12.28.10
World Wide Weather #23: Yogyakarta, Java, Indonesia
This week’s post in the global weather and climate series features Yogyakarta, Java, in Indonesia (click for a Yahoo! maps link).
Jalan Malioboro, the most famous street in Yogyakarta for shopping and dining. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Yogyakarta (or Jogjakarta) is a city of about 637,000 people in an area of 12.5 square miles. The city is found on the south central coast of Java, the 5th largest island in Indonesia (13th largest in the world, with a size of 51,000 square miles) and the most populated island in the world (136+ million). Situated on this volcanic island, Yogyakarta is prone to frequent earthquakes and occasional volcanic eruptions from nearby Mount Merapi.
Yogyakarta was established in 1756, under the Islamic Sultanate of Mataram. In the 1800s, the region fell into the hands of the Dutch. During the Indonesian War of Independence, from 1945, to 1949, Yogyakarta served as the capital of Indonesia.
Today, Yogyakarta is the second most important tourist destination in Indonesia (after Bali), as a result of the rich Javanese fine arts and culture found in the area, including batik dyed fabric (a manual, wax-resist dyeing technique), ballet, drama, gamelin music, poetry, silver work, and leather shadow puppet shows (wayang kulit). Yogyakarta is also home to the largest university in Indonesia, Gadjah Mada University.
Mount Merapi (left) and Mount Merbabu, about 20 miles north of Yogyakarta. Rice farmers are in the foreground. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Mount Merapi, elevation 9,738 feet, is the most active volcano in Indonesia. Merapi most recently erupted in November 2010. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
A few more facts about Yogyakarta (climate data from Wikipedia):
- Time zone: Western Indonesian Time (UTC+7)
- Average elevation: 374 feet (114 meters)
- Climate zone: Tropical monsoon
- Average high temperature: 86 °F (30 °C)
- Average low temperature: 71 °F (22 °C)
- Average annual high/low temperature range: 84 to 88 °F (29 to 31 °C) / 69 to 72 °F (21 to 22 °C)
- Average annual precipitation: 86 inches (2,180 mm)
Weather: Yogyakarta is just south of the equator, at just north of 8 °S and just west of 110 °E. Because of its location, the city experiences a tropical monsoon climate. This means the temperature is warm and does not vary much throughout the year, and also means it is a rainy place but there are wet (November – April) and dry (May – October) seasons.
Currently, Yogyakarta is in the rainy season, with highs in the mid-80s, lows in the low 70s, and a chance of rain and thunderstorms every day. Winds are near calm.
Here’s a satellite image from the Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency in Indonesia:
For weather maps and information on current and forecast Yogyakarta weather, see the Meteorological Climatological and Geophysical Agency of Indonesia, Weather Underground, and Weather Online UK.
For more information on Yogyakarta, here’s a link to Wikipedia.
Next Tuesday I plan to take a look at the climate and weather in another part of the globe. As always, if you have any comments or suggestions for future cities, please leave a comment!