City Asia
Denpasar
Denpasar is the main city of Bali, an island in Indonesia. Its name means north of the market.
Denpasar is the main city of the island of Bali, in Indonesia, and a center for shops and visitors. The city's own history says it grew up around a royal palace finished in 1788. The census of 15 September 2020 counted 725,314 people in the city.
Denpasar (Den Pasar), city of Indonesia and chief town of Bali; a commercial and tourist center (Larousse). The city government dates its beginnings to the palace of the Kingdom of Badung, finished in 1788. Census 15 September 2020: 725,314 in Kota Denpasar (City Population, from Statistics Indonesia).
Photo: BxHxTxCx (using album), CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Denpasar
Denpasar is a city on the island of Bali, in Indonesia.
It is the main city of Bali. Many shops are there, and many visitors come.
Denpasar is a city of Indonesia and the chief town of the island of Bali. Larousse calls it a center for trade and for tourism.
The census of 15 September 2020 counted 725,314 people in the city, and City Population lists four districts in the city: West, South, East and North Denpasar. The photo shows part of North Denpasar from the air in 2014.
Larousse: Denpasar (or Den Pasar), city of Indonesia, chief town of the island of Bali; a commercial and tourist center. City Population (from Statistics Indonesia, BPS): Kota Denpasar 574,610 (intermediate census 2005), 788,589 (2010), 879,098 (intermediate census 2015) and 725,314 (census 15 September 2020). Its four districts in 2010: Denpasar Barat 229,435, Selatan 244,851, Timur 138,404, Utara 175,899.
- Country
- Indonesia; the chief town of Bali (Larousse)
- People in the city (census, 15 September 2020)
- 725,314
- Known for
- trade and tourism (Larousse)
- City districts
- four: Denpasar Barat, Selatan, Timur and Utara (City Population)
A market that began beside a palace
Long ago, people met beside a banyan tree to buy what they needed each day.
That was the start of a market the city still has!
The city's history says that next to the old royal palace there was a meeting hall beside a banyan tree, where people gathered and bought what they needed each day. That place was the start of today's Badung Market.
The palace itself, finished in 1788, had a large garden with a pool and a building in the middle of the water. A report from 1906 measured the palace grounds at about 35,000 square meters.
City of Denpasar history page: beside the palace stood a wantilan (meeting hall) next to a banyan tree where people gathered and bought their daily needs; it became the start of today's Badung Market (Pasar Badung); the page adds that the old market site is now the mayor's office and the meeting hall's site a bank. The palace (Puri Agung Denpasar) grew out of a royal garden (narmada) with water and a pavilion in the middle of a pool. Its size: 175 × 200 m (35,000 m²) in a Dutch report of 1906, and 166 × 180 m (29,880 m²) in a 1992 reconstruction plan drawn from a 1940 report.
- Badung Market
- grew from a gathering place where people bought their daily needs (City of Denpasar)
- Royal palace
- finished in 1788 (City of Denpasar)
- The palace grounds
- about 35,000 square meters in a 1906 report (City of Denpasar)
From a royal garden to a city
The name Denpasar means north of the market.
A king built a palace there long ago, and a city grew around it.
The city government explains the name: 'den' means north and 'pasar' means market, so Denpasar was a garden north of the market. In 1788 that royal garden was made into the palace of the Kingdom of Badung, and the first king of Denpasar was crowned.
Denpasar became the seat of Badung regency in 1958 and grew very fast. In 1978 it became an administrative city with 206,059 people, and in 1992 it became a city with its own government.
City of Denpasar: the name comes from a royal garden, 'den' (north) + 'pasar' (market), a garden north of the market, thought to date from about 1750. In 1788 the garden area was developed into Puri Agung Denpasar, the seat of the Kingdom of Badung, and its builder became the first king of Denpasar (1788–1813). In 1958 Denpasar became the seat of Badung regency; Government Regulation 20 of 1978 made it an administrative city (123.98 km², 206,059 people, growing 3.5% a year); Law 1 of 1992 (15 January) created the municipality, opened on 27 February 1992.
- The name
- 'den' means north and 'pasar' means market (City of Denpasar)
- Administrative city
- 1978: 123.98 km² and 206,059 people (City of Denpasar)
- Municipality
- law of 15 January 1992, opened 27 February 1992 (City of Denpasar)
An airport south of the city
Denpasar has an airport. It is south of the city.
Larousse says Denpasar's airport lies about 15 kilometers south of the city. Measured on Wikidata, from the city's point to the airport's point, it is about 11 kilometers to the southwest.
When Denpasar became an administrative city in 1978, it covered 123.98 square kilometers, a little more than a square 11 kilometers on each side.
Larousse: airport 15 km south of the city. Wikidata: I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (Q1061846), 'serving Denpasar', lies 11.20 km SW of the city's point (Q11506). City of Denpasar: the 1978 administrative city covered 123.98 km² (a square of 11 km sides is 121 km²).
- Airport
- 15 km south of the city (Larousse)
- Airport on Wikidata
- about 11 km southwest of the city's point
- City area in 1978
- 123.98 square kilometers (City of Denpasar)
Warm all year, with a wet season
Denpasar is warm all year.
It rains a lot from December to March. July and August are much drier.
The Japan Meteorological Agency's averages for 1991 to 2020 give Denpasar a monthly average temperature between 26.3 °C in August and 28.2 °C in November, so it is warm in every month.
Most of the rain falls from December to March. January is the wettest month, with about 351 millimeters, while July gets only about 28.
JMA world station normals, Denpasar (8.75° S, 115.17° E; period 1991–2020, stated on the JMA normals index): monthly mean temperature 26.3 °C (Aug) to 28.2 °C (Nov); precipitation 27.6 mm (Jul) to 350.7 mm (Jan); the twelve months add up to 1,788.0 mm, of which December to March give 1,199.0 mm (67%). JMA lists means only (no daily highs or lows).
- Average temperature (JMA, Denpasar, 1991–2020)
- 26.3 °C (August) to 28.2 °C (November)
- Wettest and driest months (same normals)
- January 350.7 mm; July 27.6 mm
- Rain in a year (twelve months added up)
- about 1,788 mm
Shops, visitors and a busy market
Lots of people live in Denpasar. Many visitors come to Bali too.
People shop at the big market.
Larousse calls Denpasar a center for trade and for tourism. The city says today's Badung Market began as a place where people bought their daily needs.
The city grew quickly: in 1978 it had 206,059 people, growing by 3.5% a year. The 2020 census counted 725,314. From the air, the photo shows streets packed with roofs, with green open land at the edges.
Larousse: a commercial and tourist center. City of Denpasar: Badung Market grew from the gathering place beside the old palace; being the seat of Badung regency and of Bali province brought very fast physical, economic and social growth; in 1978, 206,059 people, growing 3.5% a year. City Population: 788,589 (2010), 879,098 (2015 intermediate census), 725,314 (census 15 September 2020).
- Economy
- a commercial and tourist center (Larousse)
- People counted
- 725,314 in 2020 (City Population)
- Growth in 1978
- 3.5% a year (City of Denpasar)
Denpasar on the map
Find Indonesia on the globe. Bali is a small island there, and Denpasar is on it.
Denpasar lies at about 8.7° south and 115.2° east, on the island of Bali in Indonesia, south of the equator.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the airport is about 11 kilometers southwest. The Japan Meteorological Agency lists its Denpasar weather station a little farther south, at about 8.75° south and 115.17° east.
Denpasar lies at about 8.67° S, 115.23° E (Wikidata point Q11506; the Natural Earth/sheet point is 2.85 km NNW of it). From the Wikidata point: I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport (Q1061846) 11.20 km SW (Larousse: 15 km south of the city). The JMA weather station is listed at 8.75° S, 115.17° E.
- Latitude
- about 8.7° south
- Longitude
- about 115.2° east
- Island
- Bali, Indonesia (Larousse)
Amazing facts
-
The name Denpasar means north of the market!
The city government says 'den' means north and 'pasar' means market: Denpasar was first a royal garden north of the market.
City of Denpasar: the name comes from a royal garden, 'den' (north) + 'pasar' (market), a garden north of the market.
-
People once met beside a banyan tree to shop. That was the start of a market!
A meeting hall beside a banyan tree, where people bought their daily needs, was the start of today's Badung Market, says the city's history.
City of Denpasar: the wantilan beside a banyan tree, where people gathered and bought daily needs, was the start of today's Pasar Badung.
-
In Denpasar, January gets more than ten times as much rain as July!
The Japan Meteorological Agency's averages give Denpasar about 351 millimeters of rain in January and about 28 in July.
JMA normals 1991–2020: January 350.7 mm, July 27.6 mm (12.7 times as much).
Words to know
- palace
- a very large home for a king, queen or ruler
- market
- a place where people buy and sell food and other things
- banyan
- a kind of fig tree whose branches send down roots that grow into new trunks
- province
- a large area of a country with its own local government
- wet season
- the part of the year when most of the rain falls
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Denpasar is the main city of which island?
Denpasar is the chief town of which Indonesian island?
Larousse calls Denpasar the chief town of which island?
- Bali
- Iceland
- Sicily
Show the answer
Bali
Bali!
Bali.
Bali.
-
What does the name Denpasar mean?
According to the city government, what does the name Denpasar mean?
The city explains 'den' + 'pasar' as which phrase?
- North of the market
- Big river
- White mountain
Show the answer
North of the market
North of the market!
North of the market: a royal garden north of the market.
'Den' = north, 'pasar' = market.
-
Which month is the rainiest in Denpasar?
In the 1991–2020 averages, which is Denpasar's wettest month?
Which month has the highest mean precipitation in the JMA 1991–2020 normals for Denpasar?
- January
- July
- August
Show the answer
January
January!
January, with about 351 millimeters.
January, 350.7 mm.
-
When was the royal palace in Denpasar finished?
In which year was the palace that Denpasar grew around finished?
In which year, says the city government, was the palace of the Kingdom of Badung in Denpasar finished?
- 1788
- 1588
- 1988
Show the answer
1788
In 1788!
1788.
1788.
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Denpasar on the island of Bali in Indonesia.
- Explain how a market can help a town grow.
- Read a climate table with a wet season and a dry season.
- Compare census counts from different years.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a city grow up around a palace or a market?
- Why can two sources give different distances to the same airport?
- What changes when a town becomes a city with its own government?
Try at home or in class
- Name game: invent a name for your street from two words that say where it is, like 'north of the market'.
- Rain bars: draw Denpasar's monthly rain as bars and color the wet December-to-March months.
- Area square: mark out a square 11 steps on each side and compare it with Denpasar's 123.98 km² in 1978 (a bit more than 11 km on each side).
Key vocabulary: palace, market, banyan, province, wet season, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Denpasar ou Den Pasar , Larousse encyclopédie
- Sejarah , Pemerintah Kota Denpasar (City of Denpasar)
- Indonesia: Administrative Division (Provinces, Regencies and Cities) , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Badan Pusat Statistik
- Indonesia: Bali Province (Regencies, Cities and Districts) , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from Badan Pusat Statistik
- Denpasar: monthly normals (1991–2020) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- World station normals (search by region and country) , Japan Meteorological Agency
- File:Denpasar Utara (27190547400).jpg (BxHxTxCx) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.