Salatiga
Salatiga is a city in Central Java province, Indonesia. Located between the cities of Semarang and Surakarta, it sits at the foot of Mount Merbabu and Mount Telomoyo, and has a relatively cool climate due to its elevated position. Salatiga is a part of the Semarang metropolitan area.
Etymology
Salatiga is thought to be named either after the goddess of Trisala, or after the three wrongs done to the first king of Semarang.In the first explanation, the people of the village celebrate the goddess of Siddhadewi, who is mentioned in the Monolith of Plumpungan. Siddhadewi was also called Trisala, so the village was called Trisala and in the years to come became Salatri and eventually Salatiga.
The second explanation is based on the story of Ki Ageng Pandanaran, the first regent of Semarang, who was robbed by three muggers, and he thus named the location Salah Telu. Salah means wrong in both Indonesian and Javanese. Telu is Low Javanese for three, spelled is tiga in both the more refined Middle/High Javanese. Hence the name Salatiga from Salah Tiga.
History
The official birth date of Salatiga is 24 July 750 A.D.. The scroll Monolith of Plumpungan by King Bhanu, declares May you be happy! All the people and designated village of Hampran a Perdikan village . "Çrirastuswasti Prajabyah" is the official motto of Salatiga as written in the government seal.In 1746, the Dutch East India Company built De Hersteller fort in Salatiga because Salatiga was strategically located at the intersection between Semarang, Surakarta and Magelang.
On 1 July 1917 the village of Salatiga was designated as a stads gemeente or small town by the Dutch East Indies government. In the colonial era, Salatiga was stratified by race. The Europeans live near the city centre, at the Toentangscheweg because it leads to Semarang and also near to Dutch plantations in the Salatiga Afdeling. The Chinese live near the trading centre, the Kalicacing Market, at the Soloscheweg. The native people live outside the European and Chinese communities. The education system was divided by race, with different schools for the Europeans, the Chinese and the natives. Salatiga was led by a burgermeester, assisted by College van Burgermeester en Wethouders. There was a legislative body, the Stadsgemeenteraad; however, its membership was not proportional, with 8 seats for the Europeans, 1 seat for the Chinese, and only 2 seats for the natives who form the majority of the people. The birth of Salatiga was accompanied by the world economic depression of the 1930s, so the development of the city was halted, and to solve the increase of the city's spending, the salaries of government officials were cut by up to 15%. Salatiga had an important economic role as a hinterland to Semarang, providing products from coffee, rubber, cacao, cotton, spices, tobacco, wheat and vegetable plantations to Semarang to be processed.
Supported by geographical factors, its cool climate, and its luxurious buildings with Indies architecture, Salatiga's beauty was well known during the Dutch colonisation, even it was called De Schoonste Stad van Midden-Java.
Administration
Salatiga is divided into four districts : Argomulyo, Tingkir, Sidomukti, and Sidorejo.| District | Area | Population | Population density |
| Argomulyo | 18.526 | 43,424 | 2,344 |
| Tingkir | 10.549 | 42,888 | 4,066 |
| Sidomukti | 11.459 | 41,871 | 3,654 |
| Sidorejo | 16.247 | 55,632 | 3,424 |
| Total | 56.781 | 183,815 | 3,237 |
Bordering Salatiga are the following districts:
- To the North: Pabelan and Tuntang
- To the South: Getasan and Tengaran
- To the East: Pabelan and Tengaran
- To the West: Tuntang and Getasan
Geography
Salatiga is located about 47 km south of Semarang and about 100 km north of Yogyakarta. Its elevation is between 450-800 metres. Salatiga has a tropical monsoon climate in the Köppen climate classification with the average rainfall of 2,668 mm per year, the highest temperature in October and the lowest in January.Demographics
, Salatiga has a population of 183,815, 89,928 of them are males and 93,887 are females.Religion
, Islam was the most practised religion in Salatiga, followed by Protestantism and Catholicism. Other religions make up less than 1% of the population. Salatiga is repeatedly called "one of the most tolerant cities in Indonesia" and is one of the few cities in Java to hold outdoor Christian festivals during Christmas.Ethnicity
Salatiga is mainly inhabited by the Javanese, with a sizeable minority of Chinese Indonesians and some Bataks from North Sumatra. As a university town, it also hosts an assembly of other ethnicities from as far as Borneo and New Guinea. In total, there are about 30 ethnicities in Salatiga.Economy
There is an emerging processing industry that includes textile, tires and animal slaughter in Salatiga. In 2000, this industry contributes 119.76 billion rupiahs to the economy of Salatiga. Salatiga is located at the intersection to and from Semarang, Surakarta and Yogyakarta, benefiting its trade sector. In 2000, the trade sector contributes 109 billion rupiahs to the economy of Salatiga.Infrastructure
Transport
Salatiga is traversed by provincial road that connects Semarang and Surakarta. Tingkir Terminal is the main bus station in Salatiga, serving intercity buses. The Tamansari Terminal serves angkot, even though most of the angkot did not stop at the terminal. The Semarang–Solo Toll Road section Bawen-Salatiga was inaugurated on 25 September 2017. There is a plan to build a junction with the toll road at Pattimura Street, closer to the city centre than the current junction, to prevent Salatiga from becoming a dead city.Water supply
Clean water is supplied by PDAM Salatiga. The water comes from Kaliombo, Senjoyo, Kali Golek Senjoyo, and Kaligetak water springs.Education
Tertiary education
Salatiga has several universities and colleges:- Satya Wacana Christian University, the largest university in Salatiga with 14 Faculties and 3 Doctoral studies, and 14,000 students and 300 faculty members. It was founded in 1956.
- State Institute for Islamic Studies Salatiga, an Islamic College specialising in Education. Now, the largest High Education Institution in Salatiga, which is accept up to 10.000 students per year with FIve Faculty. Let's join us, Spirituality, Intellectuality, Professionalism
- Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi, a private college specialising in Economics
Schools
Salatiga has one international English-speaking school at elementary and secondary level.