Madura Island in the context of "East Java"

Geologically, the Sunda Shelf (/ˈsʌndə/) is a south-eastern extension of the continental shelf of Mainland Southeast Asia. Major landmasses on the shelf include the Indonesian islands of Bali, Borneo, Java, Madura, and Sumatra, as well as their surrounding smaller islands. It covers an area of approximately 1.85 million km. Sea depths over the shelf rarely exceed 50 metres and extensive areas are less than 20 metres resulting in strong bottom friction and strong tidal friction. Steep undersea gradients separate the Sunda Shelf from the Philippines, Sulawesi, and the Lesser Sunda Islands (not including Bali).

Madurese (/ˌmædʒʊˈriːz/ MAD-juh-REEZ; Bhâsa Madhurâ, Pegon script: ݒا࣪سا ماڊۅرا࣪, Carakan script: ꦧꦱꦩꦝꦸꦫ, IPA: [bʰɤsa maʈʰurɤ]) is a language of the Madurese people, native to the Madura Island and eastern part of Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken by migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely the Surabaya, Malang, Gresik, eastern salient of Java (comprising Pasuruan, Bondowoso, Probolinggo, Situbondo, Jember, Lumajang, to Banyuwangi), the Masalembu Islands, Raas Islands, and some on Kalimantan. It was traditionally written in the Javanese script, but the Latin script and the Pegon script (based on Arabic script) is now more commonly used. The number of speakers, though shrinking, is estimated to be 10–14 million, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the country. Bawean language, which is a dialect of Madurese, is also spoken by Bawean people in Bawean Island, Indonesia. Then also by their descendants in Malaysia and Singapore.

The transmigration program (Indonesian: transmigrasi, from Dutch, transmigratie) was an initiative of the Dutch colonial government and later continued by the Indonesian government to move landless people from densely populated areas of Indonesia to less populous areas of the country. This involved moving people permanently from the island of Java, but also to a lesser extent from Bali and Madura to less densely populated areas including Kalimantan, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Maluku and Papua. The program is currently coordinated by Ministry of Transmigration.

The stated purpose of this program was to reduce the considerable poverty and overpopulation on Java, to provide opportunities for hard-working poor people, and to provide a workforce to utilize better the natural resources of the outer islands. The program, however, has been controversial as fears from native populations of "Javanization" and "Islamization" have strengthened separatist movements and communal violence. The incomers are mostly Madurese and Javanese but also from other populated areas such as Hindu Balinese.

The Republic of Indonesia, a country located in Southeast Asia has three time zones. Western Indonesia Time (Waktu Indonesia Barat, WIB) is seven hours ahead (UTC+07:00) of the Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), used in the islands of Sumatra, Java, and the western half of Kalimantan. Central Indonesia Time (Waktu Indonesia Tengah, WITA) is eight hours ahead (UTC+08:00), used in the eastern half of Kalimantan, as well as all of Bali, the Lesser Sunda Islands, and Sulawesi. Eastern Indonesia Time (Waktu Indonesia Timur, WIT) is nine hours ahead (UTC+09:00), used in the Maluku Islands and Western New Guinea. About 80% of the Indonesian population live in WIB (UTC+07:00).

In 1908, during the Dutch East Indies colonial era, only Java and the Madura Island were initially given time until 1932, when the government utilised UTC+06:30 up to +09:30. In between those changes in 1918, Central Java (UTC+07:20, now defunct) was the basis for time in select locations: for instance, Padang was 7 minutes behind Central Java. The Japanese occupation of the Indies prompted the simplification of time in Indonesia to just UTC+09:00, also known as the Japan Standard Time. The Dutch reoccupied the country following its 1945 independence with UTC+06:00 up to +09:00 established, but it was reverted to the 1932 system after they recognised Indonesia's sovereignty. The current time zone division is a 1988 revision of a 1964 division, with Bali, West Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan changing sides. Without any significant season changes, the daylight saving time system is not observed anywhere in Indonesia, as is other Southeast Asian countries.

Ghali, gali, or gale are a type of galley-like ships from the Nusantara archipelago. This type of ship only appeared after the 1530s. Before the appearance of this type of ship, several native galley-like ships already existed in the archipelago, some with outriggers. The design of ghali is the result of the impact made by Mediterranean shipbuilding techniques on native shipbuilding, introduced particularly by Arabs, Persians, Ottoman Turks, and Portuguese. The terms may also refer to Mediterranean vessels built by local people, or native vessels with Mediterranean influence.

Bangkalan Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Bangkalan; Madurese: Kabhupatèn Bhângkalan; Pegon: بٓڠكالان‎; Carakan: ꦏꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦧꦁꦏꦭꦤ꧀) is a regency (Indonesian: kabupaten) of East Java province in Indonesia. The name Bangkalan comes from the words "bhângka" and "la'an", which mean "already dead" in the Madurese language. The seat of its government is the town of Bangkalan. The regency is located on the west side of Madura Island, bordering Sampang Regency to the east, Java Sea to the north, and Madura Strait to the west and the south sides. It covers an area of 1,260.15 km, and had a population of 906,761 at the 2010 census (an increase from 805,048 at the previous census in 2000) and reached 1,060,377 at the 2020 census; however the official estimate as at mid-2023 showed a decline to 1,047,306, and the mid 2024 estimate showed a further drop to 1,042,031 – comprising 513,154 males and 528,877 females.

In 2009, the Suramadu Bridge was completed, being the first (toll) bridge ever to connect Java and Madura islands. The Suramadu Bridge is the longest in Indonesia. Previously, Kamal port was the main gateway between Madura island and Java, where ferries served the port with the Ujung port near Surabaya, but nowadays people prefer to travel across the toll bridge rather than using ferries, so now only a few ferries serve it in the day time only.

Madurese cuisine is the culinary tradition of the Madurese people from Madura Island in Indonesia. This cuisine is particularly well-known in the neighboring areas of East Java, as well as on the south coast of Kalimantan. As a leading salt production center in the Indonesian archipelago, Madurese dishes are often saltier compared to Eastern Javanese cuisine, although with significant Javanese influences.

Madurese dishes add petis ikan which despite the name (ikan=fish) is made using shrimp. The Madurese-style satay is probably the most popular satay variants in Indonesia. Some of its popular dishes include chicken satay, mutton satay, Madurese soto, goat soup and peanut sauce.