Geography

View of the mount and the crater of Tangkuban Parahu,

Bandung Tea plantations in Malabar, southern Bandung.

Tea plantations are common sight across mountainous West Java

West Java borders Jakarta and Banten province to the west and Central Java to the east. To
the north is the Java Sea. To the south is the Indian Ocean. Unlike most other provinces in
Indonesia which have their capitals in coastal areas, the provincial capital, Bandung, is
located in the mountainous area in the centre of the province. Banten Province was formerly
part of West Java but was created a separate province in 2000. West Java, in the densely
populated western third of Java and covering a land area of 37,040.04 km2 (larger than
Guinea-Bissau) is home to almost one out of every five Indonesians.

West Java and Banten provinces, as a part of the Pacific Ring of Fire, have more mountains
and volcanoes than any of the other provinces in Indonesia. The vast volcanic mountainous
region of inland West Java is traditionally known as Parahyangan (also known as Priangan or
Preanger) which means "The abode of hyangs (gods)". It is considered as the heartland of the
Sundanese people. The highest point of West Java is the stratovolcano Mount Cereme (3,078
metres) bordering Kuningan and Majalengka Regencies. West Java has rich and fertile
volcanic soil. Agriculture, mostly traditional dry rice cultivation (known as ladang or huma),
has become the primary way of life of traditional Sundanese people. Since the era of the
Dutch East India Company (VOC), West Java has been known as a productive plantation
area for coffee, tea, quinine, and many other cash crops. The mountainous region of West
Java is also a major producer of vegetables and decorative flowering plants. The landscape of
the province is one of volcanic mountains, rugged terrain, forest, mountains, rivers, fertile
agricultural land, and natural sea harbours.[14]

Flowing through the Bandung Basin to the northeast is the Tarum River (or Ci-tarum), the
longest and most important river in the province. This 300-km long river is the site of three
dams, namely Cirata Dam, Saguling Dam, and Jatiluhur Dam.