[3] With a population of 213,046 people at the 2020 Census,[4] which rose to 221,714 as officially estimated as of mid-2023 (comprising 111,390 males and 110,324 females),[2] Batu lies on the southern slopes of Mount Arjuno-Welirang.

[5] Some local community leaders said that the title Batu comes from the name of a cleric follower of Prince Diponegoro named Abu Ghonaim referred to as the Kyai Gubug Angin which later the local community was familiar with calling Mbah Wastu.

From Javanese cultural habits that often shorten and shorten the designation of someone's name which is considered too long, also to make it shorter and faster when calling someone, finally Mbah Wastu is called Mbah Tu to be Mbatu or Batu as a term used for a mild climate city in East Java.

[5] The history of Abu Ghonaim's existence as a forerunner and person known as a community leader who started the "babad alas" which was used as an inspiration from the designation of the Batu region.

Abu Ghonaim as a loyal follower of Prince Diponegoro, intentionally left his native area of Central Java and moved to the hillside of Mount Panderman to avoid the pursuit and arrest of the Dutch soldiers (Kompeni).

[6] In the 19th century, the Dutch East Indies government developed Batu as a mountain resort.

Most of the topography of Batu City is dominated by highland and hilly terrain with valleys running down mountain slopes.

[6] Batu is a near-exact antipode (or polar opposite) to the city of San Fernando de Apure, Venezuela.

The temperature is moderated by the altitude, as the city is located at an average of 953 metres (3,127 ft) above sea level.

In agriculture, Batu is one of the largest apple-producing regions in Indonesia, which makes it dubbed "The City of Apples".