Palembang

Palembang is a city of 1,286,000 people in the south of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is the capital of the province of South Sumatra.

History
The city was the capital of the old, Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya that included a large part of Malaysia and Indonesia. After a 1025 raid by the Chola Empire of southern India it became less imortant. Srivijaya's capital moved north to Jambi. Palembang is also the home of Parameswara, the ruler of Malacca (a state in Malaysia) who started the most important empire in Malaysian history.

The Battle of Palembang was fought near the city during the Second World War between February 13-February 15 1942. Japanese forces captured the airport and nearby oil refinery after a short but bloody battle.

Economy
Palembang's economy has grown after it became a venue for National Sporting Event in 2004. . Palembang was also one of hosts of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup.

The city is served by Sultan Mahmud Badaruddin II Airport which has many flights to many cities in Indonesia and also to Singapore and Malaysia.

This city is famous in Indonesia for its "Pempek" fish cakes.

Other websites

 * City of Palembang government - in Indonesian
 * Heraldry of Palembang
 * Visit Musi 2008