It is said that Yogyakarta is the soul of Indonesia. Locally nicknamed ‘Yogya’, the city is Indonesia`s historic heartland and a place where the Javanese language is at its purest, Javanese arts are their brightest and Javanese tradition at their most visible. Once the centre of the ancient Mataram Sultanate, its environs are home to many important monuments and temples, scattered across the province. The special region of Yogyakarta is renowned as a centre of education, fine art and classical Javanese culture, batik, ballet, drama, music, poetry, puppet show, theatre and literature.
Yogyakarta is the provincial capital and cultural centre that lies amid lush emerald rice paddies under the shadow of Indonesia`s most volatile volcano and one of the most active ones on earth Mount Merapi in the north and a variety of scenic beaches along the Indian Ocean coastline in the south.
