Batu (city)

Batu is a city located in East Java Province of Indonesia. It is situated about 20 km to the northwest of Malang. Formerly, it was a part of Malang Regency; but in 2001, Batu became an independent city legalized by Act No. 11 of 2001, when it became an independent municipal city with its own mayor and council.

A population of 190,000 people, it lies on the southern slopes of Gunung Welirang. Its population largely consists of Javanese. The town used to be a recreation place for the Dutch colonial officers in the Dutch colonial area (before 1945). Batu means rock in Indonesian.

Geography

The city of Batu lies on a slope of several mountains. The most prominent of the mountains are Mount Anjasmoro (2,277 m), Mount Arjuno (3,339 m), Mount Welirang (3,156 m), Mount Banyak (1,306 m), Mount Kawi (2,551 m), Mount Panderman (2,045 m), Mount Semeru (3.676 m), and Mount Wukir (335 m).

Batu is a fertile mountainous area surrounded by agricultural land. In the 19th-century, the Dutch East Indies government developed Batu as a mountain resort. Various villa and resort facilities were built in Batu during the period.