Map of Jawa Timur

History

East Java has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times. This was proven by the discovery of fossils remains of the Pithecanthropus mojokertensis in Kepuhlagen, Mojokerto; Pithecanthropus erectus on Trinil, Ngawi; and Homo wajakensis in Wajak, Tulungagung.

The Dinoyo inscriptions found near the city of Malang are the oldest written sources in East Java, dating from 760 CE. It tells of many political and cultural events in the Kingdom of Kanjuruhan. The name Malang is thought to come from the name of a sacred building called Malangkuseswara. This name is contained in the Mantyasih inscription written in 907 CE.

In 1222, Ken Arok founded the Kingdom of Singhasari, which he ruled until 1227. Before coming to power, Ken Arok seized power in Tumapel (Kediri) from Tungul Ametung.

Geography

East Java province borders the Java Sea in the north, the Strait of Bali in the east, and the Indian Ocean in the south, as well as the Central Java province in the west. The length of the east–west stretch of about 400 km. The width of the stretch of the north–south in the west about 200 km, but in the eastern part of narrower by about 60 km. Madura is the largest island in East Java, separated from the mainland Java by the Strait of Madura. Bawean Island is located about 150 km north of Java. In the east of Madura there are clusters of islands, the easternmost are the Kangean Islands and the northernmost are the Masalembu Islands. Off the south coast of Java there are two small islands namely Nusa Barong and Sempu Island.

Economy

East Java is known as the hub and center economy of Central and Eastern Indonesia, and has a high economic significance, which contributes over 15% to the Gross Domestic Product of Indonesia.

East Java has a number of large industries, including the largest shipbuilding shipyard in Indonesia, PT PAL in Surabaya, military industrial by Pindad in Southern Malang, largest railway industry in Southeast Asia, Industri Kereta Api (INKA) in Madiun, PT Tjiwi Kimia, a paper mill company based in Sidoarjo, Kertas Leces based in Probolinggo); cigarette factories (Wismilak in Surabaya, Gudang Garam in Kediri, Sampoerna in Surabaya and Bentoel in Malang). In Gresik there are Semen Gresik, and Petrokimia Gresik.

Demographics

According to the 2000 census, East Java had 34,765,993 people, which increased to 37,476,757 people at the 2010 Census, and to 40,665,595 at the 2020 Census, making it the second most populous Indonesian province after West Java. The official estimate as at mid 2024 was 41,814,499.