Surabaya Indonesia

Surabaya is one the East side of Java, an island in Indonesia. It is Indonesia’s second largest city. Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country and mostly Muslim.

Surabaya Indonesia is also a “sister city” and has a formal poltical friendship with Seattle, WA – my hometown area.

Surabaya is the capital of East Java province and the biggest metropolitan city in Indonesia with the inhabitant approximately 3 million Peoples. Surabaya officially established in 1293. Surabaya well known as Heroic City , the date was taken from the glory of Raden Wijaya, the first king of Majapahit who against China troops. Surabaya is a metropolitan city in which have religious nuances, the community had the feeling of the high solidarity and the spirit of heroism that never knew surrendered.

Visit the Officiall Surabaya Tourism Website.

WHERE IS EAST JAVA?
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SURABAYA MAP
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ABOUT SURABAYA
“Imagine the Surabaya City as the fairy’s country, with the river from Kalimas gold, and the port from silver, Tanjung Perak.” Supplement the imagination with the Surabaya City legend where the founder of the Surabaya City interpreted the Surabaya name, came from words Suro ing Boyo.

Suro meant the fish and Boyo meant the crocodile, a legend, the struggle between the Suro fish and the crocodile that happened in Kalimas. This legend afterwards was immortalized as the name of the Surabaya City .
As the Hero’s City, Surabaya kept many historic memories.

As the mute witness, buildings were historic the legacy of the colonization period gave special nuances for the beauty of Surabaya City . The blend between the dream country, the legend, historic and metropolitan, all of it could be enjoyed in the form of beautiful and interesting tourist attractions. Various tourist attraction kinds could be encountered in Surabaya . It will be spend several days to enjoy it. The Melati hotel was suitable for the wanderer. Here also provided several five-star hotels. We could just walk around at the shopping centre. Here you could shop, enjoyed the entertainment while enjoying typical Surabaya food.

The recreation tour here was watching the sun rise, boating in the Kenjeran Coast and in the Kalimas river, visited the zoo, the amusement park, playing golf, and watched the performance. In the night we could enjoy the nightlife in the restaurant, the pub, karaoke and the discotheque. The valuable history tour were including the Dutch old building like Internatio building, Grahadi building, Mojopahit Hotel, Pemuda Hall, town hall, and etc.
To know the struggle neroism to seize independence had the Tugu Pahlawan monument and the Submarine Monument . The artefact and the legacy archeology could be united in the Mpu Tantular Museum . In the centre of the city also had the legacy of the Singosari kingdom king that is Joko Dolog.

The main valuable tourist attraction religious is the Ampel mosque region. In this region established the old mosque that was surrounded by the China building, Arabian, in fact Europe with culture that associated well. The art object and souvenir could be bought in Art Shop, water port and the Pemuda hall Building . This building was also the centre of the art activity and the culture in Surabaya .

Seattle, WA – Sister City

Surabaya Indonesia has about a dozen “sister cities” with formal friendships. One of those is my hometown of Seattle, Washington in the United States. Here is info about that in Indonesia:

Kota besar di Negara Bagian Washington, rnerupakan salah satu kota pelabuhan terbesar di Amerika Serikat bagian Barat yang dibuka sejak tahun 1869. Seattle berkembang rnenjadi pusat perdagangan dan budaya yang menghubungkan kawasan Pasifik Barat Laut dengan pelabuhan-pelabuhan Trans Pasifik dan Eropa; sehingga Seattle rnerupakan salah satu pintu gerbang rnenuju Benua Amerika dari arah Barat yang sangat sibuk oleh mobilitas manusia dan budaya serta teknologi. Seperti Surabaya, Seattle memiliki penduduk yang heterogen, multi-etnik. Berbagai suku bangsa seperti orang kulit putih, Afrika, Asia, Hawai, dan Latino atau Hispanik tinggal dan bekerja di Seattle. Jumlah penduduk kota tidak mengalami pertumbuhan berarti. Sebaliknya, seperti kota-kota perdagangan lain di dunia, justru wilayah pinggiran (suburb) yang mengalarni pertumbuhan penduduk yang cukup besar.

ABOUT JAVA

Mount Bromo (left) and Mount Semeru (top right), East Java

Java (Indonesian: Jawa) is an island in Indonesia.

JAVA Demographics

Java is Indonesia’s fifth-largest island. Its 120 million people make up 65% of Indonesia’s entire population, and makes Java the most populated island in the world. Covering an area of 127,569 sq. km (7% of Indonesia’s area) and with a population density of 940 people/sq. km, Java is the world’s most crowded island, as well.

Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, is located on northwest region of Java. Surabaya (the second largest city in Indonesia), is located on East Java. Java acts as Indonesia’s center of cultural and economic activity.

The main ethnic group in Java is Javanese, except for the West Java region where most people are Sundanese. In the province of East Java, 22% of the population is of Madurese descent. Half of them live on the island of Madura.

Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. Population: 8 million (within city limits). The total population of Jakarta and its suburbs: 12 million people. The population of Jakarta is a mix of many ethnic groups. The group native to Jakarta is Betawi.

Java is split into four provinces:

* Banten – capital city Serang
* West Java – capital city Bandung
* Central Java – capital city Semarang
* East Java – capital city Surabaya

The cities of Jakarta and Yogyakarta have provincial status.
Cities

* Bandung – great nightlife, restaurants, cheap fashion
* Banyuwangi – the most eastern regency of Java and port to Bali
* Bogor – the summer capital of the Dutch, known for its botanical garden and beautiful palace
* Cirebon – historical city, transits and culture
* Depok – suburb of Jakarta, and home to the University of Indonesia
* Jakarta – the chaotic, congested capital of the country
* Semarang – port city, old buildings and inspiring museums
* Solo (Surakarta) – a center of Javanese culture, famous for batik fabric
* Surabaya – Indonesia’s second-largest city
* Yogyakarta – center of Javanese art and access point for Borobudur and Prambanan

Other destinations

* Anyer – beautiful beach (Banten)
* Borobudur – the largest ancient Buddhist temple, one of the world’s seven wonders (Central Java)
* Mount Anak Krakatoa – new active volcano, sinking island (Banten)
* Mount Bromo – the region where one of the last pockets of Javanese Hindus is to be found (East Java)
* Mount Tangkuban Parahu – ancient volcano, located in West Java
* Pelabuhan Ratu – beautiful beach on south Sukabumi, West Java
* Prambanan – great Hindu temple (Central Java)
* Ujung Kulon – beautiful national park (Banten)

Language

While Indonesian (Bahasa Indonesia) is the lingua franca understood by almost everyone, the majority of Java’s population also speak Javanese, a related but mutually incomprehensible language. As the largest single language in Indonesia, Javanese influence on Bahasa Indonesia has been quite significant, and particularly in Central and East Java you’ll even hear the local pronunciation change — the most notable change is a turning into o, so eg. Surabaya becomes Suroboyo.

Other significant local languages include Sundanese, spoken in West Java, and Madurese, spoken on and around the island of Madura.

SUKARNO (Soekarno) – Indonesia’s founding president

About Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia (IPA: /ˌɪndoʊˈniːziːə/, /ˌɪndəˈniːziːə/, /ˌɪndəˈniːʒə/) (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia), is a nation in Southeast Asia. Comprising 17,508 islands, it is the world’s largest archipelagic state. With a population of 222 million people in 2006, it is the world’s fourth most populous country and the most populous Muslim-majority nation, although officially it is not an Islamic state. Indonesia is a republic, with an elected parliament and president. The nation’s capital city is Jakarta. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Malaysia. Other neighboring countries include Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

The Indonesian archipelago has been an important trade region since at least the seventh century, when the Srivijaya Kingdom formed trade links with China. Indonesian history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural resources. Under Indian influence, Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished from the early centuries CE. Muslim traders brought Islam, and European powers fought one another to monopolize trade in the Spice Islands of Maluku during the Age of Discovery. Following three and a half centuries of Dutch colonialism, Indonesia secured its independence after World War II. Indonesia’s history has since been turbulent, with challenges posed by natural disasters, corruption, separatism, a democratization process, and periods of rapid economic change.

Across its many islands, Indonesia consists of distinct ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The Javanese are the largest and most politically dominant ethnic group. As a unitary state and a nation, Indonesia has developed a shared identity defined by a national language, a majority Muslim population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesia’s national motto, “Bhinneka tunggal ika” (“Unity in Diversity” lit. “many, yet one”), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. However, sectarian tensions and separatism have led to violent confrontations that have undermined political and economic stability. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the world’s second highest level of biodiversity. The country is richly endowed with natural resources, yet poverty is a defining feature of contemporary Indonesia.

PROVINCES OF INDONESIA