Java is an island in Indonesia. The population as of 2010 was 136.5 million people. Java is considered the most populous island in Indonesia and is the most densely populated place in the world. Java is comparative homogeneous in ethnic composition. There are two main ethnic groups in Java. They are Javanese and
Sudanese.
Java has been a melting pot of religions and cultures. The people have embraced a broad range of religious beliefs. There are five different types of religions practiced on Java. They are Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Kebatinan, and
Christianity. Kebatinan is a Javanese religious tradition. It means to search for the inner self. It is not a religion in the true sense of the word, as Islam, Buddhism,
Hinduism or Christianity. There is no church. There are no scriptures, like the
Bible or Koran. Fragile Nation: The Indonesian Crisis by Khoon Choy Lee. www. books.google.com/books? ISBN=9810240031
Java formed as a result of volcanic eruptions. Java is surrounded by water. To the north is the Java Sea. The Indian Ocean is south of the Island. The Bali and
Madura Straits are east and the Sunda Strait is west.
On the island of Java there is no single government. Instead, there are four provinces and two districts on the island of Java. The provinces and districts are divided into six regencies and cities. Each province has its own government.
Java is a tropical rain forest. There are two seasons in Java. There is a wet or rainy season and a dry season. Java’s environment and climate gradually alters from wet and humid dense rainforest to dry savanna environment. The island is located along an equatorial rain belt. Coastal mangrove forests, rocky coastal
cliffs, and low-lying tropical forest to high altitude rainforests made of the ecosystems. Java has an extensive economy. In ancient times, the economy relied heavily on rice. Today, the economy of Java is extensive. Corn, maize, cassava peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes are produced in lowlands. Ponds and rice fields are produced in central and western Java. Sugar cane and kapok are produced in twothirds of the island. Rubber, tea, coffee, tobacco, cacao, and cinchona are grown in western highland plantations. Small farmer mainly produces Rice. Larger industries in Java manufacture rubber. There is also an auto factory, textile processing company, a brewery, and companies that produce shoes, paper, soap, cement and cigarettes. On the northwestern coast, there are important oil fields, and refineries. Tin, gold, silver, cooper, coal, manganese, phosphate, and sulfur are mined in limited quantities.
Java has recognized the need to maintain their natural resources for the future.
Over the past 35