Java is an island of
Indonesia. With a population of 135 million Java is the world's
most populous island, and one of the most densely-populated
places on the globe. Java is the home of 60 percent of the
Indonesian population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is
located on western Java. Much of Indonesian history took place on
Java. It was the center of powerful Hindu-Buddhist empires, the
Islamic sultanates, and the core of the colonial Dutch East
Indies. Java was also the center of the Indonesian struggle for
independence during the 1930s and 40s. Java dominates Indonesia
politically, economically and culturally. Formed mostly as the
result of volcanic eruptions, 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 it is
the native language of about 60 million people in Indonesia, most
of whom live on Java. Most of its residents are bilingual, with
Indonesian as their first or second languages. While the majority
of the people of Java are Muslim, Java has a diverse mixture of
religious beliefs, ethnicities, and cultures.
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