Map showing West Java in Indonesia

West Java (Jawa Barat) is a province of Indonesia, located on the island of Java. The capital is Bandung.

History

History shows that Jawa Barat is the first province in Indonesia, referring to a statement from Staatblad number 378. In 1950, West Java province officially became a province of Indonesia.

On October 17, 2000, Banten was separated from Jawa Barat and made into a new province.

Geographic and Demographic

With a population of 35.470.611 (2000 census), West Java is the most populous province in Indonesia. It has an area of 34.736 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 has their capitals in coastal area, West Java's capital Bandung is located in highly mountaneous area and completely surrounded by mountains.

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 ethnic language spoken in Cirebon and nearby areas (Majalengka, Indramayu , Sumber ) is Cirebonese which is a mix between Sundanese and Javanese. Indonesian is widely spoken as a second language, except in some remote rural areas.

Government

List of West Java's kabupaten (municipals) and their respective capitals:

• Kabupaten Bogor, Cibinong
• Kabupaten Sukabumi, Sukabumi
• Kabupaten Cianjur, Cianjur
• Kabupaten Bandung, Soreang
• Kabupaten Garut, Garut
• Kabupaten Tasikmalaya, Tasikmalaya
• Kabupaten Ciamis, Ciamis
• Kabupaten Kuningan, Kuningan
• Kabupaten Cirebon, Sumber
• Kabupaten Majalengka, Majalengka
• Kabupaten Sumedang, Sumedang
• Kabupaten Indramayu, Indramayu
• Kabupaten Subang, Subang
• Kabupaten Purwakarta, Purwakarta
• Kabupaten Karawang, Karawang
• Kabupaten Bekasi, Bekasi

List of cities that has the status of level two district (daerah tingkat dua) in West Java:

• Bogor
• Sukabumi
• Bandung
• Cirebon
• Bekasi
• Depok
• Cimahi
• Tasikmalaya
• Banjar

Natural Resources

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
• Gunung Tangkuban Perahu
• Puncak pass
• Jatiluhur dam
• Taman Safari in Cipanas
• Kebun Raya Bogor in Bogor
• Beaches of Pangandaran
• Selabintana resort in Sukabumi

External links

• West Java Government