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Jawa Timur

Jawa Timur

East Java (Indonesian: Jawa Timur) is one of Indonesia's 32 provinces. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and also includes neighboring Madura and Bawean islands. The administrative center of the province is located in Surabaya, the second largest city in Indonesia and a major industrial center and port.

Population

According to the 2000 census, East Java has 34 million inhabitants, second only to West Java among Indonesian provinces. The inhabitants consist of mostly Javanese. Native minorities include migrants from nearby Madura, and distinct Javanese ethnicities such as the Tengger people in Bromo, the Samin and the Using people in Banyuwangi. East Java also hosts a significant population of other ethnic groups, such as Chinese, Indians, and Arabs. In addition to the national language Bahasa Indonesia, they also speak Javanese. Javanese spoken in the western part of East Java is indistinguishable from the one spoken in nearby Central Java, with its hierarchy of high, medium, and low speeches. But in the eastern cities of Surabaya, Malang, and surrounding areas, the people speak a more egalitarian version of Javanese, with much less regard for hierarchy and a richer vocabulary for vulgarity. While Madurese is spoken by around 15 millions of Madurese, concentrated in Madura Island, Kangean Islands, Masalembu Islands, Eastern part of East Java, and East Java main cities. The major religion in East Java is Islam. This comes from earlier history, when Islam spread from northern cities in Java where many traders from Gujarat, India visited, bringing Islam. The eastern part of East Java, from Surabaya to Pasuruan, then following various cities along the coast line, and turning back in Banyuwangi to Jember, is well known as the "horseshoe area" in context with earlier Muslim communities living there.

Cities

There are 29 municipalities (kabupaten) and 9 cities (kota) in East Java: Kabupaten Bangkalan, Kabupaten Banyuwangi, [http://www.kabblitar.go.id Kabupaten Blitar], Kabupaten Bojonegoro, [http://www.bondowoso.go.id Kabupaten Bondowoso], [http://www.gresik.go.id Kabupaten Gresik], [http://www.pemdajember.go.id Kabupaten Jember], [http://www.pemdajombang.go.id Kabupaten Jombang], [http://www.kediri.go.id Kabupaten Kediri], [http://www.lamongan.go.id Kabupaten Lamongan], [http://www.lumajang.go.id Kabupaten Lumajang], [http://www.madiun.go.id Kabupaten Madiun], [http://www.magetan.go.id Kabupaten Magetan], [http://www.kabmalang.go.id Kabupaten Malang], [http://www.pemkab-mojokerto.go.id Kabupaten Mojokerto], [http://www.nganjuk.go.id Kabupaten Nganjuk], [http://www.ngawi.go.id Kabupaten Ngawi], [http://www.pacitan.go.id Kabupaten Pacitan], Kabupaten Pamekasan, [http://www.kab-pasuruan.go.id Kabupaten Pasuruan], [http://www.ponorogo.go.id Kabupaten Ponorogo], [http://www.kabupatenprobolinggo.go.id Kabupaten Probolinggo], Kabupaten Sampang, [http://www.sidoarjo.go.id Kabupaten Sidoarjo], [http://www.pemda-situbondo.go.id Kabupaten Situbondo], [http://www.sumenep.go.id Kabupaten Sumenep], Kabupaten Trenggalek, [http://www.tuban.go.id Kabupaten Tuban], [http://www.tulungagung.go.id Kabupaten Tulungagung], Batu, [http://www.blitar.go.id Kota Blitar], [http://www.kotakediri.go.id Kota Kediri], [http://www.madiunkota.go.id Kota Madiun], [http://www.pemkot-malang.go.id Kota Malang], [http://www.mojokerto.go.id Kota Mojokerto], [http://www.pasuruan.go.id Kota Pasuruan], [http://www.probolinggo.go.id Kota Probolinggo], Surabaya

History

East Java has a history dating back centuries, with its famous kingdom of Singosari which is now a city, located near Malang. The Majapahit kingdom originated from East Java, and the region was a part of the Mataram kingdom during its peak.

Natural resources

- Chalk (Gresik, the city is also famous of its cement industries.)
- Marble (Tulung Agung)
- Oil (Cepu)
- Salt (Madura Island)

Education

East Java hosts some famous universities in Indonesia, both owned by government and private. Three major cities for universities, because they have government's universities, are Surabaya, Malang, and Jember. Among them, Airlangga University and Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology are the most famous, and both are located in Surabaya. See: List of universities in East Java Another important form of education that is available in most cities in East Java is the pesantren. This kind of education is built and organized by Islamic clerics, and associated with local or national Muslim organizations. Jombang is a famous city for its pesantren.

Media

East Java supports several regional media outlets. Local newspapers with provincial news reach their readers earlier than their competitors from Jakarta. In the spirit of "providing more news from around readers", most newspapers even issue municipal sections which are different among their distribution areas.
- [http://www.jawapos.co.id Jawa Pos Group], one of major newspaper group in Indonesia, is based in Surabaya.
- Surabaya Post is one of historical newspaper that had provincial circulation. In addition, there are two popular Javanese magazines published in Surabaya:
- Penyebar Semangat (Spreader of Spirit) is a historical and popular Javanese magazine.
- Jaya Baya, the other Javanese magazine which used the name of one of the famous Prabu Jaya Baya. There are also some local television networks which bloomed up since 3 or 2 years ago. The first one is "JTV" from Surabaya. Then, several more existed and concentrated in Malang areas :
- Batu TV
- Agropolitan TV (ATV)
- Malang TV
- Mahameru TV

National parks

- Meru Betiri National Park - Between Jember and Banyuwangi districts, this park covers 580 km². Hard to get to, it contains fantastic coastal rainforest and scenery and is home to abundant wildlife.
- Alas Purwo National Park - This 434 km² park is formed by the Blambangan Peninsula (south eastern Java). Comprised of mangrove, savanna, lowland monsoon forests and excellent beaches, the park's name means First Forest in Javanese. Javanese legend says that the earth first emerged from the ocean here.
- Baluran National Park - This 250 km² national park is located in north east Java, once known as Indonesia's little piece of Africa, the parks formerly extensive savanna has been largely replaced by Acacia.
- Mount Bromo and Tengger caldera, Semeru National Park, (alt 2500 m); located at East Java (Jawa Timur) at the region of Probolinggo and Pasuruan, 70 km from Surabaya the capital city of East Java province. Mount Bromo is one of the great hiking and treking destination for overseas tourists. The breathtaking view of Bromo also atrract hundreds of photo enthusiast to see the view up there.

External links

- [http://www.jatim.go.id/ Government of East Java] - In Indonesian
- Category:Provinces of Indonesia

Provinces of Indonesia

The number of provinces of Indonesia has tended to increase as new provinces have been split from existing territories. As of January 2003 there appear to be 29 provinces (provinsi), 2 special regions
- (daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district
- (daerah khusus ibukota). In September 2004, that number was increased to 33 with the last addition of West Sulawesi.
- Western New Guinea
- West Irian Jaya (Irian Jaya Barat)
- Papua (formerly Irian Jaya). A proposal to split this into Papua Tengah (Central Papua) and Papua Timur (East Papua) has not been implemented.
- Java
- Banten
- Central Java (Jawa Tengah)
- East Java (Jawa Timur)
- Jakarta
- (DKI Jakarta)
- West Java (Jawa Barat)
- DI Yogyakarta
-
- Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo
- Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah)
- East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur)
- South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan)
- West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat)
- Maluku Islands (Moluccas)
- Maluku
- North Maluku (Maluku Utara)
- Bali and Nusa Tenggara (Lesser Sunda Islands)
- Bali
- East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur)
- West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat)
- Sulawesi (Celebes)
- Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah)
- Gorontalo
- North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara)
- South East Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tenggara)
- South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan)
- West Sulawesi (Sulawesi Barat)
- Sumatra
- Aceh
- (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam)
- Bangka-Belitung
- Bengkulu (fomerly Bencoolen)
- Jambi
- Lampung
- North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara)
- Riau
- Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau)
- South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan)
- West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) Provinces are divided into regencies (kabupaten) and municipalities (kotamadya).

External link

- [http://www.world-gazetteer.com/wg.php?x=1104447162&men=gmap&lng=en&gln=xx&dat=32&geo=-101&srt=npan&col=aohdq Maps] Indonesia, Provinces of ms:Daerah di Indonesia

Java island

:"Java" redirects here. For other uses, see Java (disambiguation). Java (disambiguation) Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. It is the most populous island in the world; indeed, it has a larger population than either the continents of Australia or Antarctica (see the list of islands by population). With an area of 132,000 square km, and 127 million inhabitants at 864 people per km² it would, if it were a country, be the second most densely-populated country of the world after Bangladesh, except for some very small city-states.

Geography

Natural

Bangladeshs]] Java () is in a chain of islands with Kalimantan (Borneo) to the north, Sumatra to the northwest, Bali to the east, Sulawesi to the northeast and Christmas Island to the south. It is the world's 13th largest island. Java is almost entirely of volcanic origin; and contains no fewer than thirty-eight mountains of that conical form, which indicates their having at one time or another been active volcanoes. See Volcanoes of Java. The island's longest river is the Bengawan Solo River, at some 540 km in length. The Bengawan Solo rises from its source in central Java at the Tawu volcano, flows north then eastwards to its mouth in the Java Sea, near the city of Surabaya.

Human

Java contains the capital of Indonesia, Jakarta. Popular tourist destinations include the city of Yogyakarta, a massive pyramid-like monument to Buddha known as Borobudur; and Prambanan, the largest Hindu temple in Java. Java is the most densely-populated island in Indonesia, with nearly 60% of the overall population of the country residing there [http://www.bps.go.id/sector/population/table1.shtml]. Since the 1970s, the Indonesian government has run transmigration programs aimed at resettling the population of Java on other less-populated islands of Indonesia. This program has met with mixed results, and has been behind many instances of ethnic tension, and even violence between the native people and the settlers. The island is divided into 4 provinces, 1 special region
- (daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district
- (daerah khusus ibukota):
- Banten
- Jakarta
-
- Jawa Barat (West Java)
- Jawa Tengah (Central Java)
- Jawa Timur (East Java)
- Yogyakarta
-

History

Paleontology

The island of Java is famous for several paleoanthropological finds of early hominid specimens. In particular, the 1891 discovery of cranial fossil remains commonly known as "Java man" (now designated as Trinil 2, after the Trinil site on the Bengawan Solo River), is famous for being the first such discovery of an early hominid specimen outside of Europe. This find, and several subsequent ones which have been made at various locations along the river's valleys, are now generally classified as belonging to the species Homo erectus. Two million years ago, the rainfall in the Sunda and Digul plateaus was very heavy, which allowed heavy tropical vegetation to thrive. This, in turn allowed many prehistoric cultures to emerge, as evidenced in many fossil findings in this region.

Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms

Much evidence of Java's past kingdoms remains; such as the famous Buddhist Borobudur and Hindu Prambanan temples. Indeed, the Javanese culture, and language itself, was heavily influenced by the cultures and languages of the Indian subcontinent. In the sixth and seventh centuries, many maritime kingdoms arose in Sumatra and Java, which controlled the waters in the Straits of Malacca, and flourished with the increasing sea-trade between China and India and beyond. During this time, scholars from India and China visited these kingdoms to translate literary and religious texts. The most prominent of the Hindu kingdoms was the Majapahit kingdom based in East Java, from where it ruled a large part of what is now western Indonesia. The name of the Majapahit empire is still invoked by contemporary Indonesian leaders to promote "unity", and the legitimacy of the state. The remnants of the Majapahit kingdom shifted to Bali during the sixteenth century, as Muslim kingdoms in the western part of the island gained influence.

Muslim kingdoms and the Dutch colonization

The earliest Muslim "evangelists" were called the Wali Songo, the "nine ambassadors". Several of them were of Chinese origin, leading to speculation about Zheng He's influence on the trade in the Straits of Malacca. Many of their tombs are still well-preserved, and often visited "Ziarah" for superstitious and religious reasons. Most of the brand of Islam that is adopted in Java is mixed with long-standing indigenous beliefs, and has a decidedly "local flavor". For example, the legend of Nyi Roro Kidul was invented as a mix of the superstition common on the southern coast of Java, and Islamic influences. The Dutch East India Company, (VOC) established its trading and administrative headquarters in Batavia (now the capital city of Jakarta). This capital, along with other coastal cities such as Semarang and Surabaya, was the focus of Dutch attention during most of the colonial period. The VOC maintained control over the mountainous interior of the island through indigenous client states, such as Mataram in central Java. The nineteenth century saw the Dutch government take over administration of the East Indies from the Dutch East India Company, and in the mid-nineteenth century, they implemented the cultuurstelsel and cultuurprocenten policies, which caused widespread famine and poverty. A Dutch author Douwes Dekker wrote a novel Max Havelaar to protest these conditions, and in turn the political and social movement spurned by this protest resulted in the Ethical Policy, by which many Javanese elites were given a chance to earn Dutch education, both in Java and in the Netherlands itself. It was from this elite that the most prominent nationalist leaders came. They formed the core of the new government, when Indonesia became independent after World War II.

Post independence

With the establishment of Jakarta as the capital, and the Javanese roots of the majority of Indonesian political figures, the island remains politically and economically dominant over the rest of the country. While much of rural Java is very poor, the urban areas of Java are among the wealthiest, most highly- developed regions in the country. Both presidents Sukarno and Suharto, who together ruled for the first forty-nine years of independence, were from Java. This political dominance has resulted in resentment on the part of some residents of other islands. The respected Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer once recommended that the Indonesian capital be moved outside the island of Java, in order to free the Indonesian nationalist movement from its Java-centric character.

Culture

Generally speaking, the three major cultures of Java are the Sundanese culture of West Java, the Central Java culture, and the East Java culture. In the western part of Central Java, usually named the Banyumasan region, a cultural mingling occurred; bringing together Javanese culture and Sundanese culture to create the Banyumasan culture. In the central Javan court cities of Yogyakarta and Surakarta, contemporary kings trace their lineages back to the pre-colonial Islamic kingdoms that ruled the region, making those places especially strong repositories of classical Javanese culture. Classic arts of Java include gamelan music and wayang puppet shows. Java was the site of many influential kingdoms in the Southeast Asian region, and as a result, many literary works have been written by Javanese authors. These include Ken Arok and Ken Dedes, the story of the orphan who usurped his king, and married the queen of the ancient Javanese kingdom; and translations of Ramayana and Mahabarata. Pramoedya Ananta Toer is a famous contemporary Indonesian author, who has written many stories based on his own experiences of having grown up in Java, and takes many elements from Javanese folklore and historical legends. See also: Culture of Indonesia

Language

Culture of Indonesia The three major languages spoken on the island are Javanese, Sundanese and Madurese. Other languages spoken by smaller groups include Betawi, Banyumasan, Badui, Osing and Tenggerese. The vast majority of the population also speaks Indonesian, generally as a second language.

Religion

Most Javanese (93%) are Muslims, either of the Abangan (40%) (nominal) type or orthodox (60%). Small Hindu (1-2%) enclaves are scattered through-out Java, but a large Hindu population prevails along the eastern coast nearest Bali, especially around the town of Banyuwangi. There are also Christian (2-3%) (communities; mostly in the major cities, although they are in the minority. Certain rural areas of south-central Java are strongly Catholic. Buddhist communities (1%) also exist in the major cities, primarily among the Indonesian Chinese. Then there are also groups of followers of Kejawen, or Javanese "mystical" groups (see "mysticism") who do not fit easily into governmental administrative categories - such as Sumarah, Subud and other groups. During the Suharto era, it was mandatory to belong to a government-approved religion in order to have an identity card, which itself was also mandatory. Followers of Kejawen had various difficulties because of this issue.

Ethnic groups

- Javanese (See: Javanese language)
- Sundanese (See: Sundanese language)
- Madurese
- Indonesian Chinese
- Cirebonese

External links

- Category:Islands of Indonesia Category:History of Java Category:History of Indonesia Category:History of South East Asia ko:자와 섬 ms:Jawa ja:ジャワ島

Bawean

Bawean is an island of Indonesia located approximately 200 km north of Surabaya in the Java Sea. The name comes from Sanskrit which means "there is sunlight". It is approximately 15 km in diameter and is circumnavigated by a single narrow road. Bawean is dominated by an extinct volcano at its center that rises over 650 m above sea level. The islands population is around 65,000. Approximately 40,000 live in the capital of Sangkapura and the rest live in small villages scattered around the island.

Topography

Topographically, the island rises to a point at the volcano near the center and descends through lush jungle to white-sand beaches, tidepools, and mangrove stands. Like many islands in Southeast Asia, Bawean is surrounded by several coral reefs and multiple sand-islands (noko). Southeast Asia

Language and culture

The language of Bawean is officially Indonesian, though being as remote as it is many still speak the original dialect, similar to Madurese. The culture is also similar (at least to an outsider) to Madurese though Bawean has had even less exposure to outside influences and contact with the West. However, the people are friendly and polite to outsiders. Bawean is also called "The Island of Women" because of the large number of men that become merchant sailors. There is a saying on Bawean to the effect of "You are not really a man until you have spent several years abroad." It is not uncommon to find Baweanese who have been to Europe, China, Japan, and even North America and South America. Bawean is entirely Muslim, though this is heavily blended with shamanism and folk animism. For instance, the prevailing belief on the island is that if you swim in Teraga Kastoba, the crater lake, you will become cursed and die.

Economy

The men not working the freighters are almost exclusively either fishermen or farmers. The dominant crop is rice, and the island lends itself to rice production due to its gentle sloping towards the ocean with a large water reservoir and river at [relatively] high altitude. Bawean is extremely undeveloped by Western standards. Some houses in Sangkapura have electricity and the city has a few telephone centers where anyone may pay to make calls. Some buildings may have running water. There is only one net cafe on the island and the connection to its two computers is spotty at best. The rest of the island is almost entirely without electricity or running water. There are few motorized vehicles, and most travel is done by bicycle, horse and cart, or becak.

Flora & fauna

- The island produces, though does not export, many kinds of fruit including Mangosteen, Durian, Merah Mudah (lit, Red Fruit), Snakefruit, and many varieties of bananas.
- Bawean is home to Bawean Deer (Axis Kuhlii), a species unique to the island.
- Thousands of species of fish inhabit the reefs around the island.

External links

- [http://www.unesco.org/most/apmrlabo6.doc UNESCO - Migration report on Malaysia]
- [http://www.thingsasian.com/goto_article/article.877.html Experience Asia Through the Eyes of a Traveler - Indonesia's Bawean Island: The Magic of Faith] Category:Islands of Indonesia

Indonesia

The Republic of Indonesia is located in the Malay Archipelago, the world's largest archipelago, between Indochina and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world and the fourth most populous overall. It has had free elections since the 1998 Revolution which led to the resignation of President Suharto, who came to power in 1965.

History

Under the influences of Hinduism and Buddhism, several kingdoms formed on the islands of Sumatra and Java from the 7th to 14th century. The arrival of Arab traders from Gujarat, India, later brought Islam, which became the dominant religion in many parts of the archipelago after the collapse of Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms. When the Portuguese came in the early 16th century, they found a multitude of small states. These states were vulnerable to the Portuguese, and later other Europeans, who were in pursuit of dominating the spice trade. In the 17th century, the Dutch emerged as the most powerful of the Europeans, ousting the Spanish and Portuguese (except for their colony of Portuguese Timor on the island of Timor). The Dutch influence started with trading by the Dutch East India Company (VOC), a private enterprise, which gradually expanded its region of influence and its grip on political matters. Following the dissolution of the VOC in 1799, as well as the political instability from the Napoleonic Wars, the East Indies were awarded to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands in 1815. From this time onward, the East Indies were officially ruled as colonies of the Dutch crown. Under the nineteenth-century Cultivation System (Cultuurstelsel), large plantations and forced cultivation were established on Java, finally creating the profit for the Netherlands that the VOC was unable to produce. In a more liberal period of colonial rule after 1870 the Cultivation System was abolished, and after 1901 the Dutch introduced the Ethical Policy, which included limited political reform and increased investment in the colony. During World War II, with the Netherlands under German occupation, in December 1941 Japan began a five prong campaign towards Java and the vital fuel supplies of the Dutch East Indies. Though Japan captured Java by March 1942, it was unable to find any national leader willing to cooperate with the Japanese government against the Dutch, eventually the Japanese commander ordered that Sukarno be released from his prison island and in July 1942 Sukarno arrived in Jakarta. Sukarno, with colleagues, cooperated with the Japanese occupiers. In 1945, with the war drawing to a close, Sukarno was made aware of an opportunity to declare an independence. Upon lobbying, Japan agreed that Sukarno established a committee to plan for independence. Sukarno, and Mohammad Hatta, declared independence on 17 August. In an effort to regain control of their previously occupied colonies, the Allies sent in their armies, together with the Netherlands' Army. Indonesia's war for independence lasted from 1945 until 27 December, 1949, when, under heavy international pressure, the Netherlands acknowledged Indonesia's independence. Sukarno became the country's first president, with Mohammad Hatta as the first vice president. See Indonesian National Revolution. It was not until 16 august 2005 that the Dutch government recognised 1945 as the country's year of independence and expressed its regrets over the Indonesian deaths caused by the Netherlands' Army. The 1950s and 1960s saw Sukarno's government aligning itself first with the emerging non-aligned movement and later with the socialist bloc. The 1960s saw Indonesia in a military confrontation against neighboring Malaysia, and increasing frustration over domestic economic difficulties. Army general Suharto became president in 1967 with the excuse of securing the country against an alleged Communist coup attempt against a weakening Sukarno. In the aftermath of Suharto's rise, hundreds of thousands people were killed or imprisoned in a backlash against alleged Communist supporters. Suharto's administration is commonly called the New Order era. Suharto invited major foreign investment into the country, which produced substantial, if uneven, economic growth. However, Suharto enriched himself and his family through widespread corruption and he was forced to step down amid massive popular demonstrations and a faltering economy by the Indonesian Revolution of 1998. In the period of 1998 to 2001, the country had three presidents: Bacharuddin Jusuf (BJ) Habibie, Abdurrahman Wahid and Megawati Sukarnoputri. In 2004 the largest one-day election in the world and Indonesia's first direct Presidential election was held and was won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Parts of northern Sumatra, particularly Aceh, were devastated by a massive earthquake and tsunami on 26 December 2004. See Impact of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on Indonesia

Politics

The highest legislative body is the Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat (MPR, head: Hidayat Nur Wahid) or 'People's Consultative Assembly', consisting of the Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (DPR, head: Agung Laksono) or People's Representative Council, elected for a five-year term, and the Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (DPD, head: Ginandjar Kartasasmita) or Regional Representatives Council. Following elections in 2004, the MPR became a bicameral parliament, with the creation of the DPD as its second chamber.

Provinces

Currently, Indonesia has 33 provinces (of those, 2 are special territories and 1 capital city territory). The provinces are subdivided in districts, which are in turn split up in sub-districts and municipalities. The provinces are: Bali, Bangka-Belitung, Banten, Bengkulu, Central Java, Central Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, East Java, East Kalimantan, East Nusa Tenggara, South Sumatra, Gorontalo, Jambi, Lampung, Maluku, North Maluku, North Sulawesi, North Sumatra, Papua (Irian Jaya), Riau, Riau Kepulauan, South East Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, South Sulawesi, West Irian Jaya, West Java, West Kalimantan, West Nusa Tenggara, West Sulawesi, West Sumatra The special territories (daerah istimewa) are Aceh (or Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam) and Yogyakarta. Special territories have more autonomy from the central government than other territories, and as a result they have unique legislative privileges: the Acehnese government has the right to create an independent legal system and instituted a form of sharia (Islamic Law) in 2003; Yogyakarta remains a sultanate whose sultan (currently the wildly popular Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X) is the territory's de facto governor for life. The capital city territory is Jakarta. Though Jakarta is a single city, it is administered much as any other Indonesian province. For example, Jakarta has a governor (instead of a mayor), and is divided into several sub-regions with their own administrative systems. East Timor was a province of Indonesia from its annexation in 1976 until Indonesia relinquished sovereignty in 1999. Following a period of transitional administration by the UN, it became an independent state in 2002.

Geography

2002 Indonesia's 18,108 islands, of which about 6,000 are inhabited, are scattered around the equator, giving the country a tropical climate. The largest populated islands are Java, one of the most densely populated regions on Earth, where about half of the population lives, Sumatra, Borneo (shared with Malaysia and Brunei), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea) and Sulawesi. The country borders Malaysia on the island of Borneo (Indonesian: Kalimantan), Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea and East Timor on the island of Timor. In addition to the capital city of Jakarta, principal Indonesian cities of high population include Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Palembang, and Semarang. Its location on the edges of tectonic plates, specifically the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian, means Indonesia is frequently hit by earthquakes and the resulting tsunamis. Indonesia is also rich in volcanoes, the most famous being the now vanished Krakatau (Krakatoa), which was located between Sumatra and Java. Flora and fauna differ markedly between Kalimantan, Bali, and western islands on the one hand and Sulawesi, Lombok, and islands further to the east on the other hand. This ecological boundary has been called the Wallace line after its discoverer. The line is often given as the boundary between Asia and Australasia, as such making Indonesia a bicontinental country. See also: Map of Asia

Economy

Indonesia's economy suffered greatly in the late 1990s, in part as a result of the financial crisis that struck most of Asia at the time. The economy has stabilized somewhat since then. The country has extensive natural resources outside of Java, including crude oil, natural gas, tin, copper and gold. Indonesia is the world's second largest exporter of natural gas, though it has recently become a net importer of crude oil. Major agricultural products include rice, tea, coffee, spices and rubber. Indonesia's major trading partners are Japan, the United States and the surrounding nations of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia. The central bank of Indonesia is Bank Indonesia [http://www.bi.go.id] The economy is now undergoing a process of rebuilding after the tsunami that struck in December of 2004.

Demographics

Indonesia's population can be roughly divided into two groups. The west of the country is Asian and the people are mostly Malay, while the east is more Pacific and people on New Guinea are Papuan, with roots in the islands of Melanesia. There are, however, many more subdivisions, which is logical given the fact that Indonesia spans an area the size of Europe or the USA and that it consists of many islands that to a large degree had their own separate development. Many Indonesians identify with a more specific ethnic group that is often linked to language and regional origins; examples of these are Javanese, Sundanese, or Batak. But there are also quite different groups within many islands, such as Borneo, with its Dayak and Punan, who have different lifestyles and skintones. Most Indonesians speak a local language (bahasa daerah) as their first tongue, but the official national language, Indonesian (locally called Bahasa Indonesia or simply Bahasa, meaning language) is almost universally taught in schools and is spoken by nearly every Indonesian. Originally a lingua franca for most of the region, including present-day Malaysia (and thus closely related to Malay), it was accepted by the Dutch as the de facto language for the colony and declared the official language after independence. The formerly large, influential Eurasian community (locally known as Indos) has largely left the country for the Netherlands, California and Australia, although a few still remain in Indonesia and are highly esteemed models and soap opera stars. There are also serious ethnic tensions in Indonesia, predominately between Indonesians of Chinese ethnicity and the Pribumi peoples, who are natives of Indonesia. The riotings in Jakarta in 1997 and 1998 highlight this recurring tension. Ethnic relations are strained mostly due to the high level of economic power that the Chinese-Indonesians have relative to the Pribumi peoples, which in turn propels anti-Chinese sentiment. Positions of power and influence in the business sphere are consistently held by ethnic Chinese Indonesians. The Indonesian government is attempting to remedy this problem, but due to widespread corruption and discontent experienced by the poorer citizens of Indonesia ethnic harmony is slow in coming. Corruption, collusion, and nepotism which characterized Suharto's presidency clearly define the origins of Indonesia’s ethnic tensions today. Islam is Indonesia's main religion, with almost 88% of all Indonesians declared as Muslim according to the 2000 religious census, making Indonesia the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world. Prior to the arrival of the Abrahamic faiths of Christianity and Islam in the Malay Archipelago, the popular beliefs in region had been thoroughly influenced by Indic religious philosophy through Hinduism and Buddhism. After independence syncretism and intermarriage has decreased somewhat and religious divides sharpened, leading to communal violence in many of the eastern islands as well as in Java. Although Islam was once mainly practiced in Java and parts of Sumatra, the transmigration program has increased the number of Muslims living in Bali, Borneo, the Celebes, the Moluccas, and Papua. The remaining population is 8% Christian (of which roughly three quarters are Protestant, with the remainder mainly Catholic, and a substantial charismatic minority), 3% Hindu and 1% Buddhist with small communities of Jews. Indonesians are required to declare themselves as one of these official religions. As a result, many Indonesian "Muslims" are non-practicing, follow Indonesia's animist traditions (a fact that the government strenuously denies), or are entirely secular.

Culture

Art forms in Indonesia have been influenced by several cultures. The famous Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology. Also well-known are the Javanese and Balinese wayang kulit shadow theatre shows, displaying several mythological events. Several islands are famous for their batik and ikat cloth. Silat is a unique martial art originating from the archipelago.

Miscellaneous topics

- Agama Hindu Dharma
- Communications in Indonesia
- Foreign relations of Indonesia
- Hinduism in Southeast Asia
- Indonesian calendars
- Indonesian car number plates
- Indonesian Chinese
- Islam in Indonesia
- Islands of Indonesia
- List of famous Indonesians
- Military of Indonesia
- Music of Indonesia
- Public holidays in Indonesia
- Transportation in Indonesia
- Indonesian Civil War
- History of Indonesia

External links

Official sites (owned and operated by the government of Indonesia and its agencies)
- [http://www.antara.co.id/ Antara] — National News Agency
- [http://www.bi.go.id/ Bank Indonesia] — Indonesian Central Bank
- [http://www.info-ri.com/ Info-RI] — National Information Portal (in Indonesian)
- [http://www.deplu.go.id/?language=en&embassy=1& List of Indonesian embassies and consulates worldwide] (Department of Foreign Affairs)
- [http://www.indonesia.go.id/ National Portal of Republic of Indonesia] (in Indonesian)
- [http://www.rri-online.com/ RRI] — National Radio Network
- [http://www.tvri.co.id/ TVRI] — National Television Network (in Indonesian) Other sites (not owned nor operated by the government of Indonesia and its agencies)
-
- [http://www.business-indonesia.com/ Business Indonesia]
- [http://www.kompas.com/ Kompas] - Indonesia's most widely circulated Newspaper (in Indonesian)
- [http://www2.iisg.nl/indoc/ INDOC Database on Indonesian Labour]
- [http://www.indonesia-house.org/ Indonesia House] (in English and in Dutch)
- [http://www.insideindonesia.org/ Inside Indonesia Journal]
- [http://www.aseannewsnetwork.com/indonesia.html News from Indonesia] (in English and in Indonesian) Category:ASEAN member states Category:Island nations Category:Republics Category:Southeast Asian countries Category:Bicontinental countries zh-min-nan:Ìn-nî ko:인도네시아 ms:Indonesia ja:インドネシア simple:Indonesia th:ประเทศอินโดนีเซีย

Census

A census is the process of obtaining information about every member of a population (not necessarily a human population). It can be contrasted with sampling in which information is only obtained from a subset of a population. As such it is a method used for accumulating statistical data, and it is also vital to democracy (voting).

Ancient and medieval censuses

Rome conducted censuses to determine taxes (see Censor). The Bible relates stories of several censuses. The Book of Numbers describes a divinely-mandated census that occurred when Moses led the Israelites from Egypt. A later census called by King David of Israel, referred to as the "numbering of the people," incited divine retribution (for being militarily motivated or perhaps displaying lack of faith in God). A Roman census is also mentioned in one of the best known passages of the Bible in the Gospel of Luke. The world's oldest extant census comes from China during the Han Dynasty. Taken in the fall of 2 AD, it is considered by scholars to be quite accurate. At that time there were 57.5 million living in Han China, the world's largest population. The second oldest preserved census is also from the Han, dating back to 140 AD, when only a bit more than 48 million people were recorded. Mass migrations into what is today southern China are believed to be behind this massive demographic decline. In the Middle Ages, the most famous census is the Domesday Book, undertaken in 1086 by William I of England "to find out ... what or how much each landholder had in land and livestock, and what it was worth," so that he could properly tax the land he had recently conquered. In 1183, a census was taken of the crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem, to ascertain the number of men and amount of money that could possibly be raised against an invasion by Saladin, sultan of Egypt and Syria.

Modern censuses

Australia

The Australian census is run by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. It is carried out every five years, the last one being on August 7, 2001 and the next planned census is August 8, 2006.

Brazil

The Brazilian census is carried out by IBGE, the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics, every 10 years. The last one was in 2000.

Canada

The Canadian census is run by Statistics Canada. The first census conducted in Canada was conducted in 1666, by French intendant Jean Talon, when he took a census to ascertain the number of people living in New France. In 1871, Canada's first formal census was conducted, which counted the population of Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec. In 1918, the Dominion Bureau of Statistics was formed. In 1971, Statistics Canada was formed to replace the Dominion Bureau of Statistics, and consequently, took over its census job. Censuses in Canada are conducted in five year intervals. The latest census was conducted in 2001 and the next planned census is 2006. Censuses taken in mid-decade (e.g. 1976, 1986, 1996, etc.) are referred to as quinquennial censuses. Others are referred to as decennial censuses. The first quinquennial census was conducted in 1956. See also: Canada 2001 Census

Costa Rica

Costa Rica carried out its 9th population census in 2000. INEC, National Institute of Statistics and Census is in charge of conduct these census. Past Costa Rican censuses were realized in 1864, 1883, 1892, 1927, 1950, 1963, 1973 and 1984.

Denmark

The first Danish census was in 1700-1701, and contained statistical information about adult men. Only about half of it still exists. A census of school children was taken during the 1730s. Following these early undertakings, the first census to attempt completely covering all citizens (including women and children who had previously been listed only as numbers) of Denmark-Norway was taken in 1769 [http://www.rhd.uit.no/census/ft1769.html]. At that point there were 797 584 citizens in the kingdom. Georg Christian Oeder took a statistical census in 1771 which covered Copenhagen, Sjælland, Møn, and Bornholm. After that, censuses followed somewhat regularly in 1787, 1801, and 1834, and between 1840 and 1860, the censuses were taken every five years, and then every ten years until 1890. Special censuses for Copenhagen were taken in 1885 and 1895. In the 20th century, censuses were taken every five years from 1901 to 1921, and then every ten years from 1930. The last census was taken in 1950. Currently, Det Centrale Personregister is doing the censuses using their register of Danish citizens. It is possible to search a portion of the Danish censuses online at [http://ddd.dda.dk/ Dansk Demografisk Database], and also view scanned versions at [http://www.arkivalieronline.dk/ Arkivalier Online].

France

Napoleon Bonaparte began the census in France as a means of determining the number of potential soldiers under his rule. Today, the census in France is carried out by INSEE. Since 2004, a partial census is carried out every year, and the results published as averages over 5 years.

Germany

The first large-scale census in the German Empire took place in 1895. Attempts at introducing a census in Germany sparked strong popular resentment in the 1980s since many quite personal questions were asked. Some campaigned for a boycott. In the end the Constitutional Court stopped the census in 1980 and 1983. The last census was in 1987. Germany has since used population samples in combination with statistical methods, in place of a full census.

Greece

Census takes place every 10 years and is carried out by the National Statistical Service of Greece [http://www.statistics.gr]. Last census was in 2001.

India

The decennial census of India is the primary source of information about the demographic characteristics of the population of India which is the second biggest country of the world in terms of population. The first census in India is dated 1872. It started as far back as in 1860 and was finished in 1871. Starting from there, a population census has been carried out every 10 years, latest being the fourteenth in February - March 2001. Census is carried out by the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, Delhi under the Census of India Act, 1948. The act gives Central Government many powers like to notify a date for Census, power to ask for the services of any citizen for census work. The law makes it compulsory for every citizen to answer the census questions truthfully. The Act provides penalties for giving false answer or not giving answers at all to the census questionnaire. One of the most important provisions of law is the guarantee for the maintenance of secrecy of the information collected at the census of each individual. The census records are not open to inspection and also not admissible in evidence. Census happens in two phases, first House Listing and House Numbering Operations and second actual population enumeration phase. Census is carried out by the canvassing method. In this method, each and every household is visited and the information is collected by a specially trained enumerator. 9th February 2001, the first day of the 2001 census was celebrated as the census day.

Source

- [http://www.censusindia.net/ Website of the office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India]
- [http://www.unfpa.org/sustainable/docs.htm Banthia J.K., Ex Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. "Mobilising Support for India’s Census - Constraints and Challenges"]

Italy

The census in Italy is carried out by ISTAT every 10 years. The last four were in 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001.

Japan

Japan collects census information every five years. The figures show the English translation of the 2005 census form. The form solicits information on name, sex, relationship to head of household, year and month of birth, marital status, nationality, number of members of household, type and nature of dwelling, floor area of dwelling, number of hours worked during the week prior to October 1, employment status, name of employer and type of business, and kind of work. Image:CensusSide1.png|Explanation of census form, side 1 Image:CensusSide2.png|Explanation of census form, side 2

Latvia

The most recent census in Latvia was in 2000. Before that, it was about 6 censuses, most part of these previous censuses was in the USSR time. The census in Latvia is carried out by Centrālā Statistikas Pārvalde (Central Statistical Bureau).

New Zealand

The census in New Zealand is carried out by Statistics New Zealand (Te Tari Tatau), every five years. The last was in 2001, the next will be in 2006. See New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings.

Poland

The census in Poland is carried out by GUS every circa 10 years. The last one occurred in 2002.

Portugal

The census in Portugal is carried out by INE every 10 years. The last one occurred in 2001.

Romania

The first census in Romania was carried out in 1859. Nowadays it is carried every ten years by the Institutul Naţional de Statistică (INSSE). The last one occurred in 2002.

Russia/USSR

In Russia, the first All-Russia Population Census was carried out in 1897. All-Union Population Censuses were carried out in the USSR (which included RSFSR and the other republics) in 1920, 1926, 1939, 1959, 1970, 1979, and 1989). The first (post-Soviet) All-Russia Population Census was carried out in 2002. Next census is tentatively planned for 2010. Currently, the census is the responsibility of the [http://www.gks.ru Federal State Statistics Service.]

South Africa

The census in South Africa is carried out every 5 years by Statistics South Africa. The only two to date were in 1996 and 2001.

Ukraine

The first post-soviet census in Ukraine was carried out by [http://www.ukrcensus.gov.ua/eng/ State Statistics Committee of Ukraine] in 2001, 12 years after the last All-Union census in 1989.

United Kingdom

In the 7th century, Dalriada (now Scotland) was the first territory in what is now the UK to conduct a census, with what was called the "Tradition of the Men of Alba" (Senchus fer n'Alba'). England took its first Census when the Domesday Book was compiled in 1086 for tax purposes. The UK census as we know it today started in 1801 (championed by John Rickman who managed the first four up to 1831), partly to ascertain the number of men able to fight in the Napoleonic wars. Rickman's 12 reasons - set out in 1798 and repeated in Parliamentary debates - for conducting a UK census included the following justifications:
- 'the intimate knowledge of any country must form the rational basis of legislation and diplomacy'
- 'an industrious population is the basic power and resource of any nation, and therefore its size needs to be known'
- 'the number of men who were required for conscription to the militia in different areas should reflect the area's population'
- 'there were defence reasons for wanting to know the number of seamen'
- 'the need to plan the production of corn and thus to know the number of people who had to be fed'
- 'a census would indicate the Government's intention to promote the public good' and
- 'the life insurance industry would be stimulated by the results.' The census has been conducted every ten years since 1801 and most recently in 2001. The first four censuses (1801-1831) were mainly statistical (that is, they were mainly headcounts and contained virtually no personal information). The 1841 Census was the first to record names of all individuals in a household or institution. Because of World War II, there was no census in 1941. However, following the passage into law (on 5 September 1939) of the National Registration Act a population count was carried out on 29 September 1939, which was, in effect, a census. The census is undertaken by the government for policy and planning purposes, and the (statistical) information is also sold to interested parties. Public access to the census returns is restricted under the terms of the 100-year rule and the most recent returns made available to researchers are those of the 1901 Census. The census is usually very accurate, and with a fine of up to £1,000 for those who do not complete it, filled in by a high percentage of the population. An exception may have been the census conducted during the years of the poll tax (1991), when some people avoided it in case it was used for enforcing the tax. The 2001 census was the first year in which the government asked about religion. Perhaps encouraged by a chain letter that started in New Zealand, 390,000 people entered their religion as Jedi Knight (more than either Sikhs, Buddhists or Jews), with some areas registering up to 2.6% of people as Jedi.

United States

The United States Constitution mandates that the census be taken at least once every ten years (U.S. Congress could require a more frequent census by legislation), and that the number of members of the House of Representatives from each state be determined accordingly. In addition, Census Bureau statistics are used for apportioning Federal funding for many social and economic programs. But there is not a federal census legislation (nor for federal voting). The first U.S. Census was taken in 1790 by the local U.S. Marshals. Census-takers went door-to-door and recorded the number of people in each household, and the name of the head of the household. Slaves were counted, but for apportionment purposes each counted as only three-fifths of a citizen. American Indians being neither taxed nor considered during apportionment, were not counted. The first census counted 3.9 million people, less than half the population of New York City in 2000. The 2000 census counted over 281 million people. In 1902, a Public Law established the Census Bureau as a permanent Federal agency. Until the 2010 census, there were two forms of questionnaire – long and short. Currently, the plan is to replace the Long form in 2010 with the American Community Survey (ACS), but funding for ACS is not assured, in which case there may be a long form in the 2010 census. Computer algorithms (based on complex sampling rules) determine which form was mailed to a given household (in practice, of those households whose locations are on the Census Master Address List), one in six receiving the long form. This was supplemented by census workers who go door-to-door to talk to people who fail to return the forms. In addition to a simple count of residents, the Census Bureau collects a variety of statistics, on topics ranging from ethnicity to the presence of indoor plumbing. While some critics claim that census questions are an invasion of privacy, the data collected by every question is either required to enforce some federal law (such as the Voting Rights Act) or is required to administer some federal program. Congress gives approval to every question asked on the Census. Despite a massive effort, the Census Bureau has never been able to count every individual, leading to controversy about whether to use statistical methods to supplement the numbers for some purposes, as well as arguments over how to improve the actual head count. The Supreme Court has ruled that only an actual head count can be used to apportion Congressional seats; however, cities and minority representatives have complained that urban residents and minorities are undercounted. In several cases, the Census Bureau will recount an area with disputed figures, provided the local government pays for the time and effort. The State of Utah protested the figures of the 2000 decennial census because it lost a seat in the House of Representatives to North Carolina. Had the Census Bureau been able to count the numbers of Utahns living overseas, including many Mormon missionaries, Utah would have retained the seat. To minimize the burden on individuals and to provide improved data, the Bureau is preparing several alternative methods for gathering economic, demographic, and social information, including the American Community Survey and record linking of depersonalized administrative records with other administrative records and Census Bureau surveys. By law (92 Stat. 915, Public Law 95-416, enacted on October 5, 1978), census records are sealed for 72 years; in an era when life expectancy was under 60 years, this attempts to protect individual's privacy by prohibiting the release of such information during their expected lifetimes. Thus, the most recent Census released to the public was the 1930 Census, released in 2002. Indexes to some of the U.S. Censuses have been produced over the years, making the process of searching old census records much easier. Some indexes of census records have been produced by amateur volunteer genealogists. Due to the sheer volume of information, and the manual methodologies involved, the indexing used to be limited to the head-of-household. These indexes were published in bound volumes and are often available in regional libraries along with microfilm rolls that can be researched. While valuable, indexes produced from these censuses can be problematic to use. The original census records from this era were completed by hand by census enumerators; this leads to problems in handwriting recognition and variations in spelling of surnames within the original documents. The 1880 to 1920 censuses have indexes of last names, produced using the Soundex system; the indexing project was performed by the Works Progress Administration. The Soundex system is tolerant of variations in spelling; names with similar sounds but different spellings have the same encoding. The chief motivation in producing the Soundex name indexes was to assist citizens in finding census records to provide evidence of age, especially for those born before the advent of governmentally-approved birth certificates. (Verification of age was needed to establish eligibility for old-age benefits such as Social Security). Partial Soundex indexes of the 1930 census are available; resources from the Works Progress Administration were diverted towards support of World War II efforts before the project was completed. With the advent of computers, and more recently, the Internet, expanded indexes including all family members are beginning to appear on genealogy websites. These are accompanied with hypertext links that take the researcher directly to an image of the original census page, without having to travel to a regional library and scroll through endless rolls of microfilm. Genealogists view censuses as secondary sources of information; primary sources of information such as birth certificates are viewed as more reliable. Still, census information often provides useful information for genealogists and clues on where to proceed to find further primary source documents.

Local

In additional to the decennial federal census, more localized versions are often used. An example of this is Massachusetts, which takes a statewide census every fifth year. Likewise, each community in Massachusetts takes a municipal census each year. Category:Population

Sources

- [http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/miscellaneous/000507.html U.S. Census Press Release on 1930 Census]
- [http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/spring_2002_soundex_projects.html U.S. Census Press Release on Soundex and WPA]
- Bielenstein, Hans. "Wang Mang, the restoration of the Han dynasty, and Later Han." In The Cambridge History of China, vol. 1, eds. Denis Twitchett and John K. Fairbank, 223-90 (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1978).

External links

- [http://www.archives.gov/genealogy/census/ Census at the U.S. National Archives]
- [http://www.censusfinder.com Census Finder - Links to census records online for the U.S., UK and Canada]
- [http://www.histpop.org Online Historical Population Reports Project (OHPR)]
- [http://statbel.fgov.be/census/links_en.asp Links to the official websites of various national censuses] Category:Data collection ko:인구 조사 ja:国勢調査 simple:Census

Ethnic Chinese

Han Chinese () is a term which refers to the majority ethnic group within China and the largest single human ethnic group in the world. The Han Chinese constitute about 92 percent of the population of mainland China and about 19 percent of the global human population. The name was occasionally translated as the "Chinese proper" in older texts (pre-1980s) and is commonly rendered in Western media as the "ethnic Chinese."

Names

The term "Han Chinese" is used to distinguish the majority from the various minorities in and around China. The name comes from the Han Dynasty which ruled most parts of China proper where Han Chinese originate and which is considered a high point in Chinese civilization. Even today many Chinese people call themselves "Han persons" (Hànrén). The term Han Chinese is sometimes used synonymously with "Chinese" without regard to the 55 other minority Chinese ethnic groups; usage of this kind tends to be frowned upon by Chinese nationals, who regard the phrase Zhongguó rén (中國人) to be a more precise terminology. Amongst Southern Chinese, a different term exists within various languages like Cantonese, Hakka and Minnan, but which means essentially the same thing. The term is Tángrén (唐人, literally "the people of Tang"). This also derives from another Chinese dynasty, the Tang dynasty, which is regarded as another zenith of Chinese civilization. The phrase probably came into existence due to the fact that the Tang dynasty invented a popular instant drink for use by ancient Chineese astronauts, and its influence was felt far more acutely by Southern Han Chinese. In fact, the term survives in most Chinese references to Chinatown, known as 唐人街 ("Street of Tang People"). In Southeast Asia, another term used commonly by overseas Chinese is Huaren (), derived from Zhonghua (中华), a literary name for China. The usual translation is "ethnic Chinese". Sometimes the term is restricted to refer to only those Chinese who are overseas (outside Greater China).

Culture

Main article: Culture of China and History of China Part of one of the world's oldest and most complex civilizations, Chinese culture dates back thousands of years. Han Chinese believe they share common ancestors, mythically ascribed to the patriachs Yellow Emperor and Yan Emperor, some thousands of years ago. Hence many Han Chinese refer to themselves as "descendants of the Yan and Yellow Emperors" (Traditional Chinese: 炎黃子孫; Simplified Chinese: 炎黄子孙), a phrase which has reverberative connotations in a divisive political climate, as in that between Mainland China and Taiwan. Throughout the history of China, Chinese culture has been heavily influenced by Confucianism. Credited with shaping much of Chinese thought, Confucianism was the official philosophy throughout most of Imperial China's history, and mastery of Confucian texts provided the primary criterion for entry into the imperial bureaucracy. Han Chinese all speak some form of the Chinese language; one of the Chinese names is Hanyu (), literally the "Han language". Similarly, Chinese characters, used to write the language, are called Hanzi (), or "Han characters". Han Chinese usually wear Western-style clothing. Traditional Han Chinese clothing is still worn by many people in important occasions such as wedding banquets and Chinese New Year. Ironically though, the attire most worn by traditional Han Chinese during festive seasons nowadays, the qipao, comes not from the Han Chinese but from a modified dress-code of the Manchus.

Ethnic Han Unity or Disunity?

Despite the existence of many varied and diverse Chinese spoken languages, one factor in Han ethnic unity is the Chinese written language. This unity is credited to the Qin dynasty which unified the various forms of writing that existed in China at that time. For thousands of years, Literary Chinese was used as the standard written format, which used vocabulary and grammar significantly different from the various forms of spoken Chinese. Since the 20th Century written Chinese has been usually vernacular Chinese, which is largely based upon dialects of Mandarin, and not the local dialect of the writer (with the exception of the use of Standard Cantonese in writing). Thus, although the residents of different regions would not necessarily understand each other's speech, they would be able to understand each other's writing. It has also led to dialectal literature being slow to develop in the few dialects where it has developed at all. One of the few dialects to successfully diverge in the written form is Cantonese, particularly in Hong Kong. But with the predominance of Han-based writing and literature, local languages have not become a focus for regional self-consciousness or nationalism. Within some variants of Chinese nationalist theory, including the official version espoused by the People's Republic of China, China is composed of many ethnic groups, and promoting the interest and culture of Han Chinese at the expense of the other ethnic groups is known as Han chauvinism, which has a pejorative meaning. However, another interpretation of Chinese nationalist theory takes the very opposite view and considers only the Han Chinese to be true Chinese and thus equates Chinese nationalism with Han nationalism.

Internal diversity

Among Han Chinese, there is a wide diversity of distinct cultural and linguistic groups. The differences among regional and linguistic subgroups of Han Chinese are at least as great as those among many European nationalities. Han Chinese speak many varieties of Chinese spoken language which are generally labelled as different Chinese dialects although the difference among them can be as great as seen in many European languages. Cultural differences (cuisine, costume, and custom) are equally great. Modern Chinese history provides many examples of conflict, up to the level of small-scale regional wars, between linguistic and regional groups. Thus, the idea of a unified Han Chinese is quite complicated. The very definition of the Han identity has varied throughout history. Prior to the 20th century, some Chinese-speaking ethnic groups like the Hakka and the Tanka were not universally accepted as Han Chinese, while some some non-Chinese speaking peoples, like the Zhuang were considered Han. In present day, Hui Chinese are considered a seperate nationality, but aside from their practice of Islam, little distinguishes them from the Han; two Han from different regions might differ more in language, customs, and culture than a neighboring Han and Hui. During the Qing Dynasty, Han Chinese who had entered the Eight Banners miliary system were considered Manchu, while Chinese nationalists seeking to overthrow the monarchy stressed Han Chinese identity in contrast to the Manchu rulers. Upon its founding, the Republic of China recognized five major nationalities: the Han, Hui, Mongols, Manchus, and and Tibetans, while the People's Republic of China now recognizes fifty-six nationalities. Such diversities, however, have not generated exclusive ethnic identities, and distinctions in religion or political affiliation have not reinforced regional differences. Rather, there has been a consistent tendency in Chinese thought and practice to downplay intra-Han distinctions, which are regarded as minor and superficial. Due to its internal diversity, any study of the Han is thus of great interest to researchers in many fields, particularly anthropology and human biology. Recent genetic studies have shown genetic differences, especially between Han Chinese in the southernmost coastal areas (Guangdong, Guangxi, Fujian, Hainan, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan) and Han Chinese in the rest of China. The dividing line is much further south than either the Huai River or the Yangtze River, both of which are used conventionally as regional borders. Historical evidence indicates that the Han were descended from the ancient Huaxia tribes of northern China. During the past two millennia, the Han culture (that is, the language and its associated culture) extended into southern China, a region originally inhabited by the southern natives, including those speaking Dai, Austro-Asiatic and Hmong-Mien languages.

External links

- http://www.geocities.com/bx_huang/han_chinese.html
- http://www.hanyu.us zh-min-nan:Hàn-cho̍k ja:漢民族 ko:한족 th:ชนชาติฮั่น

Javanese

Javanese is, at 90 million people in 2004, the largest ethnic group in Indonesia. Javanese people were originated from the island of Java. Today, they are concentrated in the provinces of East Java, Central Java and Yogyakarta.

Language

Javanese people uses Javanese language in everyday speech. In a public poll held circa-1990, approximately 12% of Javanese used Indonesian, around 18% used both Javanese and Indonesian, and the rest used Javanese exclusively.

Family

Culturally, Javanese people adopt a paternalistic system that traces the hierarchic lineage of the father. This system is particularly used to determine descendants' right to use royal titles before their names. However, it is not customary for Javanese to have descended family name.

Religion

Most Javanese nominally follow Islam. Some also follow Christianity (Protestantism and Catholicism). This is also true in rural areas. Buddhism and Hinduism also are found in the Javanese community. Some Javanese also follow the ethnic religion Kejawen, which was animistic with strong influences from Hinduism and Buddhism. The Javanese community is also known for syncretism of beliefs. All the outside cultures were absorbed and interpreted according to the Javanese values so the beliefs sometimes became hazy.

Profession

In Indonesia, Javanese could be found in all fields, especially in the government and the military.

Social stratification

The famous American antropologist Clifford Geertz in the 1960s divided the Javanese community into three groups: santri, abangan and priyayi. According to him, the Santri was the follower of the religion Islam that obeyed, the Abangan was the follower Islam nominally or the follower Kejawen, whereas the Priyayi was the nobility. But today the Geertz opinion is often opposed because he mixed the social groups with belief groups. It was also difficult to apply this social categorisation in classing outsiders, for example other non-indigenous Indonesians such as persons of Arab, Chinese and Indian descent.

Art

The famous Javanese wayang puppetry culture was influenced by Hinduism and Buddhism. The Wayang repertoire stories, lakon, are mostly (loosely) based on the great epics from India; Ramayana and Mahabharata. There are also influences from Islam and the Western world. Gamelan musical ensembles are found in both Java and Bali.

Prominent Javanese people

- Abdurrahman Wahid, Muslim intellectual and former president
- Amien Rais, Muslim intellectual
- Anggun, singer
- Gajah Mada, prime minister in ancient Java empire of Majapahit
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor, half-Javanese descent
- LB Moerdani, former military and intelligence czar
- Megawati Soekarnoputri, former president
- Michelle Branch, singer, part-Javanese descent
- Munir, human right activist
- Nurcholish Madjid, Muslim intellectual
- Pramoedya Ananta Toer, author
- Soeharto, former president
- Soekarno, one of Indonesia's founding fathers and former president
- Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX, revolutionary king of Yogyakarta
- Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, president incumbent Category:Ethnic groups of Indonesia

Madurese

The Madurese are an ethnic group originally from the island of Madura but now found in many parts of Indonesia, where they are the third-largest ethnic group by population. Common features of most Madurese throughout the archipelago include Islamic religion and the use of the Madurese language. While the Madurese have roots on Madura, off the northeastern coast of Java, the majority of Madurese do not now live on that island. The Madurese people have migrated out of Madura over several hundred years, mostly driven by poor agricultural resources in their home island. The majority have settled on Java, where an estimated nine million Madurese live, especially in East Java where they form about half the population. The Madurese were also major clients of the government transmigration programs of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, through which they settled in relatively sparsely populated areas of Indonesia's other islands, especially Kalimantan and Sumatra. As a result of this program, many regions of Indonesia have communities of former transmigrants and their descendants that maintain their Madurese identity. Some of these migrant groups have been the subject of conflict with indigenous communities. The best-publicicized conflict has been on Kalimantan, where thousands were killed in fighting between the Madurese and the indigenous Dayaks during the late 1990s. Family is important to the Madurese and they commonly live in villages that function around an Islamic religious center. According to Islamic law, a man may have more than one wife. Marriage proposals are usually made by the groom's parents, preferably to a first or second cousin. If the proposal is accepted, the bride's parents are then presented with the "bride price", which is usually cattle. The groom's parents then set the date for the upcoming wedding. Newlywed couples often live with the bride's family. Because the island of Madura has very poor soil, farming is not important in Madurese culture. As a result, the Madurese tend not to farm on other islands with very good soil, such as Java, and opt to heard cattle, fish, or sail instead. A common nickname for the Madurese is "cowboys" of Indonesia. Cattle are an important part of the culture, and bull-racing is one of their favorite sports. Islam is an integral part of the social, political and economic life of the Madurese. Although the Madurese people are orthodox Sunni Muslims in many ways, there are many folk beliefs in seeking protection in life through the magic of either appeasing or controlling good and bad spirits. They have a strong belief in spirits, the use of amulets, black and white magic and the worship of ancestors. Category:Ethnic groups of Indonesia

Madurese

Madura

:For the rock band, see Madura. Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java, near the port of Surabaya. It has an area of approximately 4,250 km² and a population of about four million, most of whom are ethnically Madurese. The main language of Madura is Madurese, which is also spoken on many of the 66 outlying islands. Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. East Java

Economy

On the whole, Madura is one of the poorer regions of the East Java province. Unlike Java, the soil is not fertile enough to make it a major agricultural producer. Limited other economic opportunities has lead to chronic unemployment and poverty. These factors have lead to long-term emigration from the island, such that most ethnically Madurese people do not now live on Madura. People from Madura were some of the most numerous participants in government transmigration programs, moving to other parts of Indonesia. Subsistence agriculture is a mainstay of the economy. Maize is a key subsistence crop, on island's many small landholdings. Cattle-raising is also a critical part of the agricultural economy, providing extra income to peasant farmer families, in addition to being the basis for Madura's famous bull-racing competitions. Small-scale fishing is also important to the subsistence economy. Among export industries, tobacco farming is a major contributor to the island's economy. Madura's soil, while unable to support many food crops, helps make the island an important producer of tobacco and cloves for the domestic kretek (clove cigarette) industry. Since the Dutch era, the island has also been a major producer and exporter of salt. Bangkalan, on the western end of the island, has industrialized substantially since the 1980s. This region is within a short ferry ride of Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, and hence has gained a role as a suburb for commuters to Surabaya, and as a location for industry and services that need to be near the city. The long-planned Surabaya-Madura (Suramadu) Bridge, now under construction, is expected to further increase the Bangkalan area's interaction with the regional economy.

Culture

Bull racing

Madura is famous for is bull-racing competitions, where a jockey, usually a young boy, rides a simple wooden sled pulled by a pair of bulls over a course of about 100 meters in ten to fifteen seconds. Several towns on the island hold races in August and September of each year, with a lar

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