Java : The Art Of Adventure

Java is located in a chain of islands with KALIMANTAN ( BORNEO ) to the north, SUMATRA to the northwest, BALI to the east,Borneo to the norteast and CHRISTMAS ISLAND to the south. It is the WORLD'S 13TH largest island. Java is almost entirely of VOLCANIC origin, and contains no less than thirty-eight mountains of that conical form which indicates their having at one time or other been active VOLCANOES.

Java is the most developed island in the Indonesian archipelago. It exhibits all the characteristics of an experiencing rapid transition: great wealth and equal squalor; beautiful open country and filthy cities; tranquil rur streets choked with traffic.The island boasts immense beauty, from peaceful villages and a beautiful, fertile countryside to smoking volcanoe monuments. The island is dominated by an active volcanic mountain range stretching along its length.Java offer vivid and rewarding of an intensely striking land and culture, a tapestry of religions and historical in splendid landscapes that make it the enchanting 'Garden of the East'. Inhabitated by 110 milion people ,about 60% of indonesia's total population, Java is the most populated island of Indonesia. Although more than 60% of the 130,000 square km island has been cultivated, Java has a lot of beutiful nature reserves to offer. The most famous reserves are Ujung Kulon National Park, where you may spot one of the sixty surviving Javan Rhinoceroses, the volcanic Gunung Gede Pangrango and Bromo-Tengger-Semeru National Parks and Meru Betiri National Park.

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.and exclusive traditional bamboo music of Angklung in Bandung,The spectaculer landscape of moment Bromo with the wide sea of sand and the amazing plateau of Ijen in east Java. The Island of Java is also famous for the JAVA MAN,a set of fossil remains of HOMO ERECTUS found near the Brantas river in EAST JAVA.Two milion years ago.The rainfall in the SUNDA and DIGUL plateaus were very 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 remain,such as the famous Buddhist Borobudur and Hindhu Prambanan temples.Indeed,the Javanese culture,and language itself,was heavily influenced by the cultures andlanguages of the Indian subcontinent.In the sixth and seventh centuris 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 religiuous texts. The most prominent of the Hindhu kingdoms was the Majapahit kingdoms based in Central 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 kingdoms shifted to BALI during the sixteenth century as MUSLIM kingdoms in the western part of the island gained influence.

The earliest MUSLIM EVANGELISTS were WALI SONGO, the nine ambassadors.Several of them were of CHINESE origin, leading to speculation of ZHENG HE'S influences on the trade in the Straits of Malacca.Many of their tombs are still well-preserved,and often visited for superstitious and religious reasons.Most of the brand of ISLAM that is adopted in Java is mixed with longstanding 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 banks of Java and Islamic influences. Most JAVANESE are Muslims,either of the ABANGAN (nominal) type or orthodox muslims.Small HINDU enclaves are scattered throughout Java, but a large HINDU population prevails along the eastern coast nearest Bali,especially around the town of BANYUWANGI.There are also Chirstian communities,mostly in the major cities,although they are in the minority.Certain rural areas of central Java have strong Christian influence.Buddhist communities also exist in the major cities,primarily among the INDONESIAN CHINESE.

Beside that Java has a lot of plantation.The rain plantation is paddy,covered the island more than 50% of Java and supported the wide of the plantation is surrounded egen kurut ijen and in Kalibaru. 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 Central Java court cities of YOGYAKARTA and SURAKARTA,contemporary sultans trace their lineages back to the precolonial Islamic Kingdoms that ruled the region,making those places especially strong repositories of classical Javanese culture.Classic arts of Java include GAMELAN music WAYANG puppet shows and also the traditional Ramayana ballets.