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Denpasar
Seal
Denpasar Location in Bali
Denpasar Location in Indonesia
Coordinates: 8°39′S 115°13′E / 8.65°S 115.217°E / -8.65; 115.217Coordinates: 8°39′S 115°13′E / 8.65°S 115.217°E / -8.65; 115.217
Country	Indonesia
Province	Bali
Area
• Total	123.98 km2 (47.87 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	788,445
• Density	6,400/km2 (16,000/sq mi)
Time zone	WITA (UTC+8)
Website	www.denpasar.go.id

Denpasar (pronounced [dənˈpasar]) (Indonesian: Kota Denpasar) is the capital city of the province of Bali, Indonesia.^[1] It has a rapidly expanding population of 788,445 in 2010, up from 533,252 in the previous decade, and the surrounding metropolitan area has roughly 2 million residents. It is located at 8°39′S 115°13′E / 8.65°S 115.217°E / -8.65; 115.217.

History[link]

Denpasar was the capital of the kingdom of Badung.^{[citation needed]} It was conquered by the Dutch during the Dutch intervention in Bali (1906). The royal palace was looted and razed by the Dutch, leaving today's central square "Taman Puputan" in which a statue to the 1906 Puputan can be seen.

Denpasar in 1949

Tourism[link]

Denpasar has various attractions. The white sandy beaches are well-known all over the island.^{[citation needed]} Some of the surfing beaches are Kuta Beach, Legian Beach and Canggu Beach. Sanur beach has calmer waters and is excellent for sunbathing.

Ten minutes from the Ngurah Rai International Airport lies the town of Kuta. Kuta is where most of the hotels, restaurants, malls, cafes, marketplaces, and spas that cater to tourists are located. In the Denpasar area, all kinds of Balinese handicrafts are represented in local shops.^{[citation needed]} These include artwork, pottery, textiles, and silver.

Batik cloth is sold all over Denpasar.^{[citation needed]} These bright sheets of cloth are as beautiful as they are cheap. Made of pure cotton with glorious patterns, Balinese batik is definitely a good buy. Sometimes batik cloth is made into wearable clothing such as a sarong or men's shirts. The jewelry district is in a town called Celuk, Gianyar Regency which is 30 minutes away (depending on traffic congestion) from Kuta. Here there are silversmiths' and goldsmiths' shops selling jewellery cheaply.^{[citation needed]}

Its time zone is UTC+8.

Environment[link]

June 2011: A resident of Serangan, Denpasar has got the prestigious Kalpataru environmental award for preserve and conserve the environment in Serangan by transplantation coral reef since 2003.^[2]

Greater Denpasar[link]

Greater Denpasar spills out into the tourist regions, including Kuta and Ubud. The continuous built-up area includes nearly all of Badung Regency (except Petang District), all but one of Gianyar Regency (Payangan District). Indonesia defined Metropolitan Denpasar as Sarbagita an acronym for Denpa"Sar"+"BA"dung+"GI"anyar+"TA"banan, with Presidential Regulation Number 45 Year 2011^[3], despite Tabanan just beginning to succumb to urban sprawl as of yet. See also List of metropolitan areas in Indonesia.

From rice fields to building fields[link]

Rice fields were 5,343 hectares or 41 percent of the city's area in 1992 and dropped to 2,717 hectares of rice fields or 20 percent of the city's area in 2010.^[4] It has violated the city building requirement of providing 30 percent of land for open space. Now, Denpasar grows like Jakarta with building fields.^[4]

Sister cities[link]

In popular culture[link]

Denpasar is mentioned in "I've Been To Bali Too", the single by Australian folk-rock band Redgum from their 1984 album Frontline.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Denpasar

• Waterbom Park and Spa
• Bali Museum
• Denpasar International Airport

References[link]

External links[link]

• Denpasar travel guide from Wikitravel

v t e Regencies and cities of Bali Capital: Denpasar Regencies Badung Bangli Buleleng Gianyar Jembrana Karangasem Klungkung Tabanan Cities Denpasar See also: List of regencies and cities of Indonesia