Gunůngkidůl () is a
regency
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
area located in the Special Province of the
Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
. The administrative centre is the town of
Wonosari
Wonosari () is the administrative centre of Gunungkidul Regency, in the Special Region of Yogyakarta on Java, Indonesia. The ''kapanewon'' (district) of Wonosari is bordered to the north by the district of Nglipar, to the east by the districts of ...
. The name "Gunungkidul" comes from the Javanese language ''mountains in the south of Java Land'', whose area is located in the
Thousands Mountains range of the province.
The Regency covers an area of 1,475.15 km
2, about 46.5% of the provincial area. It had a population of 675,382 at the 2010 Census
[Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.] and 747,161 at the 2020 Census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 751,011
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kabupaten Gunungkidul Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3403)] - comprising 371,220 males and 379,800 females - and so the population density in this regency is relatively low compared to other regencies of the province.
This regency is bordered by
Klaten Regency
Klaten is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesia, Indonesian province of Central Java. Klaten is situated between the two major cities of Yogyakarta to its Southwest and Surakarta (colloqially known as Solo) to its No ...
and
Sukoharjo Regency
Sukoharjo Regency is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency () in the Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 493.23 km2 and had a population of 824,238 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 907,587 at the 2020 Cen ...
in the north and northeast,
Wonogiri Regency
Wonogiri Regency is a regency () in the southeastern part of Central Java
Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is border ...
in the east, the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
in the south, and
Bantul Regency
Bantul (; ) is a regency located in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The regency's population was 911,503 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. but has risen to 985,770 at the 202 ...
and
Sleman Regency
Sleman Regency (; ) is an Indonesian regency () on the island of Java. It is located in the north of the Yogyakarta Special Region, Yogyakarta Special Administrative Region, Indonesia, and has an area of , with a population of 1,093,110 at the ...
in the west and northwest. Gunungkidul Regency has 18
District
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
(Kapanewon). Most of the district is in the form of hills and limestone mountains, which are part of the Thousand Mountains. Gunungkidul is known as a barren area and often experiences drought in the dry season, but it has a unique historical feature, in addition to its tourism, cultural and culinary potential.
The traditional snacks and meals from Gunůngkidůl include "Gathot" and "Thiwul". They are made from Fermentation Cassava and Dry Cassava.
The southern coast of Gunungkidul has several beaches: Baron, Kukup, Krakal, Drini, Sepanjang, Sundak,
Siung,
Wediombo, Jungwok, Greweng, Sedahan and Sadeng. Some of these beaches provide fresh fish and other sea product supplied by local fisherman. The most notable is Baron Beach. There is a park next to the beach surrounded by seafood restaurants and hostels. There is a fresh fish market on the east side of the beach. On the west side, a river flows out from an almost sea-level cave on the side of the western ridge. The beach itself is khaki-colored and sprawled with traditional fishermen's boats. Beside the main beach, there is a kilometer of white sand beach lying beyond its eastern ridge. It can be reached by a small hike.
Geography
As the name implies, Gunungkidul Regency is dominated by mountains which are the western part of the Sewu Mountains or the South Limestone Mountains (from this nickname, the name "Gunungkidul" is derived), which stretches across the southern part of Java Island starting from the area eastward to
Tulungagung Regency
Tulungagung Regency (pronounced ) is a regency ''(kabupaten)'' of East Java Province, Indonesia. It covers an area of 1,144.53 km2 and had a population of 990,159 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,089,775 at the 20 ...
.
The Mountains are formed from
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
, indicating that in the past it was a seabed. The findings of ancient marine animal fossils support this assumption. This area began to become land as a result of tectonic and volcanic uplifts since the
Miocene
The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...
.
Gunungkidul Regency is one of the regencies in the Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Special Province, with Wonosari as the capital city. The total area of Gunungkidul Regency is 1,475.15 km2 or about 46.5% of the total area of the Special Province of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta. The city of Wonosari is located southeast of the Yogyakarta City (the capital of Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta Special Province), with a distance of ± 39 km. The Gunungkidul Regency area is divided into 18 Districts (Kapanewon) and 144 villages.
Administrative districts
Gunungkidul Regency is divided into eighteen administrative
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...
(
Indonesian
Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to:
* Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia
** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago
** Indonesian ...
: ''
kapanewon''), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census
and the 2020 Census,
together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kabupaten Gunungkidul Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3403)] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of
administrative village
A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...
s within each district (all classed as ''kalurahan''), and its post codes.
Note: (a) except the villages of Baleharjo (which has a post code of 55811) and Kepek (which has a post code of 55813).
General condition
Geography
Gunungkidul Regency is in a
karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
region. This leads to difficult geography for farmers and contributes to considerable poverty in the area because of water shortages. Much of the Regency is included in the Mount Sewu (literally "thousand mountains") collection of limestone hills which stretches across parts of southern Java from parts of
Kebumen Regency
Kebumen Regency () is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency in the southern part of the Indonesian province of Central Java. It covers an area of 1,281.12 km2 and had a population of 1,159,926 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 201 ...
in the west near the border with
West Java
West Java (, ) is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to t ...
across to close to the city of
Malang
Malang (; , ), historically known as Tumapel, is an inland List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of East Java. It has a history dating back to the age of the Singhasari, Singhasari K ...
in
East Java
East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
. The Menoreh Hills in the area south of Yogyakarta in Kulonprogo Regency, for example, are part of this series of limestone hills.
[Sewu mountain, a paradise for cave explorers]
', ''The Jakarta Post'', 30 June 2001.
Caves
The limestone hills are reported to contain hundreds of caves. These are classified locally as vertical luweng (known as "''luweng"'' in Javanese) and horizontal caves. Jomblang Cave (''Luweng Jomblang'') and Kalisuci Cave (''Luweng Kalisuci)'' located in the Semanu District in Gunungkidul Regency, as well as other caves in the area, are well-known to local caving (speleological) groups. Some of the caves are quite long; Cerme cave, for example, has an entrance in Bantul Regency and stretches for quite a distance eastward into Panggang subdistrict in Gunungkidul Regency.
[
]
Prehistory
From archaeological findings, the area of Gunungkidul Regency is thought to have been inhabited by humans (Homo Sapiens) from 700,000 years ago.[Kusuma M]
Melacak Manusia Purba Gunungkidul
Kompas daring. Edisi Minggu, 11 Oktober 2009. Diakses 15 Juni 2014 Many find the instructions of human existence found in caves and niches in karst of Gunungkidul, especially in Ponjong District. The human propensity Gunung occupy the time it caused most of the lowland in Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
is still flooded.[Kompas - Melacak manusia purba Gunungkidul](_blank)
diakses pada 6 November 2009 The arrival of the first humans in Gunungkidul occurred at the end of the Pleistocene epoch
The Pleistocene ( ; referred to colloquially as the ''ice age, Ice Age'') is the geological epoch (geology), epoch that lasted from to 11,700 years ago, spanning the Earth's most recent period of repeated glaciations. Before a change was fin ...
. At that time, the human race Australoid
Australo-Melanesians (also known as Australasians or the Australomelanesoid, Australoid or Australioid race) is an outdated historical grouping of various people indigenous to Melanesia and Australia. Controversially, some groups found in parts ...
migrated from the Pegunungan Sewu in Pacitan
Pacitan Regency (; ) is a regency located in the southwestern corner of East Java Province, with Central Java Province on its western border. Located between 7.55° - 8.17°S and 110.55° - 111.25°E. The borders of Pacitan Regency are with Wonogi ...
, East Java
East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
passing Wonogiri karst valleys, Central Java
Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
until it reaches the southern coast of Gunungkidul through ancient, Bengawan Solo.
Borderline
* North: Klaten
Klaten is a regency (''kabupaten'') in the Indonesian province of Central Java. Klaten is situated between the two major cities of Yogyakarta to its Southwest and Surakarta (colloqially known as Solo) to its Northeast. It covers an area of and ...
, Sukoharjo
Sukoharjo Regency is a regency () in the Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 493.23 km2 and had a population of 824,238 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 907,587 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statisti ...
, Sleman
Sleman is a ''List of districts of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, kapanewon'' (administrative district) and the seat capital of Sleman Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is on the road between Yogyakarta and Magelang. Sleman c ...
* West: Imogiri
Imogiri () is a ''kapanewon'' (district) in Bantul Regency, Special Region of Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and ...
, Pundong, Dlingo, Piyungan
* South: Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
* East: Wonogiri
Culture
Gunungkidul Regency is located in the limestone uplands of Java, and a delicacy called ''walang goreng'' (fried grasshopper
Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are amongst what are possibly the most ancient living groups of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago.
Grassh ...
s).
Topography
North Zone
The northern zone is called Agung Batur region, with an altitude of 200–700 m above sea level. The situation is hilly, there are sources of groundwater depth of 6m - 12m from the ground. ''Latosol soil'' types dominated by volcanic and sedimentary parent hurricane stones. This area includes the districts of Patuk, Gedangsari, Nglipar, Ngawen, Semin, and the northern part of the district of Ponjong.
Central Zone
The Central Zone is called Ledok Wonosari development, with an altitude of 150–200 m above sea level. The soil type is dominated by Mediterranean association with the red and ''black grumusol'' limestone. So despite its long dry season, the water particles are still able to survive. There is a river on the land. Groundwater depth ranges between 60–120 m below the ground surface. This area includes the districts of Playen, Wonosari, Karangmojo and Ponjong, and the central and northern parts of Semanu.
South Zone
The Southern Zone is called Pegunungan Sewu development area (''Duizon gebergton or Zuider gebergton''), with an altitude of 0–300 m above sea level. Constituent bedrock is limestone with characteristic conical hills (''Conical limestone'') and the karst area. Underground rivers are often found in this region. The southern zone includes the districts of Saptosari, Paliyan, Girisubo, Tanjungsari, Tepus, Rongkop, Purwosari and Panggang, and the southern parts of Ponjong and Semanu.
Climatology
Gunungkidul regency including tropical area, the topography of a region dominated by karst region area. The southern region is dominated by karst region, that are numerous natural caves and underground rivers flowing. Under these conditions cause the condition of the land in the southern area which resulted in less fertile agricultural cultivation in this region is less than optimal.
Gunungkidul climatological conditions generally exhibit the following conditions:
* The average rainfall in 2010 amounted to 1954.43 mm/year with the number of rainy days an average of 103 days/year. Wet months 7 months, while the dry months range from 5 months. Gunungkidul north region has the highest rainfall over central and southern regions. Gunungkidul southern region has the most rain beginning late
* Temperatures daily average of 27.7 °C, minimum temperature of 23.2 °C and a maximum temperature of 35 °C.
* Relative humidity ranging between 80% - 85%, not too influenced by the high places, but more influenced by the seasons.
Heirloom
Tombak Kyai Marga Salurung
''Tombak Kyai Marga Salurung'' is one of heirloom gift from the King of Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
, Hamengkubuwono X
Sri Sultan Hamengkubawono X ( Hanacaraka: , also spelled as Hamengkubawana X, often abbreviated as HB X; born Bendara Raden Mas Herjuno Darpito, 2 April 1946) is the Sultan of the historic Yogyakarta Sultanate in Indonesia and is currently al ...
on Sunday, May 27, 2001, when the Celebration of 170th Anniversary of Gunungkidul Regency. Spear heirloom that has a new ''dhapur cekel'', ''warangka kajeng sanakeling'' symbolize that the district government of Gunungkidul still has a major commitment to achieve lofty ideals are deeply rooted and always siding with the people. The leaders and the people have the attitude or the direction ''salurung'' approval, accord, ''saiyeg - saeka- kapti'' in the corridors of democracy, which means heavy hands make light work, conscious of their rights, but also respect the rights of others and known for certain obligations.
Tombak Kyai Panjolo Panjul
Songsong (Payung) Kyai Robyong
UNESCO Geopark
Gunungkidul Regency and the nearby Imogiri area (in Bantul Regency
Bantul (; ) is a regency located in the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Java. The regency's population was 911,503 at the 2010 Census,Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. but has risen to 985,770 at the 202 ...
) and Pacitan Regency
Pacitan Regency (; ) is a List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, regency located in the southwestern corner of East Java Province, with Central Java Province on its western border. Located between 7.55° - 8.17°S and 110.55° - 111.25°E. The ...
(East Java Province) is being promoted by the Indonesia government to be a UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
Geopark, due to their unique and scenic karst landscape. An accessor from UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
has visited 4 areas in July 2014. These include:
* Pindul Cave, in tectonic
Tectonics ( via Latin ) are the processes that result in the structure and properties of the Earth's crust and its evolution through time. The field of ''planetary tectonics'' extends the concept to other planets and moons.
These processes ...
active area, the cave and the Gunungkidul Karst
Karst () is a topography formed from the dissolution of soluble carbonate rocks such as limestone and Dolomite (rock), dolomite. It is characterized by features like poljes above and drainage systems with sinkholes and caves underground. Ther ...
Region give more variation of karst stone/land, if it is compared with Gunung Sewu area in Pacitan
Pacitan Regency (; ) is a regency located in the southwestern corner of East Java Province, with Central Java Province on its western border. Located between 7.55° - 8.17°S and 110.55° - 111.25°E. The borders of Pacitan Regency are with Wonogi ...
and Wonogiri
* Nglanggeran Primeval Volcano
* Gunung Batur Primeval Volcano
* Bobung Tourism Village
* Siung Beach
As a karst region, Gunungkidul Regency has many caves, some of which have underground rivers. At least two of them ( Pindul Cave in the Bejiharjo area and Kalisuci Cave in the Semanu area) are regarded as tourist sites where tubing activities can be carried on.
Nglanggeran primeval volcano in the Patuk area
is only 600 meters high but there are excellent views from the peak to the north towards Mount Merapi
Mount Merapi (, ) is an active stratovolcano located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since 1548. It is loc ...
and to the south across to the coast of Java. Scattered giant granite and andesite rock formations called "watu wayang" (puppet rocks) are found at the Mt Nglanggeran area as well as a nearby man-made lake. It takes around 3 hours to hike from the Pendopo Kali Song entrance point to the peak.
Siung Beach Bay is about 300 meters in length, but swimming is prohibited because of dangerous rocks and severe waves. The cliff surrounding the beach, with over 200 tracks, is suitable for rock climbing.
200 meters east of Siung Beach there is a 10-meter Jogan Tide Fall in Tepus district which is 70 kilometers from Yogyakarta
Yogyakarta is the capital city of the Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by Hamengkubuwono, a monarchy, Yogyakarta is regarded as an importan ...
in 2 hours drive. Rainy season is the best time to see the Jogan Tide Fall, because in the dry season, the water level is low.
References
External links
*
*
{{Coord, -7.966680, 110.602561, display=title
Opak-Oyo basin