Denpasar is the local capital of the Indonesian island of Bali. The population was 491,000 according to the official census in 2002. It is the only true city on the entire island, as all other urbanized areas are essentially heavily developed tourist districts or small towns. It is the major administrative and commercial center of the island.
Ngurah Rai International Airport, just outside Denpasar, is the most important gateway for the island's tourist industry. Many airlines service the airport in addition to Indonesia's own Garuda. These include Air Asia, Cathay Pacific, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways and Thai Airways.
Denpasar's standing as a capital dates back to the southern Balinese kingdom of Badung. The city was sacked and the royal palace razed as part of a Dutch invasion on the island in 1906.
Denpasar is located near the south-central coastal region of Bali. Some of the main tourist districts of Bali's south-central coast are a 15-minute taxi ride to the southwest. These include the backpacker and surfer area in Kuta, and the upscale villas and resorts of Seminyak. Denpasar itself has little in the way of tourist attractions, and most visitors merely enter the city via the airport and then immediately move on.
The climate in Denpasar is tropical, with temperatures ranging between average lows of 68 F and average highs of about 91 F. The dry season, between May and September, is usually the coolest and least humid in Denpasar, although that is also when there is little cloud cover and people are most exposed to the powerful near-equatorial sun. The monsoons, which are at their height between December and March, typically bring overcast skies marked by at least one heavy downpour every day. The monsoon months are also hotter and much more humid.
