East Java

East Java
Jawa Timur
—  Province  —

Seal
Motto: Jer Basuki Mawa Béya ( Javanese)
(meaning: Efforts are needed to get success or prosper)
Location of East Java in Indonesia
Coordinates:
Country  Indonesia
Capital Surabaya
Government
 - Governor Soekarwo
Area
 - Total 47,922 km2 (18,502.8 sq mi)
Population (2000)
 - Total 34,766,000
 - Density 725.5/km2 (1,879/sq mi)
Demographics
 - Ethnic groups Javanese (79%), Madurese (18%), Osing (1%), Chinese (1%)[1]
 - Religion Islam (95.4%), Christianity (3.4%), Buddhism (0.6%), Hinduism (0.5%), Confucianism 0.1%, Kejawen also practised[2]
 - Languages Javanese, Madurese, Indonesian
Time zone WIB (UTC+7)
Website www.jatim.go.id

East Java (Indonesian: Jawa Timur, Javanese: Jawa Wétan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and also includes neighboring Madura and islands to the east of it, as well as the Bawean islands. The administrative center of the province is located in Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia and a major industrial center and port.

Contents

Population

According to the 2000 census, East Java has 34 million inhabitants, second only to West Java among Indonesian provinces. The inhabitants consist of mostly Javanese. Native minorities include migrants from nearby Madura, and distinct Javanese ethnicities such as the Tengger people in Bromo, the Samin and the Osing people in Banyuwangi. East Java also hosts a significant population of other ethnic groups, such as Chinese, Indians, and Arabs. In addition to the national language, Indonesian, they also speak Javanese. Javanese spoken in the western part of East Java is a recognizably similar dialect to the one spoken in nearby Central Java, with its hierarchy of high, medium, and low registers. But in the eastern cities of Surabaya, Malang, and surrounding areas, the people speak a more egalitarian version of Javanese, with much less regard for hierarchy and a richer vocabulary for vulgarity.

In addition to that, Madurese is spoken by around 15 millions of Madurese, concentrated in Madura Island, Kangean Islands, Masalembu Islands, Eastern part of East Java, and East Java main cities.

Religion

The main religion used to be Hinduism and Buddhism. With the arrival of Islam, Hinduism was gradually pushed out in the 14th and 15th century. The last nobles and remainders of the fallen empire of Majapahit fled from this point to Bali. This comes from earlier history, when Islam spread from northern cities in Java where many traders from Gujarat, India visited, bringing Islam. The eastern part of East Java, from Surabaya to Pasuruan, then following various cities along the coast line, and turning back in Banyuwangi to Jember, is well known as the "horseshoe area" in context with earlier Muslim communities living there.

Nevertheless, pockets of Hinduism have survived and abangan, the syncretic religion of Islam, Hinduism and Animism, remains strong. See Hinduism in Java for more information.

Administrative areas

East Java is administratively divided into 29 regencies (or kabupaten) and 9 cities (or kotamadya).

Regencies (seat):

  • Java and Bawean island.
    • Banyuwangi
    • Blitar
    • Bojonegoro
    • Bondowoso
    • Gresik
    • Jember
    • Jombang
    • Kediri
    • Lamongan
    • Lumajang
    • Madiun
    • Magetan
    • Malang
    • Mojokerto
    • Nganjuk
    • Ngawi
    • Pacitan
    • Pasuruan
    • Ponorogo
    • Probolinggo
    • Sidoarjo
    • Situbondo
    • Trenggalek
    • Tuban
    • Tulungagung
  • Madura and Kangean Islands
    • Bangkalan Regency (Bangkalan)
    • Pamekasan
    • Sampang
    • Sumenep

Cities:

History

East Java's history dates back to the famous ancient kingdoms of Kediri and Singhasari, which is now a city near Malang. The Majapahit empire, centered at Trowulan, Mojokerto East Java, is celebrated by Indonesians as the golden age of the archipelago. The Eastern Java region was part of the Mataram kingdom during its peak.

Farming in East Java in the foothills near Mount Bromo.

Natural resources

Education

East Java hosts some of the famous universities in Indonesia, both owned by government and private. Three major cities for universities, because they have government's universities, are Surabaya, Malang, and Jember. Among them, Airlangga University and Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember are the most famous, and both are located in Surabaya. See: List of universities in East Java

Another important form of education that is available in most cities in East Java is the pesantren. This kind of education is built and organized by Islamic clerics, and associated with local or national Muslim organizations. Jombang is a famous city for its pesantren.

Media

East Java supports several regional media outlets. Local newspapers with provincial news reach their readers earlier than their competitors from Jakarta. In the spirit of "providing more news from around readers", most newspapers even issue municipal sections which are different among their distribution areas.

National parks

Culinary

Culinary from East Java have more "salty" taste than Central Java.

Rujak Cingur, traditional dish from East Java.

References

  1. Indonesia's Population: Ethnicity and Religion in a Changing Political Landscape. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 2003. 
  2. http://jatim.kemenag.go.id/file/dokumen/Keagamaan2009.xls

External links