Yogyakarta

Special Region of Yogyakarta

In southern Java, the Special Region of Yogyakarta stands as a provincial-level autonomous region and is the only officially recognized diarchy within the government of Indonesia. With a land area of just 3,170 square kilometers, it is the second-smallest province-level entity in the country after Jakarta. The region’s capital city, also named Yogyakarta, remains the only Indonesian royal city still under the rule of a monarchy, namely the Yogyakarta Sultanate.

Furthermore, the Special Region of Yogyakarta is renowned as a significant center for classical Javanese fine arts and culture such as ballet, batik textiles, drama, literature, music, poetry, silversmithing, visual arts, and wayang puppetry. The region is also a renowned center of Indonesian education, home to dozens of schools and universities and the largest student population in the country.

As of 2023, the population of the Special Region of Yogyakarta amounted to 3.7 million people, with a density of 1,173 people per square kilometer. The major ethnic group residing in the region is the Javanese, followed by Sundanese, Malay, Chinese, Batak, Madura, and Minangkabau, among others. Meanwhile, in terms of religion, the majority of the population adheres to Islam, though a significant portion of the indigenous Javanese community is also Christian or Catholic. Other religious groups present in the Special Region of Yogyakarta include Buddhism, Hinduism, and various other beliefs.