Moch. lchsan
2. Koesoebiyono (1949 - 1 July 1951)
3. RM Hadisoebeno Sosrowardoyo (1 July 1951 - 1 Janu 1958)
4. Abdulmadjid Djojoadiningrat (7 January 1958 - 1 January 1960)
5. RM Soebagyono Tjondrokoesoemo (1 January 1961 - 26 April 1964)
6. Wuryanto (25 April 1964 - 1 September 1966)
7. Soeparno (1 September 1966 - 6 March 1967)
8. R. Warsito Soegiarto (6 March 1967 - 2 January 1973)
9. Hadijanto (2 January 1973 - 15 January 1980)
10. Imam Soeparto Tjakrajoeda (15 January 1980 - 19 January 1990)
11. Soetrisno Suharto (19 January 1990 - 19 January 2000)
12. Sukawi Sutarip (19 January 2000 - present)

Geography

Semarang is located on the northern coast of Java. The northern part of the city is built on the coastal plain while the southern parts, known as Candi Lama and Candi Baru, are on higher ground. Major landmarks in town include Simpang Lima, a large five-way intersection surrounded by shopping malls and other commercial establishments.

Culture

The population of Semarang is predominantly Javanese, though with smaller numbers of people from many regions in Indonesia. The city is known for its large ethnically Chinese population. The main languages spoken are Indonesian and Javanese.

Temples and monuments

As a result of its large ethnically Chinese population, the city boasts several Chinese temples. These include Sam Po Kong (Gedung Batu), built in honour of the Chinese Great Admiral Zheng He who visited the area in 1405, and Tay Kak Sie Temple. Blenduk Church, a 1753 Protestant church built by Dutch, is located in the old town (called "Oudstad"). Tugu Muda (Youth Monument), a monument to heroes of Indonesia's independence struggle, is located in front of Gedung Lawang Sewu, at the end of Jalan Pemuda, one of the city's major shopping streets.