Java is an island in Indonesia and the political and economic center of the country. The capital of Indonesia, Jakarta, is on Java’s northwest coast. The land area of Java, together with the neighboring islands that are administered with it, covers an area of 49,288 square miles (127,499 square kilometers). Java is about 660 miles (1,060 kilometers) long. To the north of the island lies the Java Sea, and the Indian Ocean lies to the south.
Java is the most densely populated island in Indonesia. It has three main ethnic groups: the Javanese, Sundanese, and Madurese. The Javanese, in the center and east of the island, are Indonesia’s largest ethnic group. The Sundanese are based in the west of the island. The Madurese, who come from Madura Island northeast of Java, live in the east. Most of the people are Muslims, but there are some Buddhists, Christians, and Hindus. Javanese and Sundanese are the most commonly spoken languages, but most people also speak some Bahasa Indonesia.
Java has little of its original forest remaining. Many endangered species, including the Javan rhinoceros, live on Java’s southwestern tip in Ujung Kulon National Park. Seasonal winds called monsoons control the climate. Rainfall is heaviest from December to March. A volcanic mountain chain extends across the center of the island. Most of Java has rich volcanic soil that supports intensive agriculture. Refineries on Java process many of Indonesia’s natural resources, including natural gas and oil. Manufacturing of steel and other products is important to the economy.
Scientists have found fossilized bones on Java of one of the earliest species of prehistoric human beings. This species, called Homo erectus, may have lived there about 1.8 million years ago
Trade routes have linked Java to the Arabic, Chinese, and Indian worlds since at least the A. D. 100’s. In the late 1590’s, Dutch trading ships first arrived at Java. The Dutch soon began to extend authority over Java, and they had political control of the island by the early 1800’s. During World War II (1939-1945), the Japanese occupied what is now Indonesia. After the war, Indonesian nationalists declared independence in 1945. The people of Java then fought against a Dutch attempt at recolonization. In 1949, the Netherlands recognized Indonesia’s independence. In the 1960’s, Indonesian President Suharto began a program to encourage people to move from crowded Java to less populated islands.
In May 2006, a major earthquake struck south-central Java. More than 5,800 people were killed.
In July 2006, an undersea earthquake off the southern coast of Java caused a series of large ocean waves called a tsunami. The tsunami’s large waves killed over 600 people.
