Surakarta in the context of "May 1998 riots of Indonesia"

Sangiran is an archaeological excavation site in Java in Indonesia. According to a UNESCO report (1995) "Sangiran is recognized by scientists to be one of the most important sites in the world for studying fossil man, ranking alongside Zhoukoudian (China), Willandra Lakes (Australia), Olduvai Gorge (Tanzania), and Sterkfontein (South Africa), and more fruitful in finds than any of these."

The area comprises about 56 km (7 km x 8 km). It is located in Central Java, about 15 kilometers north of Surakarta in the Solo River valley. Administratively, Sangiran area is divided between 2 regencies: Sragen (districts of Gemolong, Kalijambe, and Plupuh) and Karanganyar (district of Gondangrejo). An important feature of the site is the geology of the area. Originally a dome was created millions of years ago through tectonic uplifts. The dome was then eroded exposing beds within the dome which are rich in archeological records.

A parking lot (North American English) or car park (British English), also known as a car lot, is a cleared area intended for parking vehicles. The term usually refers to an area dedicated only for parking, with a durable or semi-durable surface. In most jurisdictions where cars are the dominant mode of transportation, parking lots are a major feature of cities and suburban areas. Shopping malls, sports stadiums, and other similar venues often have immense parking lots. (See also: multistorey car park)

Parking lots tend to be sources of water pollution because of their extensive impervious surfaces, and because most have limited or no facilities to control runoff. Many areas today also require minimum landscaping in parking lots to provide shade and help mitigate the extent to which their paved surfaces contribute to heat islands. Many municipalities require a minimum numbers of parking spaces for buildings such as stores (by floor area) and apartment complexes (by number of bedrooms). In the United States, each state's department of transportation requires a fraction of lot spaces to be reserved for people holding a disabled parking permit. Modern parking lots use various technologies to enable motorists to pay parking fees, help them find unoccupied spaces and retrieve their vehicles, and improve their parking experiences.

Wayang beber (Javanese: ꦮꦪꦁꦧꦺꦧꦺꦂ, romanized: wayang bèbèr (in the ngoko register)) is an Indonesian wayang performance art whose presentation is manifested on stretched sheets of paper or cloth, with pictures in the stylized wayang accompanied by a narration by a dalang. Wayang beber performances emerged and developed in Java in pre-Islamic times but continued into the Islamic kingdoms (such as the Sultanate of Mataram). The stories shown are taken from the Mahabharata and the Ramayana. After Islam became the main religion in Java, more Panji tales were performed. Wayang beber bears a strong resemblance to narrative in the form of pictorial ballads common at annual fairs in medieval and early modern Europe. They too suffered the same fate—nearly becoming extinct, although there are still groups of artists who support wayang beber in places like Surakarta (Solo) in Central Java.

The Solo River (known in Indonesian as the Bengawan Solo, with Bengawan being an Old Javanese word for river, and Solo derived from the old name for Surakarta) is the longest river in the Indonesian island of Java. It is approximately 600 km (370 mi) in length.

Apart from its importance as a watercourse to the inhabitants and farmlands of the eastern and northern parts of the island, it is a renowned region in paleoanthropology circles. Many discoveries of early hominid remains (dating from 100,00 to 1.5 million years ago) have been made at several sites in its valleys, especially at Sangiran, including that of the first early human fossil found outside of Europe, the so-called "Java Man" skull, discovered in 1891.

Sragen Regency (Javanese: ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦱꦿꦒꦺꦤ꧀, romanized: Kabupatèn Sragèn) is a regency (Indonesian: kabupaten) in the eastern part of Central Java province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 994.57 km and had a population of 858,266 at the 2010 Census and 976,951 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at end 2024 was 1,004,761 (comprising 500,487 males and 504,274 females). Its capital is the town of Sragen, located about 30 km to the northeast of Surakarta. Sragen is bordered by Karanganyar Regency to the south, Boyolali Regency to the west, Grobogan Regency to the north, and East Java Province to the east.

Java's longest river, the Bengawan Solo River, flows through the fertile rice fields in the region. The archaeological excavation and UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sangiran is located in Sragen.

The fall of Suharto refers to the resignation of Indonesian President Suharto on 21 May 1998, ending his 32‑year authoritarian rule under the New Order regime following nationwide protests and severe economic collapse. His vice president, B. J. Habibie, assumed the presidency, launching a period of political reform known as Reformasi, which significantly transformed Indonesia's political institutions and ushered in democratic transition.

The fall of Suharto followed the 1997 Asian financial crisis, which triggered mass unrest and exposed rampant corruption under his administration. Student-led protests—sparked by events such as the July 1996 PDI office raid and the Trisakti shootings in May 1998—escalated into riots targeting the government and ethnic Chinese communities, particularly in Jakarta, Medan, and Surakarta.

Salatiga (Javanese: ꦯꦭꦠꦶꦒ) is a city in Central Java province, Indonesia. It covers an area of 54.98 km (21.23 sq mi) and had a population of 192,322 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 198,971 (comprising 98,571 males and 100,400 females). Located between the cities of Semarang and Surakarta, and administratively an independent city enclaved within Semarang Regency, it sits at the foot of Mount Merbabu (3,142 m (10,308 ft)) and Mount Telomoyo, and has a relatively cool climate due to its elevated position. Salatiga is a part of the Semarang metropolitan area.