Sundanese

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Sundanese


Total population	30.9 million (2000 census)
Regions with significant populations	West Java: 26.5 million Banten: 1.8 million Jakarta: 1.2 million
Language	Sundanese, Indonesian, Javanese
Religion	Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, Sunda Wiwitan
Related ethnic groups	Javanese, Betawi

Map showing the location of the Sundanese in Java

The Sundanese are an ethnic group in the western part of the island of Java in Indonesia, numbering approximately 31 million. The word is frequently confused with the word "Sudanese", referring to the people of the country of Sudan, Africa. The Sundanese are heavily Muslim. They speak a distinct language which is also known as Basa Sunda.

[edit] History

The oldest historical record containing the term ""Sunda" is the Kebonkopi 2 dated from 536 AD, refers to the Kingdom of Sunda. The word "Sunda" may originate from Sanskrit, in which case it might mean either 'light' or 'water'.

[edit] Language

The Sundanese language is spoken by approximately 27 million people and is the second most widely-spoken regional language in Indonesia, after Javanese. This language is spoken in the southern part of the Banten province, and most of West Java (excepting the northern coastal areas which has seen significant urbanization), and eastwards as far as the Pamali River in Brebes, Central Java.

There are several dialects of Sundanese, from the Sunda-Banten dialect to the Sunda-Central Javanese dialect which mixes elements of Javanese. Some of the most distinct dialects are from:

Banten,
Bogor,
Priangan, and
Cirebon.

Due to the influence of the Javanese culture during the reign of the Islamic Mataram kingdom, the Sundanese language - especially in the Parahyangan area - have different layers starting from the most formal, or "halus" version, to the everyday "loma/lancaran" version and the informal or harsh version. However, in the mountainous regions and most of Banten, the loma version is the most dominant. By contrast, this version is considered "harsh" by people from Bandung. In Central Java, Sundanese is spoken in the Cilacap region.