West Java in the context of "Sundanese people"

⭐ In the context of Sundanese people, the geographical area historically and culturally associated with them extends beyond the modern province of West Java to include which other regions?

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⭐ Core Definition: West Java

West Java (Indonesian: Jawa Barat, Sundanese: ᮏᮝ ᮊᮥᮜᮧᮔ᮪, romanized: Jawa Kulon) is an Indonesian province on the western part of the island of Java, with its provincial capital in Bandung and its largest city is Bekasi. West Java is bordered by the province of Banten and the country's capital region of Jakarta to the west, the Java Sea to the north, the province of Central Java to the east and the Indian Ocean to the south. With Banten, this province is the native homeland of the Sundanese people, the second-largest ethnic group in Indonesia.

West Java was one of the first eight provinces of Indonesia formed following the country's independence proclamation and was later legally re-established on 14 July 1950. In 1960, the city of Jakarta was split off from West Java as a 'special capital region' (Daerah Khusus Ibukota), with a status equivalent to that of a province, while in 2000 the western parts of the province were in turn split away to form a separate Banten province.

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👉 West Java in the context of Sundanese people

The Sundanese (Sundanese: ᮅᮛᮀ ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ, romanized: Urang Sunda; Indonesian: Orang Sunda) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to western part of Java island in Indonesia, with the term Tatar Pasundan (ᮒᮒᮁ ᮕᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓᮔ᮪) which covers most of the administrative areas of the provinces of West Java, Banten, and western part of Central Java. They number approximately 42 million and form Indonesia's second largest ethnic group, and the fourth largest in Southeast Asia. They speak the Sundanese language, which is part of the Austronesian languages.

Sundanese migrants can also be found in Lampung, South Sumatra, and, to a lesser extent, in Central Java and East Java.The Sundanese people can also be found on several other islands in Indonesia such as Sumatra, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Bali and Papua.

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In this Dossier

West Java in the context of Jakarta

Jakarta, officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and an autonomous region at the provincial level. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta is the largest metropole in Southeast Asia and serves as the Headquarters of ASEAN. The Special Region has a status equivalent to that of a province and is bordered by the province of West Java to the south and east and Banten to the west. Its coastline faces the Java Sea to the north, and it shares a maritime border with Lampung to the west. Jakarta's metropolitan area has an estimated population of 41.9 million as of 2025, making it the largest urban area in Indonesia and the world; in addition of being ASEAN's second largest economy after Singapore.

Jakarta is the economic, cultural, and political centre of Indonesia. Although Jakarta extends over only 661.23 km (255.30 sq mi) and thus has the smallest area of any Indonesian province, its metropolitan area covers 7,076.31 km (2,732.18 sq mi), which includes the satellite cities of Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang, and Bekasi. Jakarta ranks first among the Indonesian provinces in the human development index. Jakarta's business and employment opportunities, along with its ability to offer a potentially higher standard of living compared to other parts of the country, have attracted migrants from across the Indonesian archipelago, making it a melting pot of numerous cultures.

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West Java in the context of Central Java

Central Java (Indonesian: Jawa Tengah, Javanese: ꦗꦮꦶꦩꦢꦾ, romanized: Jawi Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in the south, East Java in the east, and the Java Sea in the north. It has a total area of 33,750.37 km, with a population of 36,516,035 at the 2020 Census making it the third-most populous province in both Java and Indonesia after West Java and East Java. The official population estimate in mid-2024 was 37,892,280 (comprising 19,037,740 males and 18,854,540 females). The province also includes a number of offshore islands, including the island of Nusakambangan in the south (close to the border of West Java), and the Karimun Jawa Islands in the Java Sea.

Central Java is also a cultural concept that includes the Yogyakarta Special Region, in turn including the city of Yogyakarta; however, administratively that city and its surrounding regencies have formed a separate special region (equivalent to a province) since the country's independence, and is administered separately. Although known as the "heart" of Javanese culture, there are several other non-Javanese ethnic groups, such as the Sundanese on the border with West Java. Chinese Indonesians, Arab Indonesians, and Indian Indonesians are also scattered throughout the province.

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West Java in the context of Bangka Belitung Islands

The Bangka Belitung Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Bangka Belitung) is a province of Indonesia. Situated off the southeastern coast of Sumatra, the province comprises two main land masses — the islands of Bangka and Belitung — and numerous smaller islands. Bangka Belitung is bordered by the Bangka Strait to the west, the Natuna Sea to the north, the Java Sea is to the south and the Karimata Strait to the east; the two principal islands are separated by the Gaspar Strait, within which lie lesser islands such as Lepar, Pongok (or Liak) and Mendanau.

The province's capital and largest city is Pangkalpinang. The province shares maritime borders with South Sumatra to the west, Riau Islands to the north, Banten, the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java to the south, and West Kalimantan to the east. Bangka Belitung covers a land area of 16,690.13 km (6,444.10 sq mi) and had a population of 1,455,678 according to the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 1,531,530 (comprising 786,010 males and 745,520 females).

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West Java in the context of Banten

Banten (Sundanese: ᮘᮔ᮪ᮒᮨᮔ᮪, romanized: banten, Pegon: بنتن) is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Sea on the north, the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Sunda Strait (which separates Java from the neighbouring island of Sumatra) on the west and shares a maritime border with Lampung to the west. The province covers an area of 9,352.77 km (3,611.12 sq mi). It had a population of over 11.9 million in the 2020 census, up from about 10.6 million in 2010. The estimated mid-2024 population was 12,431,390, still increasing by about 106,000 people per year. Formerly part of the province of West Java, Banten was split off to become a separate province on 17 October 2000.

The northern half (particularly the eastern areas near Jakarta and the Java Sea coast) has recently experienced rapid rises in population and urbanization, and the southern half (especially the region facing the Indian Ocean) has a more traditional character but an equally fast-rising population.

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West Java in the context of Bogor

Bogor City (Indonesian: Kota Bogor), or Bogor (Sundanese: ᮘᮧᮌᮧᮁ, Dutch: Buitenzorg), is a landlocked city in West Java, Indonesia. Located around 53 kilometers (33 mi) south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide. The city covers an area of 111.39 km, and it had a population of 950,334 at the 2010 Census and 1,043,070 at the 2020 Census. The official population estimate as at mid 2024 was 1,078,351.

Bogor is an important center of economy, science, cultural heritage and tourism in Indonesia because this city is a mountainous area that used to be a resting place for Dutch nobles during the Dutch colonial period because of its cool climate and the many classical European-style buildings in the city. During the Middle Ages, the city served as the capital of the Sunda Kingdom (Sundanese: Karajaan Sunda) and was called Pakuan Pajajaran or Dayeuh Pakuan. During the Dutch colonial era, it was named Buitenzorg ("without worries" in Dutch) and served as the summer residence of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.

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West Java in the context of Depok

Depok (Betawi: Dèpok, Sundanese: ᮓᮦᮕᮧᮊ᮪) is a landlocked city in West Java province. It is located directly south of Jakarta, and it is the third largest urban center in the Greater Jakarta metropolitan area after Jakarta and Bekasi, covering an area of about 199.91 km. Known as a center of education and commerce, the city had a population of 1,738,600 at the 2010 census and 2,056,400 at the 2020 census; the official estimate for mid 2024 was 2,163,635 (comprising 1,088,759 males and 1,074,876 females), resulting in a density of about 10,823 people per km. Depok became an independent city on 20 April 1999, having previously been part of Bogor Regency. It is the second most populous suburban city in Indonesia after Bekasi, and among the ten most populous suburban cities in the world.

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West Java in the context of Bekasi

Bekasi (Indonesian pronunciation: [bəˈkasi] , Betawi: Bèkasi; Bekasih, Sundanese: ᮘᮨᮊᮞᮤ) is the city with the largest population in the province of West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta. It serves as a commuter city within the Greater Jakarta. According to the 2020 Census by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Bekasi had 2,543,676 inhabitants. The official estimate for mid 2024 was 2,644,058 (comprising 1,327,954 males and 1,316,104 females). It lies within the largest metropolitan area in Indonesia (Jabodetabek). The city is bordered by Bekasi Regency (from which the city was separated administratively on 16 December 1996) to the north and the east, Bogor Regency and Depok City to the south, and the city of East Jakarta to the west.

Bekasi is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being the capital city of the Kingdom of Tarumanagara. At that time, the name of Bekasi was Dayeuh Sundasembawa or Jayagiri. The earliest evidence of its existence dates from the fifth century according to the Tugu inscription, which describes the name of two rivers that run through the city, i.e. Candrabhaga and Gomati and one of those rivers, i.e. Candrabhaga is the origin of the name Bekasi where the name Candrabhaga evolved into "Bhagasasi" – due to the Sanskrit word candra (which means moon) evolved into Old Sundanese word 'sasi' which also means moon – and then the name Bhagasasi was mis-spelt as "Bhagasi", and then the Dutch colonial government also mis-spelt the name Bhagasi as "Bacassie", and finally it became "Bekasi". During the Dutch East Indies period, Bekasi was a part of Batavia residency. As a dormitory city, many middle-upper class satellite areas have been developed in Bekasi, complete with their own shopping malls, schools, hospitals, club houses, water park, and shuttle bus services to central Jakarta. The large number of multinational companies has apparently attracted many expatriates (mainly Japanese and Korean) to settle in Bekasi.

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West Java in the context of Volcanic crater

A volcanic crater is an approximately circular depression in the ground caused by volcanic activity. It is typically a bowl-shaped feature containing one or more vents. During volcanic eruptions, molten magma and volcanic gases rise from an underground magma chamber, through a conduit, until they reach the crater's vent, from where the gases escape into the atmosphere and the magma is erupted as lava. A volcanic crater can be of large dimensions and sometimes of great depth. During certain types of explosive eruptions, a volcano's magma chamber may empty enough for an area above it to subside, forming a type of larger depression known as a caldera.

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