West Java

province, Indonesia
Also known as: Jawa Barat
Indonesian:
Jawa Barat

News

West Java to send 'delinquent' students to military camps Apr. 28, 2025, 3:52 PM ET (Jakarta Post)
West Java sees major drop in tourists over Idul Fitri Apr. 4, 2025, 9:28 PM ET (The Star)

West Java, propinsi (or provinsi; province), western Java, Indonesia. It is bounded by the province of Central Java (Jawa Tengah) to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, the province of Banten to the west, the special capital district of Jakarta to the northwest, and the Java Sea to the north. The capital of West Java is Bandung.

The landscape of West Java is dominated by a chain of volcanoes, both active and extinct, that from west to east includes Mounts Sanggabuana, Gede, Pangrango, Kendang, and Cereme. The highest of these peaks rise to elevations of about 10,000 feet (3,000 metres). A series of these volcanoes cluster to form a great tangle of upland that includes the Priangan plateau, which has an elevation of about 1,000 feet (300 metres) and consists of almost horizontal gently folded limestone. The plateau extends for more than 100 miles (160 km) along the southern coast and fronts a relatively narrow strip of coastal lowlands. Along the northern shore of the province is a wider coastal plain of alluvium developed by the weathering of lava and ash into fertile soils; much of the province’s population is concentrated here. The northern coastal lowlands are drained by the Manuk and Bekasi rivers flowing into the Java Sea, and the southern coastal lowlands by the Wulan, Laki, Sadea, and Letuh rivers flowing into the Indian Ocean. West Java’s original lowland forests have been entirely removed, leaving farmland and patches of grassland, village woodlots, and scattered trees. The mountains and uplands have a dense growth of tropical rainforests comprising teak, sal (Shorea robusta), eucalyptus, rhododendron, juniper, banyan, oak, ash, maple, and ironwood (or beefwood, of the Casuarinaceae family).

Agriculture dominates the economy of the province, and cultivated lands are extensively irrigated and double cropped. Rice, sugarcane, corn (maize), cassava, peanuts (groundnuts), quinine (from cinchona bark), and tea are produced; rubber is grown at elevations of 300 to 1,500 feet (90 to 460 metres). The province’s industrial products include textiles, processed food, wood carvings and furniture, paper, tanned goods, printing, chemicals, and the machinery for the manufacture of leather goods, metal goods, and transport equipment. A network of roads and railways links Bandung with Sukabumi, Bogor, and Cirebon as well as Jakarta. The Javanese are the largest ethnic group, followed by Sundanese and Badui, and almost all are Muslims. Area 13,660 square miles (35,378 square km). Pop. (2000) 35,724,093; (2010) 43,053,732.

This article was most recently revised and updated by Kenneth Pletcher.

Sunda Strait

channel, Indonesia
External Websites
Also known as: Selat Sunda
Indonesian:
Selat Sunda

Sunda Strait, channel, 16–70 miles (26–110 km) wide, between the islands of Java (east) and Sumatra, that links the Java Sea (Pacific Ocean) with the Indian Ocean (south). There are several volcanic islands within the strait, the most famous of which is Krakatoa, which erupted on August 27, 1883, causing a tsunami with waves as high as 125 feet (38 meters) that destroyed 300 towns and villages and killed about 36,000 people. The strait was the scene of an encounter between Allied and Japanese forces in March 1942. The Sunda Strait is an important passage connecting the Indian Ocean with eastern Asia.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Barbara A. Schreiber.