Java
This article is about the island Java; for the cross-platform technology see Java (Sun); for other uses see Java (disambiguation).Java (
Indonesian,
Javanese, and
Sundanese:
Jawa) is an
island of
Indonesia and the site of its
capital city,
Jakarta. It is the
most populous island, and one of the most
densely-populated regions, in the world. The former site of powerful
Hindu kingdoms and the core of the colonial
Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia.
Java ()
[ Volcano World - Island of Java (volcano.und.edu) Retrieved 26 July 2006 ] is part of the
Sunda Island Arc, whichincludes
Sumatra to the northwest and
Bali to the east.
Borneo lies to the north and
Christmas Island to the south. It is the
world's 13th largest island.
Java is almost entirely of
volcanic origin; it contains no fewer than thirty-eight mountains which have at one time or another been active
volcanoes. See
Volcanoes of Java.
The island's longest
river is the
Bengawan Solo River, at some 600
km [Management of Bengawan Solo River Area Jasa Tirta I Corporation 2004. Retrieved 26 July 2006 ] in length. The Bengawan Solo rises from its source in central Java at the
Tawu volcano, flows north then eastwards to its mouth in the
Java Sea, near the city of
Surabaya.
Demographics
Java contains the capital of
Indonesia,
Jakarta. Popular tourist destinations include the city of
Yogyakarta, a massive pyramid-like monument to
Buddha known as
Borobudur, and
Prambanan, the largest
Hindu temple in Java.
Java is by far the most populous island in Indonesia, with approximately 55% of the overall
population of the country. With 124 million inhabitants at 981 people per km² it would, if it were a country, be the second-most densely-populated country of the world after
Bangladesh, except for some very small city-states.
Since the
1970s, the Indonesian government has run
transmigration programs aimed at resettling the population of Java on other less-populated islands of Indonesia. This program has met with mixed results, and sometimes caused conflicts between the locals and the recently arrived
settlers.
The island is divided into 4
provinces, 1 special region* (
daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (
daerah khusus ibukota):
*
Banten*
Jakarta*
*
Jawa Barat (West Java)
*
Jawa Tengah (Central Java)
*
Jawa Timur (East Java)
*
Yogyakarta*
|
View of the Puncak area in West Java, overlooking tea plantations |
Paleontology
The island of Java is famous for several
paleoanthropological finds of early
hominid specimens
[Indonesia - Early History Country Studies US. Retrieved 26 July 2006 ]. In particular, the 1891 discovery of
cranial fossil remains commonly known as "
Java man" (now designated as
Trinil 2, after the
Trinil site on the
Bengawan Solo River), is famous for being the first such discovery of an early hominid specimen outside of Europe. This find, and several subsequent ones which have been made at various locations along the river's valleys, are now generally classified as belonging to the species
Homo erectus.
Scientists speculate that, two million years ago, the rainfall in the
Sunda and
Digul plateaus was very heavy, which allowed heavy tropical vegetation to thrive. This, in turn allowed many prehistoric cultures to emerge, as evidenced in many fossil findings in this region.
Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms
Much evidence of Java's past
kingdoms remains; such as the famous
Buddhist Borobudur and
Hindu Prambanan temples. Indeed, the Javanese culture, and language itself, was heavily influenced by the cultures and languages of the
Indian subcontinent. In the sixth and seventh centuries, many maritime kingdoms arose in Sumatra and Java, which controlled the waters in the
Straits of Malacca, and flourished with the increasing sea-trade between
China and
India and beyond. During this time, scholars from India and China visited these kingdoms to translate literary and religious texts.
The most prominent of the Hindu kingdoms was the
Majapahit kingdom based in East Java, from where it ruled a large part of what is now western Indonesia. The name of the Majapahit empire is still invoked by contemporary Indonesian leaders to promote "unity", and the legitimacy of the state. The remnants of the Majapahit kingdom shifted to
Bali during the sixteenth century, as
Muslim kingdoms in the western part of the island gained influence.
Muslim kingdoms and the Dutch colonization
The earliest
Muslim "
evangelists" were called the
Wali Songo, the "nine ambassadors". Several of them were of
Chinese origin, leading to speculation about
Zheng He's influence on the trade in the
Straits of Malacca. Many of their tombs are still well-preserved, and often visited "
Ziarah" for superstitious and religious reasons. Most of the brand of
Islam that is adopted in Java is mixed with long-standing indigenous beliefs, and has a decidedly "local flavor". For example, the legend of
Nyi Roro Kidul was invented as a mix of the superstition common on the southern coast of Java, and Islamic influences.
The
Dutch East India Company (VOC) established its trading and administrative headquarters in Batavia (now the capital city of Jakarta). This capital, along with other coastal cities such as
Semarang and
Surabaya, was the focus of Dutch attention during most of the colonial period. The VOC maintained control over the mountainous interior of the island through indigenous client states, such as
Mataram in central Java.
The nineteenth century saw the Dutch government take over administration of Indonesia from the VOC, and in the mid-nineteenth century, they implemented new policies, usually called the
Cultivation System (Dutch:
cultuurstelsel). These policies, intended to increase the profitability of the colony by requiring increased production of cash crops, led to famine and widespread poverty on Java. By the beginning of the twentieth century, protest over the policy's effects, and political changes in the Netherlands and in the Indies led to the
Ethical Policy. This policy of increased investment in the colony gave many more Javanese elites access to a Dutch education, both in Java and in the Netherlands itself. It was from this elite that the most prominent
nationalist leaders came. They formed the core of the new government, when Indonesia became a Republic after
World War II.
Republican era
With the establishment of Jakarta as the capital and the Javanese roots of the majority of Indonesian political figures, the island has a dominant role in the political and economic life of the nation. While parts of rural Java are among the poorest in the nation, the urban areas of the island are Indonesia's wealthiest and most urbanized areas. Both presidents
Sukarno (1945-1965) and
Suharto (1965-1998), were from Java.
This political dominance has resulted in resentment on the part of some residents of other islands. Indonesian author
Pramoedya Ananta Toer once recommended that the Indonesian capital be moved outside the island of Java, in order to free the Indonesian nationalist movement from its Java-centric character.
Generally speaking, the three major cultures of Java are the
Sundanese culture of
West Java, the
Central Java culture, and the
East Java culture. In the western part of Central Java, usually named the
Banyumasan region, a cultural mingling occurred; bringing together
Javanese culture and
Sundanese culture to create the
Banyumasan culture.
In the central Javan court cities of
Yogyakarta and
Surakarta, contemporary kings trace their lineages back to the pre-colonial Islamic kingdoms that ruled the region, making those places especially strong repositories of classical Javanese culture. Classic arts of Java include
gamelan music and
wayang puppet shows.
Java was the site of many influential kingdoms in the Southeast Asian region, and as a result, many literary works have been written by Javanese authors. These include
Ken Arok and Ken Dedes, the story of the orphan who usurped his king, and married the queen of the ancient Javanese kingdom; and translations of
Ramayana and
Mahabarata.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer is a famous contemporary Indonesian author, who has written many stories based on his own experiences of having grown up in Java, and takes many elements from Javanese folklore and historical legends.
See also: Culture of Indonesia |
Languages spoken in Java (Javanese is shown in white) |
The three major languages spoken on the island are
Javanese,
Sundanese and
Madurese. Other languages spoken by smaller groups include
Betawi,
Banyumasan,
Badui,
Osing and
Tenggerese. The vast majority of the population also speaks
Indonesian, generally as a second language.
Most
Javanese (92%) are Muslims, either of the
Abangan (40%) (nominal) type or orthodox (60%). Small
Hindu (1-2%) enclaves are scattered through-out Java, but a large
Hindu population prevails along the eastern coast nearest
Bali, especially around the town of
Banyuwangi. There are also
Christian (2-3%) (communities; mostly in the major cities, although they are in the minority. Certain rural areas of south-central Java are strongly
Catholic. Buddhist communities (1%) also exist in the major cities, primarily among the
Indonesian Chinese.
Then there are also groups of followers of
Kejawen, or Javanese "mystical" groups (see "
mysticism") who do not fit easily into governmental administrative categories - such as
Sumarah,
Subud and other groups. During the
Suharto era, it was mandatory to belong to a government-approved religion in order to have an identity card, which itself was also mandatory. Followers of
Kejawen had various difficulties because of this issue.
*
Javanese (
See: Javanese language)
*
Sundanese (
See: Sundanese language)
*
Madurese*
Indonesian Chinese*
Cirebonese*
Arab*
Badui*
Osing*
Sailendra*
Singhasari*
Tenggerese*
May 2006 Java earthquake*
July 2006 Java earthquake*
JAVA, FACTS AND FANCIES, by Augusta De Wit, 1905.
(a searchable facsimile at the University of Georgia Libraries; DjVu & layered PDF format)
