Pagar Alam


Pagar Alam, is a city in South Sumatra, Indonesia. It was formerly part of Lahat Regency, from which it was separated as an independent city on 21 June 2001; before being established as an independent city, Pagar Alam was an administrative city within Lahat Regency. It has an area of 625.91 km2 and a population of 126,181 at the 2010 Census and 143,844 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 153,271.
Pagar Alam is located by the Bukit Barisan Mountains, at the foot of Mount Dempo, a volcano and the highest mountain in South Sumatra, which towers to a height of 3,159m to the west of the town. It is 298 km southwest from the province's capital city of Palembang and 60 km southwest of the town of Lahat. The city is bounded by Bengkulu Province to the south, Jarai District to the north, Kota Agung District to the east and Tanjung Sakti Pumi District to the west. Pagar Alam is one of the main suppliers of vegetables in Palembang. Its location in the highland makes the city slightly cooler than many of the other South Sumatra cities; this, together with its astounding landscape, makes the city one of the main tourist destinations in South Sumatra and it is often visited by local tourists, especially from Palembang. Currently, the city is led by Alpian Maskoni as the mayor of the city.

Geography

Pagar Alam is located by the Bukit Barisan Mountains, at the feet of Mount Dempo. It is situated on the Pasemah Plateau, an extensive fertile highland plain which is surrounded by mountains. It is notable for ancient stone megaliths which surround the town on all sides and are the remnants of a Bronze Age culture. Much of the soil in the city consists of latosol and andisol with rugged and hilly topography. The soil in this city is classified as soil with high fertility.

Demography

In 2000, Pagar Alam's population was only 112,025 and it increased to 126,181 ten years later, and 143,844 after a further decade. One of the factors in the population increase has been the settlement of migrants who want to live in this city. Beside the city's native inhabitants, the Malay, the city population also consists of several other groups, such as the Javanese, Minang, Batak, Chinese, Arabs, and Indians.

Administrative districts

Pagar Alam is administratively divided into five districts, tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 and 2020 Censuses, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district, and its postal codes.
Kode
Wilayah		Name of
District
Area
in
km2		Pop'n
Census
2010		Pop'n
Census
2020		Pop'n
Estimate
mid 2024		Density
per km2
Admin
centre		No.
of
villages		Post
codes
16.72.04Dempo Selatan
252.3611,61112,78313,86054.92Lubuk Buntak531521
16.72.05Dempo Tengah
180.7212,66314,74916,04888.80Pelang Kenidai531520
16.72.03Dempo Utara
102.3319,93423,03124,093235.44Bumi Agung731510
16.72.02Pagar Alam Selatan
48.9344,75552,24251,5181,087.70Ulu Rurah831522
- 31529
16.72.01Pagar Alam Utara
42.4737,21842,92047,0281,107.32Selibar1031511
- 31519
Totals625.91126,181143,844153,271244.8835

Note: excluding the kelurahan of Sukorejo, which has a post code of 31551.

Climate

Pagar Alam has an elevation moderated tropical rainforest climate with heavy rainfall year-round.

Transportation

Atung Bungsu Airport

is the only airport in Pagar Alam. It is opened on 28 February 2013. With air transport it now is less than one hour from Palembang, instead of eight hours using land transportation.

Education

Colleges

  1. Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah
  2. Sekolah Tinggi Keguruan & Ilmu Pendidikan Muhammadiyah Pagar Alam
  3. Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Ekonomi Lembah Dempo Pagar Alam

Tourism

Beside its landscapes, the city also offer heritage tourism with a lot of megalithic sites. The Pagaralam government will build an integrated tourism area in a 26 hectare bamboo forest at Curup Jahe in North Pagaralam.