What Is Yogyakarta? Discover Indonesia’s Cultural and Historical Capital

What is Yogyakarta?

Jogja (Special Region of Yogyakarta) is the former capital of Indonesia, located on the island of Java.

While Jakarta is the center of economy and politics, Yogyakarta is the center of culture and history.

In particular, it has the following three major characteristics.

Characteristic 1: A historical center with many pre-Islamic ruins, such as Buddhist and Hindu temples

Yogyakarta is home to many ruins, including the two World Heritage sites of Borobudur and Prambanan temples.

※To be precise, Borobudur Temple is located in the Magelang regency of Central Java, but it’s about an hour and a half from the center of Jogja.

Borobudur Temple

A 9th-century Buddhist temple monument and UNESCO World Heritage site.
It is the world’s largest three-dimensional mandala structure, with each level adorned with thousands of reliefs.

The sunrise viewed from the monument is a breathtaking spot.

Prambanan Temple

A UNESCO World Heritage Hindu temple built in 856 AD.
At 47 meters high, the Roro Jonggrang temple is the tallest Hindu temple in Southeast Asia.

Many events are also held in the surrounding area, making it a hub for tourism in Yogyakarta.

Characteristic 2: A student city with many universities

Yogyakarta has over 125 university campuses and facilities, including Gadjah Mada University, which has repeatedly topped the national university rankings, and arts universities such as the Indonesian Institute of the Arts, Yogyakarta.

For this reason, there are many cafes in Yogyakarta city, which students use as places to socialize and chat.

The city is filled with many cafes and relatively inexpensive restaurants and street stalls for students.
Related to this, Yogyakarta is a relatively cheap city in Indonesia, with food and services provided at about half the price of Jakarta.

Characteristic 3: A cultural center where Javanese culture, including batik, Javanese dance, and shadow puppetry, is preserved

Yogyakarta has a history of prospering as a central city of various civilizations and eras, even before the islands of Java and Indonesia became the Republic of Indonesia, and it was once the capital of the republic.

For this reason, much of Javanese culture remains here in Yogyakarta.

Yogyakarta Special Region Basic Information

Population	3,452,390 (1,705,404 male, 1,746,986 female) ※2010 census
Area	3,185.80 square kilometers The second smallest province in Indonesia after the Special Capital Region of Jakarta
Religious Distribution	Muslim: 92.62% Catholic: 4.50% Protestant: 2.68% Buddhist: 0.10% Hindu: 0.09%
Ethnic Composition	Javanese: 96.53% Sundanese: 0.69% Malay: 0.45%
Language	First language: Indonesian Second language: Javanese
Governor	Hamengkubuwono X ※Hereditary governor from the royal family