East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern and southern coasts, respectively, while the narrow Bali Strait to the east separates Java from Bali by around. Located in eastern Java, the province also includes the island of Madura, as well as the Kangean islands and other smaller island groups located further east and the Masalembu archipelago to the north. Its capital is Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia, a major industrial center and also a major business center. Banyuwangi is the largest regency in East Java and the largest on the island of Java.
The province covers a land area of, and according to the 2010 Census, there were 37,476,757 people residing there, making it Indonesia's second-most-populous province; the 2020 Census showed an increase to 40,665,696 people, while the official estimate for mid 2024 was 41,914,499. Almost a quarter of the population lives inside the Greater Surabaya metropolitan area. East Java is inhabited by many different ethnic groups, such as the Javanese, Madurese and Chinese. Most of the people in East Java adhere to Islam, forming around 94% of the total population. Other religions are also practiced, such as Christianity, Buddhism and Confucianism which are mostly practised by Tionghoa people and immigrants from Eastern Indonesia and North Sumatra, and also Hinduism which are practised by the Tenggerese people in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park and the Balinese people inhabiting the easternmost part of the province bordering Bali as well as the dominant minority Indian Indonesians in Surabaya city.
The Indonesian language is the official language of the province as well as the whole nation, but Javanese and Madurese are most frequently used, especially the Surabaya dialect used mainly in the capital Surabaya. Indonesian is only used for inter-ethnic communication and official purposes.
East Java offers different types of tourist attractions. There are a variety of natural attractions, including mountains, beaches, caves, and waterfalls. Almost every regency or city in East Java has its own unique tourist destinations, such as the Ijen volcano in Banyuwangi, Baluran National Park in Situbondo, and Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park in Malang, Pasuruan, Lumajang, and Probolinggo.
History
Prehistory
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.Hindu-Buddhist era
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 1292. Before coming to power, Ken Arok seized power in Tumapel from Tungul Ametung. Ken Arok's descendants became kings of Singhasari and Majapahit from the 13th until the 15th century.
In 1227, Anusapati killed Ken Arok, and later became king of Singhasari. Anusapati's power only lasted 20 years, before he was killed by Tohjaya. Three years later, Tohjaya was killed in an uprising led by Jaya Wisnuwardhana, son of Anusapati. In 1268, Wisnuwardhana died, and he was succeeded by Kertanegara. In 1292 Kertanegara was defeated by a rebel named Jayakatwang, ending the Singhasari.
In 1293, Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan dynasty, sent a large invasion fleet to Java with 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers, beginning the Mongol invasion of Java. This was a punitive expedition against King Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to the Yuan and maimed one of its ministers. However, it ended with failure for the Mongols.
In 1294, the Kingdom of Majapahit was founded by Raden Wijaya. The Majapahit reached its peak during the reign of Hayam Wuruk. He was accompanied by the Mahapatih Gajah Mada. Together they managed to unite the archipelago under the name Dwipantara. Majapahit developed to become one of the strongest empires in Southeast Asia.
In 1357, the Battle of Bubat occurred, starting a war between the Sunda Kingdom and the Majapahit. The event stemmed from the desire of king Hayam Wuruk to take a Sundanese princess. Dyah Pitaloka as queen. However, because of a misunderstanding about the procedure of marriage, leading to a battle in Bubat. Majapahit troops, under the command of Gajah Mada, captured and killed the present Members of the Royal Family of Pajajaran. In 1389, Hayam Wuruk died, and was succeeded by Wikramawardhana. This resulted in the beginning of the decline of the Majapahit Empire. As the Majapahit Empire went into decline in the late 1300s, Islam moved to fill the vacuum.
Islamic era
The precise date when Islam entered Java remains unclear. This is due to the absence of a definite source regarding the arrival of Islam in Java. However, according to some experts, it is estimated that Islam entered Java around the 11th century, with the tomb of Fatimah Binti Maimun in the village of Leran in Gresik Regency which dates from 475 AH. The tomb also shows that by the 11th century, the North coast of Java had been frequented by Arab traders from the Middle East. In addition, several Islamic tombs were discovered in Trowulan, located in what is now part of the Mojokerto Regency, near the site of the former Majapahit palace.In the 15th century, a Chinese Hui voyager named Ma Huan visited East Java. He then wrote the book Yingya Shenglan, which tells the story of the countries he visited over the course of the Ming treasure voyages. He mentioned that at that time, there were three different peoples inhabiting Eastern Java: Arabs from the Middle East, the ancestor of the modern Arab Indonesians; Chinese Muslims originating from modern-day Guangdong province, and the native Javanese people.
By the 16th century, the Majapahit Empire was defeated by Islamic kingdoms in Java, resulting in the exile of many Majapahit aristocrats to the neighbouring island of Bali. Those who remained in Java were forced to convert to Islam, while a small pocket of isolated people living in the Bromo Tengger Semeru National Park spread around Pasuruan, Probolinggo, Malang, and Lumajang Regencies remains adhered to Hinduism to this day. They are known as the Tenggerese people. Their population of roughly 100,000 is centered in 30 villages in the isolated Tengger mountains.
When Islamic sultanates started ruling Java, cities in the northern coast started developing, becoming thriving ports. One of them was the town of Tuban, which was a wealthy and important port with many Chinese settlers. Being a port of the Majapahit and the point of departure for the Moluccas, it exported an abundant supply of foodstuffs and imported a rich variety of products from the Moluccas. At the end of the 16th century, Islam had surpassed Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion in Java. At first, the spread of Islam was very rapid and was accepted by ordinary people, until the da'wah entered and it was carried out by the rulers of the island.
European colonization
The relationship between the Javanese and European colonial powers began in 1522, with the signing of a treaty between the Sunda Kingdom and the Portuguese Empire in Malacca. After the failure of the treaty, the Portuguese presence was then limited to Malacca in the Malay Peninsula and the Maluku Islands. An expedition under the leadership of the Dutch explorer Cornelis de Houtman consisting of four ships in 1596 became the beginning of Dutch presence in the island. At the end of the 18th century, the Dutch had succeeded in expanding their influence on the Islamic sultanates in the interior of the island of Java.At the onset of the Napoleonic Wars, the British conquered Java in 1811. Java briefly became part of the British Empire, with Sir Stamford Raffles as its Governor-General. In 1814, Britain returned Java to the Netherlands as stipulated in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814.
Japanese occupation and revolution
During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies, there was persistent resistance against the Japanese rule. In Blitar, an uprising by Pembela Tanah Air led by Supriyadi, Moeradi, Halir Mangkudijoyo, and Soemarto occurred in early 1945, but it was crushed by the Japanese.Two weeks after the proclamation of independence, Surabaya established its own government under, Raden Sudirman. The formation of government in Surabaya caused disputes between the republican forces and Japanese troops, resulting in various skirmishes across the city. This was because when the Japanese surrendered, they were obliged to remain in power until the allied forces arrived. The arrival of allied forces in Surabaya created tensions with the newly established government of Indonesia, reaching peak on 10 November 1945 where a major battle between the Surabayan residents led by Sutomo and allied forces.
The battle forced the governor, Suryo, on the advice of People's Security Army, to move the seat of the government to Mojokerto. A week later, the government retreated again to a more secure location in Kediri. However, security situation Kediri worsen until finally, in February 1947, the East Java provincial government fled to Malang. While the administration was based in Malang, Governor Soerjo was replaced by R.P. Suroso, who was in turn replaced again by Dr. Moerdjani. On 21 July 1947, although still bound by the Linggadjati Agreement, a ceasefire agreement in effect since 14 October 1946, the Dutch commenced a military action, Operation Product, which led to deteriorating security conditions in Malang. The East Java provincial government moved again to Blitar.
This military action ended after the Renville Agreement. However, this agreement reduced the territory controlled by the East Java provincial government. The Netherlands then turned the areas under its control into new federal states, the State of Madura and the State of East Java. Amid the difficulties faced by the government of Indonesia, a left-wing opposition group, Front Demokrasi Rakyat launched rebellion in Madiun on 18 September 1948. However, eventually this revolt was defeated by the Indonesian Army. On 19 December 1948, the Dutch launched Operation Kraai. Blitar, the seat of the East Java provincial government was attacked by the Dutch. Governor Moerdjani and his staff were forced to flee and joined the guerrillas on the slopes of Mount Wilis. Operation Kraai ended after the Roem–Van Roijen Agreement on 7 May 1949.
Following the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, at which the Netherlands agreed to transfer sovereignty to the United States of Indonesia, the Dutch withdrew its troops from East Java. East Java changed its status from a province into a state. However, on 25 February 1950, this was dissolved and became part of the territory of the Republic of Indonesia. The State of Madura also decided to join Indonesia.