Geographical names to support monitoring of the regional dynamic in Magelang, Central Java, Indonesia

Abstract

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Maps is a valuable tool for the geographer to do geographical research. One of the maps’ layer is geographical names. Geographical names belong to the cultural heritage and could help identify the development of human’s civilization. The boundaries that spread throughout a region have the characteristic of constraining both juridically and legally-formal up to its social aspects. However, the regional borders that have previously been determined are now open to modifications over time. The objectives of this research are : 1) analyse the multitemporal maps as the source of geographical names dynamic inside an area; 2) interpret data of dynamic geographical names obtained to be the basis of regional boundaries alteration. The historical map collection of the Royal Tropical Institute in the Library of Map Leiden University (Maps of Magelang from 1855, 1915, 1938, 1940), the topographic map of the U.S. Army Map Service (AMS) (printed in 1945), the Indonesian official topographic maps (Peta Rupabumi Indonesia-RBI) dated 2001, the Google Maps 2018, and the OpenStreetMaps 2018 are altogether utilized in studying the geographical names dynamic of both Magelang Municipality and Magelang Regency. The multitemporal geographical names data are later to be employed to assist the analysis of regional dynamic. We applied the descriptive qualitative method in this research. The existing maps published during the colonialism era and post-Independence Day (1945) can be beneficial to locate the development of regional boundaries and as a resource of multitemporal geographical names. The existence of Magelang Municipality physically has been found since the region belonged to Kedu Residency. On the other hand, the administrative borders were first emerging in a map issued in 1938. The maps from 1855 to 2001 showed that administrative borders of the regions and geographical names examined before were bound to change, mainly on district names. This matter happened due to the proliferation and integration of regions within the Municipality and Regency. Although the borders appeared the same on some of the maps (the 1855 version was similar to the 1915’s and from 1938 to 1945 showed the parallel border lines), the maps showed different geographical names. The orthography of geographical names is experiencing changes as well, from using diacritic to using the Perfected Spelling System (Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan-EYD).</p>

Learning the past landscape of Yogyakarta city from historical maps

“…Meanwhile, Cahyono et al (2019) analyzed the dynamic use of geographical names in Magelang Municipality and Magelang Regency using historical maps, topographic maps, Google Maps, and OpenStreetMaps. The historical maps from the Royal Tropical Institute, US Army Map Service, Indonesian official topographic maps, Google Maps 2018, and OpenStreetMaps 2018 are used to study the region's boundaries and administrative borders 24 . In Addition, Wan & Zu (2023) measured the area of county level and above cities in mainland China during the 1930s, known as the traditional Chinese era (TCE).…”

Geographical Names Study of Nagari, a Local Customary-Based Community Unit in Agam Regency, Indonesia

“…The linguistic substance of geographical names, such as morphology and semantics, was analyzed together with the history of the bestowal of the names [5]. Literature studies on geographical names have been carried out in various locations, including in Guangdong Province in 2016 [6], in the Sinai Peninsula in 2018 [2], in the Magelang and Menoreh Mountains in 2019 [7,8], and in the Province of Trento, Northern Italy, in 2021 [9]. Studies can be carried out on geographical names that are still valid today or on historical geographical names collected from historical maps and historical documents.…”

“…An analysis of geographical names in Trento and Guangdong provides conclusions that focus on the use of local dialects, which adds spatial insight into the history and social life of the people in these two regions. A study conducted in Magelang in 2019 revealed how regional dynamics, specifically constant changes in administrative borders, impacted the geographical names [7].…”

How historical maps support geographical names study in Agam Regency, Indonesia

“…This integration has enabled studies on coastline changes 10 , investigation of long-term urban amplitude changes 11 , and the merging of historic maps with LiDAR data for land type detection 12 . More specific to geographical names, names extracted from historical maps have been widely used to undertake spatial analysis 13,4 and they can even be used to recreate historical rivers in Hubei, China 14 .…”