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| Capital | Bandung |
| Governor | Danny Setiawan |
| Area | 55,390 km² (21,386 sq mi) |
| Population | 35,724,000 (2000) |
| Density | 645/km² (1,670.5/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | Sundanese (74%), Javanese (11%), Betawi (5%), Cirebonese (5%)[2] |
| Religion | Islam (96.5%), Protestant (1.2%), Roman Catholic (0.7%), Buddhism (0.2%), Hinduism (0.1%) |
| Languages | Indonesian (official), Sundanese |
| Time zone | WIB (UTC+7) |
| Web site | http://www.jabar.go.id |
West Java (Indonesian: :Jawa Barat), with population around 35.72 million, is the most populous province of Indonesia, located on Java Island. Its capital city is Bandung.
Contents |
History
The oldest human inhabitant archaeological findings in the region were unearthed in Anyer (the western coast of Java) with evidences of bronze and iron metallurgical culture dated back to the first millennium AD.[3] The prehistoric Buni (the present-day Bekasi) clay pottery were later developed with evidences found from Anyer to Cirebon. Some artifacts (dated from 400 BC — AD 100) such as food and drink containers were found mostly as burial gifts.[4] Recorded history of West Java administration was started from the fourth century with the existence of Tarumanagara kingdom. Seven inscribed stones written in Wengi letters (used in the Indian Pallava period) and in Sanskrit language describe most of the kings of Tarumanagara.[5] Records of Tarumanegara's administration lasted until the sixth century, which coincides with the attack of Srivijaya as stated in the Kota Kapur inscription (AD 686). The Kingdom of Sunda then came into the ruling power of the region, the reference to which were found in the Kebon Kopi II inscription (AD 932).[6] In the meantime, the Sultanate of Demak from central Java grew into an immediate threat to the Kingdom of Sunda. To defend against the threat, Prabu Surawisesa Jayaperkosa signed a treaty (known as the Luso-Sundanese Treaty) with the Portuguese in 1512. In return, the Portuguese was granted an accession to build fortresses and warehouses in the area, as well as trading agreement with the kingdom. This first international treaty of West Java with the Europeans was commemorated by the placement of the Padrao stone monument at the riverbank of the Ciliwung River in 1522. Although the treaty with Portuguese had been established, it could not come to realization. Sunda Kalapa harbour fell under the alliance of the Sultanate of Demak and the Sultanate of Cirebon (former vassal state of the kingdom of Sunda) in 1524 after their troops under Paletehan alias Fadillah Khan had conquered the city. In 1524/1525, their troops under Sunan Gunung Jati also seized the port of Banten and established the Sultanate of Banten which was affiliating with the Sultanate of Demak. The war between the kingdom of Sunda with Demak and Cirebon sultanates then continued for five years until a peace treaty were made in 1531 between King Surawisesa and Sunan Gunung Jati. From 1567 to 1579, under the last king Raja Mulya, alias Prabu Surya Kencana, the Kingdom of Sunda declined essentially under the pressure from the Sultanate of Banten. After 1576, the kingdom could not maintain its capital at Pakuan Pajajaran (the present-day Bogor) and gradually the Sultanate of Banten took over the former Kingdom of Sunda's region. The Mataram Sultanate from central Java also seized the Priangan region, the southeastern part of the kingdom.
In the sixteenth century, the Dutch and the British trading companies established their trading ships in West Java after the falldown of Sultanate of Banten. For the next three hundred years, West Java fell under the Dutch East Indies' administration. West Java was officially declared as a province of Indonesia in 1950, referring to a statement from Staatblad number 378. On October 17 2000, as part of nationwide political decentralization, Banten was separated from West Java and made into a new province.
Geography and demographics
According to the 2005 Socio-Economic Survey, West Java's population is 39,960,869, making it the most populous province in Indonesia. It has an area of 34,736 km²; aside from the province of Jakarta, it is the most densely populated province in the country with an average of 1,150 people per km². West Java borders Jakarta and Banten province to the west, and Central Java to the east. To the north is Java Sea. To the south is the Indian Ocean. Unlike most other provinces in Indonesia which have their capitals in coastal area, the provincial capital Bandung is located in a mountainous area. In addition to Indonesian, the official national language, the other widely-spoken language in the province is Sundanese. In some areas near the southern borders with Central Java, Javanese is also spoken. The main language spoken in Cirebon and nearby areas (Majalengka, Indramayu, Sumber) is Cirebonese, a dialect of Javanese.[7] Indonesian is widely spoken as a second language, except in some remote rural areas.
Culture
Sundanese share Java island with other Malayan people: Javanese people. They primarily live in their home province of West Java. Although Sundanese live in the same island with Javanese, they consider themselves a distinct cultural area called Sunda. Someone moving from West Java Province to Central or East Java Provinces, is literally said to be moving from Sunda to Java.
Music
Gamelan Orchestra
The musical arts of Sunda, which is an expression of the emotions of Sundanese culture, express politeness and grace of Sundanese. The music some of the most beautiful sounds in the world. Degung orchestra consists of Sundanese gamelan.
Zither Ensembles
Tembang Sunda
Tembang Sunda is a genre of Sundanese vocal music accompanied by a core ensemble of two kacapi (zither) and a suling (bamboo flute). Tembang means song or poem and Sunda is a geographical, historical, and cultural construct which signifies home for the Sundanese people of Indonesia. The music and poetry of tembang Sunda are closely associated with the Priangan (literally the abode of the gods), the highland plateau that transverses the central and southern parts of Sunda. The natural beauty of Priangan, a lush agricultural region surrounded by mountains and volcanoes, politeness and grace of Sundanese is reflected in many songs of the tembang Sunda.
Kacapi Suling
Kacapi suling is tembang Sunda minus vocal.
Tarawangsa
Tarawangsa is a genuine popular art is performed on ensemble consists of tarawangsa (a violin with an end pin) and the jentreng (a kind of seven-stringed zither). It is accompanied by a secret dance called Jentreng. The dance is a part of a ritual celebrating the goddess of paddy Dewi Sri. Its ceremonial significance is associated with a ritual of thanksgiving associated with the rice harvest. Tarawangsa can also be played for healings or even purely for entertainment.
Bamboo Ensembles
The three main types of Sundanese bamboo ensembles are angklung, calung, and arumba. The exact features of each ensemble vary according to context, related instruments, and relative popularity.
Angklung
Angklung is a generic term for sets of tuned, shaken bamboo rattles. Angklung consists of a frame upon which hang several different lengths of hollow bamboo. Angklungs are played like handbells, with each instrument played to a different note. Angklung rattles are played in interlocking patterns, usually with only one or two instruments played per person. The ensemble is used in Sundanese processions, sometimes with trance or acrobatics. Performed at life-cycle rituals and feasts (hajat), angklung is believed to maintain balance and harmony in the village. In its most modern incarnation, angklung is performed in schools as an aid to learning about music.
The Angklung got more international attention when Daeng Soetigna, from Bandung, West Java, expanded the angklung notations not only to play traditional pélog or sléndro scales, but also diatonic scale in 1938. Since then, angklung is often played together with other western music instruments in an orchestra. One of the first well-known performances of angklung in an orchestra was during the Bandung Conference in 1955.
Calung
Like those in angklung, the instruments of the calung ensemble are of bamboo, but each consists of several differently tuned tubes fixed onto a piece of bamboo; the player holds the instrument in his left hand and strikes it with a beater held in his right. The highest-pitched calung has the greatest number of tubes and the densest musical activity; the lowest-pitched, with two tubes, has the least. Calung is nearly always associated with earthy humor, and is played by men.
Arumba
Arumba refers to a set of diatonically tuned bamboo xylophones, often played by women. It is frequently joined by modern instruments, including a drum set, electric guitar, bass, and keyboards.
Theater
Wayang Golek
Wayang golek is a traditional form of puppetry from Sunda. Unlike the better-known leather shadow puppets (wayang kulit) which are found in the rest of Java and Bali, wayang golek puppets are made from wood, and being three-dimensional. They simply use a banana palm in which the puppets stand, behind which one puppeteer (or dalang) is accompanied by his gamelan percussion orchestra with (in Indonesia) up to 20 musicians. The gamelan uses a five note scale as opposed to the seven-note western scale. The musicians are guided by the drummer, who in turn is guided by signals which the dalang gives whenever there is a change of mood or pace required. Wayang goleks (wooden puppets) are used by the Sundanese to tell the epic play "Mahabarata" and various other morality type plays.
Dance
Sundanese dance is rich and complex. It shows the influence of the many groups that have traded and settled in the area over the centuries, but remains uniquely distinctive, with its variation from graceful to dynamic syncopated drumming patterns, quick wrist flicks, sensual hip movements, and fast shoulder and torso isolations. One of the most Sundanese dance is Tari Merak. The Tari Merak or Dance of the Peacock is a female dance. Merak means peacock and the choreography is inspired by the beautiful movements of a peacock. The gestures of a peacock are beautifully blend together with the classical movements of the Sundanese dance and thus making the dance a colourful expression of the proud peacock which is showing its beautiful feathers. The Tari Merak symbolises the beauty of nature.
Folk Legend and Stories
Sundanese has many folk legends and stories and among the most famous are:
- Sangkuriang, telling the creation of Mount Tangkuban Parahu and ancient lake Bandung.
- Mundinglaya Dikusumah, telling Mundinglaya visiting Jabaning Langit to find out layang Salaka Domas. It is a symbolic story of Surawisesa visiting Malaka to establish a pace treaty with Portuguese before year 1522.
- Lutung Kasarung, telling about the life of a beautiful princes, in the era of Pasir Batang kingdom a vassal of Sunda Kingdom, facing evil of her older sister willing to seize her right as a king.
- Ciung Wanara, telling about the fight of two princes of Sunda kingdom and the history of Brebes river or Cipamali river as a boundary between Sunda and Java territories.
Literature
Old Sundanese literature, among others, are:
- Siksakandang Karesian
- Bujangga Manik
Government
West Java is subdivided into regencies (kabupaten), each with a local capital:
- Bogor Regency, Cibinong
- Sukabumi Regency, Pelabuhan Ratu
- Cianjur Regency, Cianjur
- Bandung Regency, Soreang
- Garut Regency, Garut
- Tasikmalaya Regency, Tasikmalaya
- Ciamis Regency, Ciamis
- Kuningan Regency, Kuningan
- Cirebon Regency, Sumber
- Majalengka Regency, Majalengka
- Sumedang Regency, Sumedang
- Indramayu Regency, Indramayu
- Subang Regency, Subang
- Purwakarta Regency, Purwakarta
- Karawang Regency, Karawang
- Bekasi Regency, Bekasi
List of cities (kota) in West Java:
Natural resource
Raw natural resources include chalk, several offshore oilfields in the Java Sea, and lumber. Most of the province is very fertile, with a mix of small farms and larger plantations. There are several hydropower dams, including Jatiluhur, Saguling, and Cirata.
Tourism
- Ciater resort near Subang
- Maribaya in Lembang
- Mount Tangkuban Perahu
- Puncak pass
- Jatiluhur dam
- Taman Safari in Cipanas
- Bogor Botanical Gardens in Bogor
- Beaches of Pangandaran
- Selabintana resort in Sukabumi
- Bosscha Observatorium in Lembang
- Mekarsari fruit park, the world's biggest fruit park
July earthquake
Recently, the region was shocked by 7.2 on Richter-scale earthquake that followed by small-scale tsunami. The earthquake was followed by 2 big aftershocks with both measured up to 5.9 and 6.1 on Richter scale respectively.
References
- ^ Sigar, Edi. Buku Pintar Indonesia. Jakarta: Pustaka Delaprasta, 1996
- ^ (2003) Indonesia's Population: Ethnicity and Religion in a Changing Political Landscape. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.
- ^ Zahorka, Herwig (2007). The Sunda Kingdoms of West Java, From Tarumanagara to Pakuan Pajajaran with Royal Center of Bogor, Over 1000 Years of Propsperity and Glory. Yayasan cipta Loka Caraka.
- ^ Zahorka, Herwig (2007). The Sunda Kingdoms of West Java, From Tarumanagara to Pakuan Pajajaran with Royal Center of Bogor, Over 1000 Years of Propsperity and Glory. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka.
- ^ Zahorka, Herwig (2007). The Sunda Kingdoms of West Java, From Tarumanagara to Pakuan Pajajaran with Royal Center of Bogor, Over 1000 Years of Propsperity and Glory. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka.
- ^ Zahorka, Herwig (2007). The Sunda Kingdoms of West Java, From Tarumanagara to Pakuan Pajajaran with Royal Center of Bogor, Over 1000 Years of Propsperity and Glory. Yayasan Cipta Loka Caraka.
- ^ Cohen, Matthew Isaac (March 2005), "The Arts of Cirebon", Seleh Notes 12 #2: 6
External links
| Indonesia Portal |
- Official site
- {{{2}}} travel guide from Wikitravel
