ARTICLE

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   Abaca
   Cane
   Chair
   Cirebon
   Dining Room
   Exporter
   Furniture
   Handicraft
   Indonesia
   Living Room
   Mahogany
   Manufacturer
   Planet
   Rattan
   Sofa
   Teak
   Water Hyacinth
   West Java
   Wicker

Motto: "Gemah ripah repeh rapih"
(The prosper along with its peaceful and harmonic inhabitant)

Capital Bandung
Governor Danny Setiawan
Area 55,390 km²
Population 35,724,000 (2000 census)
Ethnic groups Sundanese (74%), Javanese (11%)
Religion Muslim (96.5%), Protestant (1.2%), Catholic (0.7%), Buddhist (0.2%), Hindu (0.1%)
Languages Sundanese
Time zone WIB (UTC+7)
Web site http://www.jabar.go.id

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


History

     History shows that West Java 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, as part of nationwide political decentralization, Banten was separated from West Java and made into a new province.


Geographic and Demographic

     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 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

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:

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


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
* Boscha Observatorium in Lembang
* Mekarsari fruit park, the world's biggest fruit park