Palembang and South Sumatra

Palembang is the capital of South Sumatra. The island of Sumatra is the western and largest island of Indonesia. While Palembang is the capital of South Sumatra, the city of Medan is the capital of the North. The city is the economic centre of the south. It’s one of the major cities in Indonesia. Palembang locates on the banks of River Musi. In fact, Musi divides Palembang into two parts. A bridge connects both parts of the city among two others.

The Srivijaya Empire plays a major role in the tenth century in South East Asia.  The capital of the declined Srivijaya Empire was in history Palembang. At this time Buddhism was widespread over Sumatra and Java islands. Moreover, at this time construction of the famous Buddhist temple, Borobudur began. Suddenly in the thirteenth century, the Srivijaya Empire declined. However, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, a French historian brought the empire back to attention.

The equator crosses the island of Sumatra right in the centre of the island. The tropical climate is the reason for the rainforest and creates a dark deep jungle.

In fact, the rainforest and jungle cover most parts of the landscape in South Sumatra. Not to mention the fact, that Sumatra has a hot and humid tropical rainforest climate. Even in the dry season, cloudbursts happen suddenly. Along the Trans-Sumatra Highway, growing endless palm tree plantations. The palm trees are mostly planted for palm oil production. Palm oil is a large economic factor in Sumatra.

The famous local food is Pempek. Pempek is a fried fish cake filled with eggs. In addition, Pempek comes with sweet and sour sauce. Pempek is available on each corner of street kitchens.  However, there are a lot of different styles and variations in preparation and taste.