Understanding Kulon Progo through Historical Maps

Abstract

Kulon Progo Regency, part of the Special Region of Yogyakarta, has undergone political and administrative divisions, thereby leading to a dynamic geographical name change. Presently, this regency does not yet have a database for geographical names, which are part of cultural heritage to reveal historical events. Therefore, this study aims to conduct an inventory of geographical names in the Kulon Progo Regency through multitemporal historical maps and interpret their meanings. The inventory was carried out by digitizing scanned topographic maps stored on the Leiden University repository website and interpreting the meaning of geographical names through dictionaries and history books. Inventory using historical maps is an effective method of revealing past events. The result found that physical geographical names dominated 78 or 54% of villages, with 45%, 35%, and 20% consisting of biotic, non-biotic and topological aspects. Meanwhile, non-physical geographical names comprised 61 villages, incorporating 26%, 8% and 10% social, economic and cultural aspects.