The island of Java is Indonesia's heartland, the nation's cultural capital, its political and economical centre, although it covers only 7 percent of the total land mass. Java is an island of contrasts: landscape of small villages and modern cities, western architecture and traditional Indonesian culture, nightly activities divided between delightful wayang kulit puppet performances and all-night dancing at discos in Jakarta, courtly dance and gamelan is performed with a subtle fervour while others pour their energy into working the rice fields. This is the most fertile, the most productive, and probably the most densely populated island in the world. With over 115 million people living in the area of 132,187 km2, the average population density is 850 persons per square kilometre. And although there are cities with over million inhabitants, the island is still predominately rural.
Volcanoes are the very core of Java. They have shaped the landscape and provided the source for Java's rich soils. The volcanoes form an uneven stripe running the whole length of the island - one of the most active segments in the Pacific "Ring of Fire". The volcanoes are more strongly crammed in the west, where they make a complex of highland plateaus and valleys. To the east, they are more broadly spaced, creating a series of steadily sloping valleys that are perfectly suitable to rice field terracing. Java and Bali together have 37 volcanoes officially listed, of which 23 have been active since 1600. The highest peak is Mount Semeru at 3,676 metres. The most famed volcano is Krakatau in the Sunda Straits, who disastrously erupted in 1883.

JAKARTA
For most visitors, the first introduction to Java is Jakarta, the sprawling capital city and heart of Indonesia. This enormous city has humble roots, starting as a small harbour town called Sunda Kelapa, but its actual founding dates back to the June 22, 1527 when it was named Jayakarta by Fatahillah of the neighbouring Sultanate of Banten. The name Jayakarta means City of Great Victory but under Dutch control the name was changed to Batavia. Shortly after the outbreak of World War II, Batavia fell into the hands of invading Japanese forces that also changed the name of the city. This time it was called Jakarta as a gesture aimed at winning the sympathy of the Indonesians. The name was retained even when Indonesia achieved national independence after the wars end. Now, as Jakarta, it is the centre of government, business and industry and spreads over an area of more than 650 km2 with a population of over ten million people. It is also designated as a special territory, which means that it is administered by a governor and enjoys the same status as a province. Indonesia's cultural diversity is celebrated in the national motto, Bhineka Tunggal Ika, meaning "Unity in Diversity." One manifestation of this tenet of Indonesian national identity is the government's efforts to give equal precedence to the development of traditional art forms from each ethnic group. In Jakarta, the Orang Betawi - the natives of the city - are considered to be the hosts of these cultures, having emerged from the melting pot of races, ethnic groups and cultures of Indonesia in the 19th century. Today they constitute one of the city's main ethnic groups along side the Javanese (from Central and Eastern Java), Sundanese (from West Java) and Chinese. Betawi culture is a treasure trove of colour, tradition, song, dance, clothing, cuisine, language and dialect. The culture thrives today due to government policy to enhance the cultural identity of the original inhabitants of the city, and prevent their traditions being buried beneath a tide of modernization. There are annual parades and other celebrations in which three-meter tall Betawi mascots (ondel ondel) - are seen delighting the crowds with their large masks and tinsel-sprinkled headdresses.

WEST JAVA
The charming and stunning land of Sunda stretches from the Sunda Strait in the west to the borders of Central Java in the east. West Java is not only Indonesia's most populous province, but also its most productive - yielding more agricultural products and manufactured goods than any other part of the country. The region is primarily mountainous, with rich green valleys hugging lofty volcanic peaks, many of which surround the capital of the province, Bandung. The people of this region, the Sundanese, are soft-spoken and colourful, with a rich and fascinating history. The powerful and ancient kingdoms of Tarumanegara, Pajajaran, Banten and Cirebon have all risen, ruled and fallen in this province and provide fascinating studies for students of archaeology and history. West Java was one of the first contact points in Indonesia for Indian traders and their cultural influences, and it was here that the Dutch and British first set foot in Indonesia at Banten. The Dutch moved their centre of operations to Sunda Kelapa (now Jakarta) after fierce competition and rivalry with the British, only to return at a later date. West Java effectively surrounds the nation's capital of Jakarta on three sides and enjoyable roads provide good links to most of the province passing through spectacular panoramas of rocky mountains and fresh rice fields. West Java provides visitors with a great number of fascinating and wonderful things to see and do; venture to the reminders of the explosive and awesome power of Krakatau; explore the undisturbed wildlife reserve of Ujung Kulon on the south- western tip of Java; admire the Pulau Dua Bird Sanctuary off the coast of Banten and visit the isolated communities of the mysterious Baduy in the remote Halimun Mountain Reserve; discover unspoiled beaches at Pangandaran; treasure the royal palaces of Cirebon and the world renowned botanical gardens of Bogor. Bandung, the capital of the province is about 180 kms southeast of Jakarta and was once known as "The Paris of Java" because of its tree lined boulevards and artistic influences. The city gained international fame in 1955 as the venue for the first Afro-Asian Conference which brought together the leaders of 29 Asian and African Nations with the aim of promoting economic and cultural relations and taking a common stand against colonialism.

CENTRAL JAVA
The green crescent of fertile rice fields that blankets Gunung Merapi's southern flanks - with historic Yogyakarta as its focal point - is today inhabited by about 10 million Javanese, with 3 million urban residents. Rural population densities here are high, with over 1000 people per square kilometre. History has left its footprints everywhere in Central Java, an area wealthy in a culture and tradition cumulated from a influential Hindu and Buddhist past and more recent Islamic influences. Under the Saliendra and Old Mataram kings, the Hindu Javanese culture flourished between the 8th and 1 0th centuries and it was during this summit of power that Java's most remarkable religious monuments were built; Borobudur, the biggest and most magnificent monument to Mahayana Buddhism in the world; the enormous Hindu temple complex of Prambanan, dedicated to Shiva and built by the rulers of the Sanjaya Dynasty, and the ancient site of the oldest Hindu temples in Java on the magnificent, ethereal heights of the Dieng Plateau; all of these and more are testimony to the ancient power and influence of the region. The first Islamic kingdom in Java was born in 1511 in Demak, about 40 km from the Provincial capital of Semarang on the North coast. One of the province's greatest Islamic structures is, in fact, the Grand Mosque of Demak, which is said to have been built in a single night by one of the nine early leaders of Islam in Java. Surakarta, better known as Solo, is the cradle of Javanese culture in the province. The courts of Solo illustrate the noble value that the Javanese attach to grace and refinement, with majestic ceremonies and royal festivals still held with great pomp and circumstance. Although no longer the seats of power they once were, the courts of Solo are still regarded as the bearers of values which the Javanese have treasured for generations. Descendants of the royal houses are regarded as leaders of Javanese culture and traditions which uphold standards of sophistication and bearing. Two major seaports are also to be noted, providing national and international outlets for the province's agricultural and industrial products; Tanjung Emas on the northern coast on the Java Sea, and Cilacap, a natural ocean port in the Indian Ocean, in the southern part of the province.

YOGYAKARTA
Located at the epicentre of a fertile rice fields that is overshadowed to the north by fiery Mt. Merapi and bordered to the south by the Indian Ocean, the refined old city of Yogyakarta or "Yogya" is, with Solo, one of two traditional court centres remaining in Java's prehistoric area. Yogya is one of the most productive traditional farming areas on earth, with a rural population density that is among the world's highest. The province's 3.2 million people live in just 3,169 km2, this is above all remarkable since the great majority of structures are one-story formations and most people live in small village hamlets dotted about the countryside, making a living from agriculture. Yogyakarta was in the 16th and 17th centuries the seat of the mighty Javanese empire of Mataram, from which present day Yogyakarta has inherited the best of traditions. The Yogyakarta city came into being in 1755, after the division of Mataram into the Sultanates of Yogyakarta and Surakarta. The Sultan's palace is the hub of Yogya's traditional life and despite the advance of modernity; it still emanates the spirit of refinement which has been the trademark of Yogya's art for centuries. Proud of its Javanese cultural heritage, it has attracted large numbers of painters, dancers and writers, both Indonesian and foreign, and the arts flourish here. Gamelan, classical and contemporary Javanese dances, the wayang kulit leather puppet theatre and other expressions of traditional art will keep the visitor spellbound. Local craftsmen excel in the arts of batiks, silver and leather work. Yogya is now also a city of students. The city is home to more than 55 academies and university-level institutions, including Gajah Mada University, which was founded during the revolution and is now one of the largest and most prestigious universities in Indonesia. Yogya is truly unusual. Everyone who visits this fertile volcanic land seems to come away favourably impressed. Yogya is at the same time a traditional Javanese city and stronghold of young and innovate thinking. Here the graceful peacefulness of the Kraton lies just steps away from batik painters' market where bizarre new creations are on display. Everything, from the prehistoric to the modern, is accepted easily and naturally, and is quickly assimilated into the rich and complex structure of Yogyakarta's diverse heritage.

EAST JAVA
The province of East Java, extending from Mt. Luwu in the west all the way to the Bali Straits, yields rich rewards to those willing to put a bit of extra effort. This is Java's most varied province, and it consists some of the island's most splendid scenery. From sleepy ports to thundering volcanoes, from ancient temples to vast wildlife reserves, East Java offers supreme chances to get off the beaten tourist track. The Majapahit dynasty based in and around East Java, began the foundations of an empire that was to dominate the entire Indonesian archipelago, the Malay peninsula and part of the Philippines, also establishing profitable trade relations with China, Cambodia, Siam, Burma and Vietnam. As power in Central Java declined in the 10th century, powerful kingdoms rose in East Java to fill the power space. Between 1055 and 1222, the kingdom of Kediri prospered and expanded. During the reign of King Airlangga both East Java and Bali enjoyed a profitable trade with the nearby islands, directly relating to a period of artistic development and mastery. Parts of the Mahabarata epic were translated and re-interpreted to conform closer to an East Javanese philosophy and view of life, and it was from this era that East Java inherited much of its treasure of temple art. Today the open air amphitheatre at Pandaan tells some of the stories of this glorious past, with performances against an impressive backdrop of distant volcanoes, capturing the spirit of the province's culture and scenery. East Java's claim to fame in modern history is its vanguard role in the struggle for independence against colonial forces in 1945. Little of the Majapahit Empire's former glory still stands in East Java, however, with the exception of temple ruins and some archaeological discoveries. Nevertheless, East Java has a variety of attractions, ranging from temple sites to beautiful, unspoiled beaches, awesome volcanoes, picturesque highland lakes, colourful marine gardens and fantastic wildlife reserves. Magnificent mountain scenery includes the crater and legendary sea of sand at Mount Bromo, the "sulphur mountain" of Welirang and the rugged Ijen Plateau. The island of Madura, famous for its bull races, is also part of the province and has its own traditions and even a different language. The provincial capital, Surabaya is second in size, population and commerce only to Jakarta. It is also the most industrialized province in the nation with a strong economy based on agriculture, fishery, oil industries, coffee, mangoes and apples.