Cipanas

Cipanas ( Indonesian pronunciation: [tʃipanas] ) is a town in Cipanas District, in the northern part of the Cianjur Regency, West Java, Indonesia.[1] It is situated in the valley of Mount Gede, 86 kilometres (53 mi) south-east of the Indonesian capital city of Jakarta. The name of the town means "hot water" or "hot spring" in Sundanese (ci, water, panas, hot), due to the presence of sulphuric hot springs in the area.

This article is about Cipanas in Cianjur Regency. For Cipanas in Garut, see Garut Regency.
Cipanas
Town
Nickname(s): 
Kota Bunga (Flower Town)
Cipanas
Location of Cipanas within Java
Coordinates: 6.733035°S 107.040966°E / -6.733035; 107.040966
Country Indonesia
ProvinceWest Java
RegencyCianjur
districtCipanas
Established1740
Government
 • RegentH. Irvan Rivano Muchtar, S.Ip, SH, M.Si
 • District ChiefHeli Kuswandi
Area
 • Total58.03 ha (143.40 acres)
Elevation
1,080 m (3,540 ft)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total15,435
 • Density27,000/km2 (69,000/sq mi)
Time zoneWIB (UTC+7)
Postal Code
43253
Area code(s)0255
Websitehttp://www.cianjurkab.go.id

Apart from the hot springs, Cipanas was also a hill station for the was-then Dutch East Indies Governor-Generals, as it was a popular getaway from the intense heat and humidity from the low-lying lands (including Jakarta itself). Maintaining its legacy to present day, Cipanas continues to become a popular destination for holidayseekers mainly coming from Jakarta and its surroundings, as the district saw a recent boom on villa complexes and rental houses.

The town had a population of 15,435 at the 2010 Census (the district held a population of 103,911). It is best known by the Istana Cipanas complex, a residence for former Dutch Governor Generals of the Dutch East Indies, and a country retreat of former President Sukarno. Since the Dutch colonial rule, and before the Enhanced Indonesian Spelling System was established, the town name was spelled Tjipanas.[2]

History

The area already had a history of village dwellers since Sunda Kingdom and Banten Sultanate, long before the time the Presidential Palace was erected by a Dutch landlord named Van Heots in 1740. Out of interest in the local hot springs, during the administration of Dutch East India Company Governor General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff (1743-1750),[3] a health building was constructed near a hot spring. The reputation of the area for clean, fresh and cool mountain air led to the building being made into a resort for the Dutch Governor Generals.

From 1744 to 1761 a Buitenhospitaal (outdoor hospital or villa-hospital) existed in Cipanas. It was a kind of Spa that served as a health-resort. The wooden hospital was built on a hillside surrounded by woods and valleys. It was staffed by a chief surgeon (opper-chirurgijn) and a second in charge surgeon (onder-chirurgijn). The building had two floors, a covered walkway, a bathhouse and a pharmacy and was in demand by many sick people, or inmates of the hospital. However to arrive in the mountains people took a difficult and strenuous journey of 4 days and the capacity of the hospital was too small to become a relief for patients. By Resolution of 30 June 1761, the resort-hospital was then closed.[4]

The palace was used by Commissioner-General Leonard Pietr Josef du Bus de Gisignies, his secretary Carel Sirardus Willem Graaf van Hogendorp (1820-1841), Herman Willem Daendels (1808-1811) and Stamford Raffles, who would later become the founder of colonial Singapore. During their terms, they employed hundreds of workers in plantations around the palace.[3]

Climate and ecology

Cipanas has a tropical rainforest climate. Throughout the year the humidity is high due to the significant annual precipitation of around 4013 mm. Due to its relatively high elevation, the average annual high temperature in Cipanas is around 78.75 °F (25.97 °C) and the annual low temperature is 64.08 °F (17.82 °C).[5]

Locally present fauna include the silvery gibbon, Javan surili and Sunda thrush, and flora include Elaeocarpus macrocerus, Alstonia spatulata, Mangifera gedebe (a member of the mango family), Stemonurus secundiflorus, and Thoracostachyrum sumatrana (a large sedge).[6]

The Taman Bunga Nusantara (Nusantara Flower Garden) within the area is a popular tourist attraction. The garden, extending over 23 hectares (0.23 km2), hosts a wide variety of worldwide flora, and possesses a maze, giant clock and tower. Close to Cipanas, in Cibodas in the Pacet district, is the Kebun Raya Cibodas (Cibodas Botanical Garden), an extension of the Kebun Raya Bogor (Bogor Botanical Gardens) in Bogor.

Climate data for Cipanas
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 25
(77)		 24
(76)		 26
(78)		 26
(79)		 27
(80)		 26
(79)		 26
(79)		 27
(80)		 27
(80)		 27
(80)		 26
(79)		 26
(78)		 25.97
(78.75)
Average low °C (°F) 18
(64)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 18
(65)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 17
(62)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 18
(65)		 18
(64)		 17.82
(64.08)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 250.2
(9.85)		 231.8
(9.13)		 181.9
(7.16)		 181.5
(7.15)		 102.6
(4.04)		 8
(0.3)		 7
(0.3)		 53.1
(2.09)		 70
(2.8)		 96.4
(3.80)		 196.5
(7.74)		 200.2
(7.88)		 1,579.2
(62.17)
Source: http://www.worldweatheronline.com/v2/weather.aspx?q=-6.733035,%20107.040966

Demographics

The ethnic makeup of Cipanas is mostly Sundanese people. The majority of the residents are Muslim, with the total Muslim population as of 2013 being 99,657 (93.8%), Catholic Christians 881 (0.83%), Protestant Christians 603 (0.567%) and others 5,117 (4.8%).[1]

References
  1. Biro Pusat Statistik. "Cianjur Dalam Angka 2013" (in Indonesian). Archived from the original on 18 January 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
  2. Zulkifley Hamid; Ramli Salleh; Rahim Aman (2006). Linguistik Melayu: Siri rampai bahasa dan sastera Melayu (in Malay). Malaysia: Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. p. 43. ISBN 978-9-679427585.
  3. "Cipanas, Istana". Archived from the original on February 1, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  4. Hospitals of Netherlands East Indies 1890 - 1940: A comprehensive study (PDF). p. 4. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 19, 2015. Retrieved June 16, 2014.
  5. world Weather Online. "Cipanas Monthly Climate Average, Indonesia". Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  6. "Western Java Mountain Forests". WWF. Retrieved 21 January 2014.
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