Semarang

Semarang (pronounced [smara]) is a city on the north coast of the island

of Java, Indonesia. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Central Java.
It has an area of 373.70 square kilometres (144.29 sq mi) and a population of
approximately 2 million people, making it Indonesia's sixth most populous city and the fifth
largest Indonesian city after Jakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, and Medan. Greater Semarang
(aka Kedungsapur) has a population of close to 6 million (see Greater Semarang section), and
is located at 658S 11025E. A major port during the Dutch colonial era, and still an
important regional center and port today, the city has a dominant Javanesepopulation.
The Japanese military occupied the city, along with the rest of Java, in 1942, during
the Pacific War of World War II. During that time, Semarang was headed by a military
governor called a Shiko, and two vice governors known as Fuku Shiko. One of the vice
governors was appointed from Japan, and the other was chosen from the local population.
After Indonesian independence in 1945, Semarang became the capital of Central
Java province.
Driven by economic growth and spatial city planning, the city had doubled in size and
expanded to the south by the 1920s, creating a nucleus of a metropolis where multi-ethnic
groups lived and traded in the city. The villages in the suburbs such as Jomblang and
Jatingaleh steadily became the satellite towns of Semarang, more populated with a bigger
market area. Before the invasion of Japan in 1942, Semarang had already become the capital
of Central Java Province, as the result of trade and industrial success and spatial planning.[3]
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. Two Dutch-built aqueducts run through the city to control the yearly flood,
one on the east side and one through the west side, essentially dividing the city into three
major areas.
Semarang is home to several notable universities and high schools. Two of them are the
state-owned Diponegoro University and Universitas Negeri Semarang (or, in English,
the Semarang State University). Semarang has some medical schools that offer schools of
medicine, nursing, etc., such as Faculty of Medicine Diponegoro University, Faculty of
Medicine UNISSULA, and Faculty of Medicine UNIMUS.
The Sam Poo Kong temple was built in honour of the Chinese Great Admiral Zheng
He who visited the area in 1405. A 10.7 metres (35 ft) tall bronze statue about Rp.1 billion
($115,000) is to be constructed.
As Singapore River, Semarang is constructing Semarang River at Banjir Kanal Barat
(Garang River) near Karangayu Bridge. In medio July 2011, gardens in river banks and some
traditional boats have available to use. The project will be finished in 2013 with river
gardens, trotoars, gardens lighting, water activities, art sites, sport sites and balcony-and-
stairs for sightseeing.
Semarang is widely known for its Bandeng presto (pressure-cooked
milkfish), Lumpia,Wingko, Tahu Gimbal,and Ganjel Rel. Semarang has also been called 'The
city of Jamu' because it is an important centre for the production of jamu which are a wide
range of Indonesian herbal medicines that are very popular across Indonesia.