Malang

This article is about the city of Malang. For the Malang Regency, see Malang Regency.

For the Filipino illustrator and painter, see Malang (painter).

Malang
Malang town hall
Motto: Malang Kucecwara
Malang Location of Malang in Indonesia
Malang Location of Malang in Indonesia
Coordinates: 7°58′48″S 112°37′12″E
Country	Indonesia
Province	East Java
Government
• Mayor	Drs. Peni Suparto
Area
• Total	252.13 km2 (97.35 sq mi)
Population (2010 Census)
• Total	819,708
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Area code(s)	+62341
Website	http://www.malangkota.go.id/

Mount Arjuna viewed from Singosari, Malang

Malang is the second largest city in East Java province, Indonesia. It has an ancient history dating back to the Mataram Kingdom. The city population at the 2010 Census was 819,708. During the period of Dutch colonization, it was a popular destination for European residents. The city is famous for its cool air and the surrounding country regions of Tumpang, Batu, Singosari, and Turen. People in East Java sometimes call it "Paris of East Java." Malang was spared many of the effects of the Asian financial crisis, and since that time it has been marked by steady economic and population growth.

Etymology

The etymology of the name Malang is uncertain. One of the theory said that the name Malang is derived from the words Malangkucecwara which means "God has destroyed the false and enforced the right". The words was taken from an ancient stele which mention a legendary temple called Malangkucecwara supposedly located near the city Malang. The word Malangkucecwara was applied as the motto of the city of Malang.

History

The history of Malang Regency could be revealed through the Dinoyo inscription 760 AD as the primary official document to support the birth of Malang before a new inscription was discovered in 1986, which is so far not yet revealed. According to the inscription, it was concluded that the 8th century was the beginning of the existence of Malang Regency's government due to the birth of King Gajayana's ruling of his kingdom in Malang. From the Dinoyo inscriptions, it is noted that the inscription used the "Candra Sengkala" or "Cronogram" Calendar, and stated that the birth date of Malang Regency was on Jum'at Legi (sweet Friday) of 28 November 760 AD.

The city was incorporated into Mataram Sultanate in 1614, then transferred to Dutch colonial rule. Malang was modernized under the Dutch; its cool climate which results from its elevation, along with its proximity to the major port of Surabaya, made it a popular destination for the Dutch and other Europeans. In 1879, Malang was connected to Java's railroad network, further increasing development and leading to increased industrialization.

Along with growth came urbanization. The government could not satisfy the population’s needs for affordable housing, which lead to the building of shanty towns along the rivers and rail tracks. Up until today, the shanty towns still exist; although some have been transformed into “better” housing.

Geography

Malang has a total area of 252.136 km². It shares its borders with Pasuruan Regency (North), Lumajang Regency (East), and Batu City (West). Mount Bromo, one of Java's largest volcanoes and a major tourist attraction, is located just to the east of the city. Malang is served by the Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport, a domestic airport with flights to Jakarta.

Subdistricts

Malang is divided into five subdistricts:

• Blimbing
• Kedungkandang
• Klojen
• Lowokwaru
• Sukun

Demographics

There are roughly 1,175,282 people living in Malang. The population density is 10,000 – 200/km², with population growth of 9.3% per year.

Ethnic backgrounds

The racial makeup of the city is mainly of Javanese and Madura, with a small percentage of the Arabic and Chinese descendants. There is no apparent racial discrimination against minority Chinese descendants.

Religion

Like most of Java, a large majority of Malang residents are Muslim; there are small minorities of Catholics, Hindus, and Buddhists. Many buildings of worship still stand from their construction in the colonial era. For example, City of Malang Grand Mosque or Masjid Agung Kota Malang in Malang City Square or Alun-alun kota Malang; Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Gereja Katolik Hati Kudus Yesus) in Kayutangan; Saint Mary from Mount Carmel Cathedral (Gereja Ijen or Katedral Santa Maria dari Gunung Karmel) in Ijen Street, which is the seat for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Malang; the Immanuel Church in Alun-alun; and Eng An Kiong Buddhist Temple in JL. Laksamana Martadinata No 1 Malang. Malang is also famous for being the centre of religious education, this is evident with the existence of many Islamic schools (pesantren) and bible seminars.

Language

Javanese is the day-to-day language used by Malang people. Many of the native Malang youths adopt a dialect that is called 'boso walikan', it is simply done by reversing the pronunciation of the words, an example of this is by pronouncing “Malang” as “Ngalam” instead. Like Surabaya, Malang residents adopt an egalitarian form of Javanese. As it becomes the educational city, there are many languages from outside Java spoken in Malang.

Art and culture

As a centre of tourism, Malang has various places of interest which can be classified into local, regional, national and international standards, including traditional dance performances such as Tari Topeng (Mask Dance), Jaran Pegon, Tari Beskalan (Beskalan Dance), etc. There are also 'Topeng' or Mask handicraft at the villages of Jabung and Kedungmonggo which have become a familiar landmark in Malang Regency.

Malang is also home to a thriving transgender (waria) community headed by Miss Waria Indonesia 2006, Merlyn Sopjan.

Non-residents

Temporary residents to Malang are mostly for educational reasons. They come from other islands especially from East of Indonesia, which includes Bali, Nusa Tenggara, East Timor, Papua, Maluku, Sulawesi and Kalimantan.

The view of West Malang from the tower at the University of Malang

Education

Colleges and schools in Malang include State University of Malang, Brawijaya University, State Polytechnic of Malang (Polinema), STIE Malangkucecwara, University of Muhammadiyah Malang (UMM), Widyagama University of Malang (UWG), Malang State Islamic University of Maulana Malik Ibrahim (UIN Maliki), Institut Teknologi Nasional Malang (ITN) Merdeka University (Unmer), VEDC (Vocational and Educational Development Center), SMAK St. Maria, SMUK Kolese Santo Yusup, SMAK St. Albertus, SMAN 1, SMA Negeri 3 Malang, 4 Malang, SMU Negeri 8 Malang, SMP-SMA AR-ROHMAH MALANG, SMA Negeri 7 Malang, SMA Negeri 2 Malang. Malang also has two international schools, Wesley International School and Bina Bangsa School, and some national-plus schools, such as Charis National Academy, Catholic Elementary School SD Katolik Santa Maria II Malang IKIP Budi Utomo Malang

Transport

Road

Malang is located in Indonesian National Route 23, which connects it to Gempol and Kepanjen. Malang has a large intercity bus terminal, Arjosari, located in northern Malang. The primary means of public transportation is by Microvan (most of them are Suzuki Carry) and has Blue color, called ANGKOT (from ANGkutan=transportation and KOTa=city) but mostly local people call it "Mikrolet". They serve certain routes throughout the city, operated privately and cheap, around Rp. 2500 (25 sen) but these city shuttles are not usually known for being comfortable because we use it by sharing it with another people.

Train

The largest train station in Malang is Malang Station. The station is frequently called "Kotabaru Station", to distinguish it from Kotalama Station located in the south. Another train station is Blimbing, located in the north. Previously, there was a tram system in Malang, now defunct.

Air

Malang Abdul Rahman Saleh airport

Malang is served by Abdul Rachman Saleh Airport, located in the outskirts of Malang. This airport can be accessed by taxis and travels.

Sport

Persema Malang, Arema FC plays in the Indonesian top league, the Indonesia Super League (ISL). The supporter called Aremania.

Sidoarjo mud flow

Main article: Sidoarjo mud flow

On 28 May 2006, a blow-out occurred during a drilling for an exploration of Natural Gas. The blow-out initially produced 5000 m³ of mud flow per day. 18 months after the incident, the mud flow is estimated to be 80,000 m³ to 100,000 m³ per day. This ongoing mud flow has forced the closure of the Porong-Gempol toll road in East Java, which effectively cut off the transport line from Surabaya to Malang.

External links

• Malang travel guide from Wikitravel
• Official website (Indonesian)