Yogyakarta

Yogyakarta Special Region (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta, DIY) is officially one of Indonesia's 34 provinces. Yogyakarta is one of the foremost cultural centers of Java. This region is located at the foot of the active Merapi volcano, Yogyakarta was in the 16th and 17th centuries the seat of the mighty Javanese empire of Mataram from which present day Yogyakarta has the best inherited of traditions. The city itself has a special charm, which seldom fails to captivate the visitor.

Yogyakarta is often called the main gateway to the Central Java as where it is geographically located. It stretches from Mount Merapi to the Indian Ocean. There is daily air service to Yogya from Jakarta, Surabaya and Bali as well as regular train service and easy accessibility by road. Yogyakarta is commonly considered as the modern cultural of Central Java. Although some may prefer Solo as a good runner up, Yogyakarta remains the clear front-runner for traditional dance, Wayang (traditional puppetry) and music.

Yogyakarta has more than just culture though. It is a very lively city and a shopper's delight. The main road, Malioboro Street, is always crowded and famous for its night street food-culture and street vendors. Many tourist shops and cheap hotels are concentrated along this street or in the adjoining tourist area such Sosrowijayan Street.

The key attraction of Yogyakarta is 'Kraton' (the Sultan's Palace). The Sultan's palace is the centre of Yogya's traditional life and despite the advance of modernity; it still emanates the spirit of refinement, which has been the hallmark of Yogya's art for centuries. This vast complex of decaying buildings was built in the 18th century, and is actually a walled city within the city with luxurious pavilions and in which the current Sultan still resides. Yogyakarta is also the only major city, which still has traditional 'Becak' (rickshaw-style) transport.

Gadjah Mada University

Universitas Gadjah Mada (internationally known as Gadjah Mada University ; Abbreviation : UGM) is an Indonesian public ivy league research university located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, founded on December 19, 1949. UGM is the oldest and largest institution of higher learning in Indonesia. Located in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the 360 acre university comprises of 18 faculties, 68 undergraduate study programs, 23 diploma study programs, 104 master and spesialist study program, and 43 Doctorate study programs.

It has approximately 55,000 students, 1,187 foreign students and 2,500 faculty members currently. Universitas Gadjah Mada has been considered to be one of the most prestigious universities in Indonesia.

UGM is implementing an educopolis area, a step taken by universities in creating conducive environment for the continuity of the learning process. These efforts are pursued in the context of developing multidisciplinary collaborations and responding to ecological issues in order to achieve the vision of the university. Some of the steps are reducing pollution and vehicle exhaust emissions, development of pedestrian, restriction of vehicles entering the campus, construction of new dormitories on the campus, development of parking pockets, planting the trees green and many more.

The Special Region of Yogyakarta of where UGM is located, is one of the smallest provinces in Indonesia and has been widely known as a center of Javanese culture as well as a center of learning. It has 3,400,000 inhabitants, 511,000 of whom reside in the city of Yogyakarta. Its designation as a center of learning is marked by the existence of 120 state and private tertiary educational institutions, with a student population of over 300,000.