Palem'bang

Palem'bang, capital of a residency (formerly an independent kingdom) near the south end of Sumatra, stands on the river Musi, 50 miles from its mouth; the houses of the town are built on great log rafts on either bank. Manufactures, trade in silk goods, carved wood, ornaments in gold and ivory, and crises, as well as shipbuilding, are carried on. In the middle ages Palembang was one of the most important centres of Arabian trade with China. Pop. 43,368; and of the residency, 627,419.