Java
please note:
- the text and code below is from The Pseudopedia
- it has been imported raw for GetWiki
{{about|the island of Java}}
|archipelago =
Greater Sunda Islands132187|abbr=yes}}|rank = 13th|highest mount = Semeru | 3676|abbrv=yes}}|country = Indonesia|country admin divisions title = Provinces | Banten,
Jakarta>Jakarta Special Capital City District, | West Java,
Central Java,
East Java,
Yogyakarta Special Region|country largest city =
Jakarta|country largest city area = 661.52 km²|population = 124 million|population as of = 2005|density = 939
Javanese people>Javanese, Sundanese people | , Chinese people>Chinese, Tenggerese, Baduy, Osing, Bantenese, Cirebonese, Betawi people | , Madurese people>Madurese}}Java () is an island of Indonesia and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. Once the center of powerful Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, Islamic sultanates, and the core of the colonial Dutch East Indies, Java now plays a dominant role in the economic and political life of Indonesia. Home to a population of 130 million in 2006 | (1), it is the
most populous island in the world, ahead of
Honshū, the main island of
Japan. Java is also one of the most
densely populated regions on Earth.Formed mostly as the result of volcanic events, Java is the
13th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in Indonesia. A chain of volcanic mountains forms an east-west spine along the island. It has three main languages, though Javanese is dominant and is the native language of 60 million people in Indonesia, most of whom live on Java. Most residents are
bilingual, with
Indonesian as their second language. While the majority of Javanese are
Muslim, Java has a diverse mixture of religious beliefs and cultures.
Etymology
The origins of the name 'Java' are not clear. One possibility is that an early traveller from
India named the island after the
jáwa-wut plant, which was said to be common in the island during the time, and that prior to Indianization the island had different names.
(2) There are other possible sources: the word
jaú and its variations mean "beyond" or "distant".
(3) And, in
Sanskrit yava means barley, a plant for which the island was famous.
(4)Geography
Java lies between
Sumatra to the west and
Bali to the east.
Borneo lies to the north and
Christmas Island to the south. It is the
world's 13th largest island.Java is almost entirely of
volcanic origin; it contains no fewer than thirty-eight mountains forming an east-west spine which have at one time or another been active
volcanoes. The highest volcano in Java is Mount
Semeru (3,676 m). The most active volcano in Java and also in Indonesia is
Mount Merapi (2,968 m).
See Volcanoes of Java. Further mountains and highlands help to split the interior into a series of relatively isolated regions suitable for
wet-rice cultivation; the rice lands of Java are among the richest in the world.
[BOOK
], Ricklefs, M.C., A History of Modern Indonesia since c.1300 (2nd edition), MacMillan, 1991, London, 15, 0-333-57690-X, Java was the first place where
Indonesian coffee was grown, starting in 1699. Today,
Coffea arabica is grown on the Ijen Plateau by small-holders and larger plantations.
History
File:MerbabuSawah.jpg|thumb|One of dozens of volcanic peaks, the 3,142m Mount MerbabuMount MerbabuThe chain of volcanic mountains and associated highlands running the length of Java kept its interior regions and peoples separate and relatively isolated.(7) Before the advent of Islamic states and European colonialism, the rivers provided the main means of communication, although Java's many rivers are mostly short. Only the Brantas and Sala rivers could provide long-distance communication, and thus their valleys supported the centres of major kingdoms. A system of roads, permanent bridges and toll gates is thought to have been established in Java by at least the mid-seventeenth century. Local powers could disrupt the routes as could the wet season and road use was highly dependent on constant maintenance. Subsequently, communication between Java's population was difficult.(8)By the end of the 16th century, Islam, through conversion, had surpassed Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion of the peoples of Java. In 1596, a four-ship expedition led by Cornelis de Houtman was the first Dutch contact with Indonesia.(9) By the early 19th century the Dutch had extended their influence over the sultanates of the interior.(10) In 1815, there may have been 5 million people in Java.(11) In the second half of the eighteenth century, population spurts began in districts along the north-central coast of Java, and in the nineteenth century population grew rapidly across the island. Factors for the great population growth include the impact of Dutch colonial rule including the imposed end to civil war in Java, the increase in the area under rice cultivation, and the introduction of food plants such as casava and maize which could sustain populations that could not afford rice.(12) Others attribute the growth to the taxation burdens and increased expansion of employment under the Cultivation System to which couples responded by having more children in the hope of increasing their families' ability to pay tax and buy goods.(13) The advent of trucks and railways where there had previously only been buffalo and carts, telegraph systems, and more coordinated distribution systems under the colonial government all contributed to famine elimination in Java, and in turn, population growth. There were no significant famines in Java from the 1840s through to the Japanese occupation in the 1940s.(14) Ethnological factors are also thought to have contributed to the increase in population. In Java, there was no absolute preference for boy babies which was significant in Java where agricultural depends on the labour of both men and women. Furthermore, the age of first marriage dropped during the nineteenth century thus increasing a women's child bearing years.(15) and is the most populous island in the world. With 130 million inhabitants at 1026 people per km², it is also one of the most densely-populated parts of the world. If it were a country, it would be the second-most densely-populated country of the world after Bangladesh, if very small city-states are excluded.[WEB
], Calder
, Joshua
, Most Populous Islands
, World Island Information
, 3 May 2006
,
weblink, 2006-09-26, Approximately 45% of the population of Indonesia is ethnically Javanese.
(16)
Ethnicity and culture
{{seealso|Culture of Indonesia|Music of Java}}Despite its large population and in contrast to the other larger islands of Indonesia, Java is comparatively homogeneous in ethnic composition. Only two ethnic groups are native to the island—the Javanese and Sundanese. A third group is the Madurese, who inhabit the island of Madura off the north east coast of Java, and have immigrated to East Java in large numbers since the 18th century.[BOOK
], Hefner, Robert, Java, Periplus Editions, 1997, Singapore, 58, 962-593-244-5, The Javanese comprise about two-thirds of the island's population, while the Sundanese and Madurese account for 20% and 10% respectively.[
]
Four major cultural areas exist on the island: the kejawen or Javanese heartland, the north coast of the pasisir region, the Sunda lands of West Java, and the eastern salient, also known as Blambangan. Madura makes up a fifth area having close cultural ties with coastal Java.(17) and as a result, many literary works have been written by Javanese authors. These include Ken Arok and Ken Dedes, the story of the orphan who usurped his king, and married the queen of the ancient Javanese kingdom; and translations of Ramayana and Mahabharata. Pramoedya Ananta Toer is a famous contemporary Indonesian author, who has written many stories based on his own experiences of having grown up in Java, and takes many elements from Javanese folklore and historical legends.Languages
missing image!
- Java languages.JPG -
Languages spoken in Java (Javanese is shown in white)
The three major languages spoken on Java are Javanese, Sundanese and Madurese. Other languages spoken include Betawi (a Malay dialect local to the Jakarta region), Osing and Tenggerese (closely related to Javanese), Baduy (closely related to Sundanese), Kangeanese (closely related to Madurese), Balinese, and Banyumasan(18) The vast majority of the population also speaks Indonesian, generally as a second language.Religion
More than 90 percent of Javanese are Muslims, on a broad continuum between abangan (more nominal or syncretic) and santri (more orthodox). Small Hindu enclaves are scattered throughout Java, but there is a large Hindu population along the eastern coast nearest Bali, especially around the town of Banyuwangi. There are also Christian communities, mostly in the larger cities, though some rural areas of south-central Java are strongly Roman Catholic. Buddhist communities also exist in the major cities, primarily among the Chinese Indonesian. The Indonesian constitution recognises six official religions. (See Religion in Indonesia.)Java has been a melting pot of religions and cultures, which has created a broad range of religious belief. Indian influences came first with Shaivism and Buddhism penetrating deeply into society, blending with indigenous tradition and culture.(19) One conduit for this were the ascetics, called resi, who taught mystical practices. A resi lived surrounded by students, who took care of their master's daily needs. Resi's authorities were merely ceremonial. At the courts, Brahmin clerics and pudjangga (sacred literati) legitimised rulers and linked Hindu cosmology to their political needs.(20)See also
{{br}}Notes
-
[Page 6]
-
[Raffles, Thomas E. : " The History of Java". Oxford University Press, 1965. Page 2]
-
[Raffles, Thomas E. : "The History of Java". Oxford University Press, 1965 . Page 3]
-
[Hatley, R., Schiller, J., Lucas, A., Martin-Schiller, B., (1984). "Mapping cultural regions of Java" in: Other Javas away from the kraton. pp. 1–32.]
-
[BOOK, Monk,, K.A., Fretes, Y., Reksodiharjo-Lilley, G., The Ecology of Nusa Tenggara and Maluku, Periplus Editions Ltd., 1996, 7, Hong Kong, 962-593-076-0, ]
-
[Management of Bengawan Solo River Area Jasa Tirta I Corporation 2004. Retrieved 26 July 2006]
-
[Ricklefs (1991), pp. 16–17]
-
[Ricklefs (1991), p. 15.]
-
[BOOK, The Globe Encompassed: The Age of European Discovery, 1500-1700, Ames, Glenn J., 2008, 99, ]
-
[Java - Culture & History. Theage.com.au.]
-
[Java (island, Indonesia). Encyclopædia Britannica.]
-
[Taylor (2003), p. 253.]
-
[Taylor (2003), pp. 253-254.]
-
[Taylor (2003), p. 254.]
-
Demography
missing image!
- Central Jakarta.JPG -
Central Jakarta
Java is by far the most populous island in Indonesia, with approximately 62% of the country's population,[Embassy of Indonesia, Ottawa]
-
[CIA factbook]
-
[ The kejawen Javanese culture is the island's most dominant. Java's remaining aristocracy are based here, and it is the region from where the majority of Indonesia's army, business, and political elite originate. Its language, arts, and etiquette are regarded as the island's most refined and exemplary.][ The territory from Banyumas in the west through to Blitar in the east and encompasses Indonesia's most fertile and densely populated agricultural land.][ In the southwestern part of Central Java, which is usually named the Banyumasan region, a cultural mingling occurred; bringing together Javanese culture and Sundanese culture to create the Banyumasan culture.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} In the central Javanese court cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, contemporary kings trace their lineages back to the pre-colonial Islamic kingdoms that ruled the region, making those places especially strong repositories of classical Javanese culture. Classic arts of Java include gamelan music and wayang puppet shows.Java was the site of many influential kingdoms in the Southeast Asian region,][See Wallace Stevens's poem "Tea" for an appreciative allusion to Javanese culture.]
-
[Languages of Java and Bali – Ethnologue. Other sources may list some of these as dialects rather than languages.]
-
[JOURNAL, Justus M., van der Kroef, New Religious Sects in Java, Far Eastern Survey, 30, 2, 1961, 18–15,weblink 10.1525/as.1961.30.2.01p1432u, ]
-
[Beatty, Andrew, Varieties of Javanese Religion: An Anthropological Account, Cambridge University Press 1999, ISBN 0-521-62473-8]
References
- BOOK, Taylor, Jean Gelman, Indonesia: Peoples and Histories, Yale University Press, 2003, New Haven and London, 0-300-10518-5,
Further reading
- BOOK, Cribb, Robert, Historical Atlas of Indonesia, RoutledgeCurzon Press, University of Hawaii Press, 2000, London and Honolulu, 0-8248-2111-4,
External links
{{commons|Java}}
{{Indonesia}}Java (eiland)جاوةজাভা দ্বীপ(zh-min-nan:Java-tó)Востраў ЯваJava (ostrvo)Illa de JavaJávaJawaJava (ø)Java (Insel)JaavaΙάβαJava (isla)JavoJava (uhartea)جاوهJava (île)JavaIáva자와 섬जावा द्वीपJava (otok)JawaJavaGiavaג'אווהJawaCava (erdnîgarî)IavaJava (sala)Java (sala)JávaЈаваJawaJava (eiland)ジャワ島Java (øy)កោះជ្វាJawaJavaЯваJavaJávaJavaЈаваPulo JawaJaavaJavaHaba (pulo)ஜாவா (தீவு)ЯваเกาะชวาCava AdasıЯва (острів)Java爪哇岛
- content above as imported from The Pseudopedia
- "Java" does not exist on GetWiki
- time: 4:12pm EDT - Fri, Mar 19 2010
