Sawahlunto

Sawahlunto
City
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	ساواهلونتو
Grand Mosque of Sawahlunto
Seal
Location of Sawahlunto in Indonesia
Sawahlunto Location of Sawahlunto in Indonesia
Coordinates: 0°40′S 100°47′E / 0.667°S 100.783°E / -0.667; 100.783
Country	Indonesia
Province	West Sumatra
City Established	1 December 1888
Government
• Mayor	Ali Yusuf, S.pt
Area
• Total	275.86 km2 (106.51 sq mi)
Population (2014)
• Total	59,821
• Density	220/km2 (560/sq mi)
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Area code(s)	+62 754
Climate	Af
Website	www.sawahluntokota.go.id

Kota Sawahlunto or Sawah Lunto (Jawi: ساواهلونتو‎) is a city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, 90 kilometres from Padang. The city covers 276 sq. km, and had a population of 59,821 in 2014.

Sawahlunto is one of the mining towns in West Sumatra. It was first established as a town in 1882 by the Dutch along with coal mining operations. Coal was discovered in the mid-19th century by Ir. de Greve. It was then suggested to the Dutch that coal should be mined in the area because coal was needed for industry and transportation. After the discovery of coal the area was frequently visited by geologists. Coal mining was pioneered in the area after the eventual "surrender" of the area to the Dutch in 1876.

Mining was initiated in the area after Independence. Activities were undertaken by PT Tambang Batubara Ombilin (TBO). PT TBO was later liquidated and became a subsidiary of PTBA (Bukit Asam) which is located in Southern Sumatra. Since reforms in the region, the area has experienced a growth in mining community because people felt compelled to participate in coal mining. Coal mining was not restricted within the boundaries of the community but also extended to the land owned by PTBA TPO. The mayor at that time was Ir. Amran Nur, with Erizal Ridwan S.T. as his representative.

After golden period of mining and mine sites closed, Sawah Lunto became a ghost town and the population declined. In 2004, Sawah Lunto policy is to make Sawah Lunto as a tourist city and then population inclined. In 2014, 29 percent income came from tourism, while from farming only got 23 percent.

Sawahlunto was also known as a mining town with a geographical size of 27 Ha or 273.45 km². Administratively Sawahlunto is divided into 4 districts, 10 sub districts and 27 villages (desa) and 95 km away from Padang (capital of West Sumatra). It is a 2-hour drive from Padang.

Sawahlunto has a maximum elevation of about 650m above sea level. The landscape is primarily made up of steep hills which act as a hindrance to the development of the town. The old town centre spanned 5.8km2. Relatively flat lands can be found in Kecamatan Talawi district. The area that runs from north to south has a relatively steep topography at an angle of elevation of approximately 40%. On the other hand, the northern area is relatively gentle sloping. Most developments is located at as height of 100-500m. Development consists of both protected areas (25%) as well as areas set aside for cultivation (73%). This land mainly consists of mixed gardening(34%), thick forest and scrub(19%). 0.2% of the lake was once used for mining.