Pekalongan, kota (city) and kabupaten (regency), Central Java (Jawa Tengah) propinsi (or provinsi; province), Indonesia. The city, which is the capital of the regency, is situated on the northern coastal plain of the island of Java. The population of the regency is primarily Javanese, with a notable ethnic Chinese minority, particularly in the city.
In the 15th–16th century the small city of Pekalongan emerged as a corridor for communication between two powerful sultanates centred near Java’s northern coast: Cirebon, to the west, and Demak, to the east. In the 17th century the regency of Pekalongan came under control of the Mataram sultanate of south-central Java. When Mataram lost power in the 18th century, it granted Pekalongan to the Dutch East India Company. In 1753 the Dutch built a fort in Pekalongan city. The fort became a prison in the 19th century and was used as an internment centre during the Japanese occupation (1942–45) of Java during World War II. The structure has continued to function as a penitentiary in the 21st century.
Pekalongan Harbour, which lies within the city limits, is one of the principal fishing ports on Java, and the city itself is home to one of the island’s largest fresh-fish markets. Pekalongan city is also recognized as a major centre of batik production. Food (including fish) processing, textile production, and the manufacture of chemical products are among the important industries. Exports include batik, tea, rubber, locally refined sugar, and other goods. Sugarcane, rice, kapok, cinchona, indigo, and corn (maize) are grown in the regency’s fertile river valleys and coastal plains. Area regency, 323 square miles (837 square km); city, 17 square miles (44 square km). Pop. (2010) regency, 838,621; city, 281,434.