Bawean
Encyclopedia
Bawean is an island
of Indonesia
located approximately 150 km north of Surabaya
in the Java Sea
, off the coast of Java
. It is administered by Gresik Regency of East Java
province. 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 to 655 m above sea level. Its population as of 2009 is about 75,000 people, but more than 26,000 of them (that is about 70% of the male population) were temporarily living outside, working in other parts of Indonesia, Singapore
and Malaysia). As a result, females constituted about 77% of the actual population of the island, which is thus often referred to as the island of women .
The island territory is divided into two regions, Sangkapura and Tambak. More than half the population (about 48,000) lives in the city of Sangkapura located on the southern coast of the island. The island has rich nature with many endemic species, such as Bawean Deer
which is only found on the island and is included to the IUCN Red List
. There are several large underwater petroleum
and gas
fields around the island.
(or Sanskrit
) phrase ba (light) we (the sun) an (is), that is "having the sunlight". According to the legend, Javanese sailors wandering in the mist in 1350 named the island so because they saw a glimpse of light around it; before the island was known under Arabic name of Majidi.
During the Dutch
colonization in the 18–20th centuries, the island was renamed into Lubok, but the name Bawean continued to be used by the locals and even among the Dutch. The Dutch name was abandoned in the 1940s.
As a linguistic variation, the island is also called Boyan and its natives Boyanese. These names are also common in Malaysia and Singapore, being brought there by numerous visitors from Bawean. Another popular appellation is the island of women . It originates from the predominance of the actual female population, as since the 19th century most males are taking part-time jobs outside Bawean. So whereas the nominal female population was about 52% in 2009, the actual fraction (corrected for residents abroad) was about 77%. This imbalance is a subject of national and international studies.
ships sailing across the Java Sea often used the harbor on the island. The first records of permanent settlements on the island date to the 15th century. Most of the references to Bawean in regional (mostly Javanese) sources of the 16–17th centuries are associated with visits to the island of Muslim preachers. Mass conversion of islanders to Islam began after the death in 1601 of the local Raja
Bebileono who favored animism
and the arrival from Java of the Muslim theologian Sheik Maulana Umar Mas'ud. His dynasty became independent from the Javanese States, and his great-great-grandson Purbonegoro, who ruled the island between 1720 and 1747 visited Java as a sovereign ruler. The graves of Maulana and Purbonegoro are revered on the island, they are visited by Muslim pilgrims from other parts of Indonesia and are the main historical attractions of Bawean.
– on 11 January 1597, the expedition ship Amsterdam was badly damaged off the Bawean coast. In the 17–18th centuries, the island was regularly visited by ships of the Dutch East India Company
, which was strengthening its position in this part of the Malayan archipelago, and in 1743 officially came under its control. The Island had little economic value and was used as a resting stop for ships sailing between Java and Borneo
.
After the bankruptcy and liquidation of the East India Company in 1798, Bawean and all its other possessions came under the direct control of the Netherlands Crown. Whereas the island was governed by an appointed Dutch official, native nobility retained certain influence, and the Muslim institutions of justice settled local court matters. The Bawean religious court was established in 1882.
Since the end of 19th century, men of the island began to regularly travel to work in the British colonial possessions in the Malay Peninsula
, especially in Singapore
. The Dutch authorities do not interfere with the activities of foreign recruiters who visited the island, as Bawean, with about 30,000 people and 66 settlements was overpopulated. The island was then producing tobacco
, Indigo
, cotton fabrics and coal, and exported the Bawean Deer and local breed of horse. Large-scale planting of teak
started in the 1930s and resulted in deforestation
of most of the island.
large-scale battles between the Japanese and Allied Navies occurred in the vicinity of Bawean island, especially during the Dutch East Indies campaign
of 1941–1942. On 25 February 1942, the island was captured by the Japanese troopers. On 28 February, in the first Battle of the Java Sea
, the Japanese sunk several Allied ships, killing the commander of the East Indies Fleet, Rear Admiral
Karel Doorman
, on the light cruiser
De Ruyter
. The Second Battle of the Java Sea
, also known as The Battle of Bawean, was fought on 1 March 1942. It resulted in sinking of all the participating Allied ships and effective termination of the Anglo-Dutch resistance in the region. The only naval success of the Allies in this region was the sinking of the Japanese transport ship in January 1945 by the Dutch submarine O-19. In August 1945, the Japanese garrison on the island surrendered to the Anglo-Dutch forces.
After the proclamation of the independent Republic of Indonesia on 17 August 1945 the island formally became a part of the new state. However, it remained de facto under Dutch control, and in February 1948, together with Madura and several other islands, was included in the quasi-independent state Madura promoted by the Government of the Netherlands. It joined the Republic of the United States of Indonesia
in December 1949, and finally the Republic of Indonesia
in March 1950.
about 150 km north of the larger island of Madura
. It has a nearly round shape with the size varying between 11 and 18 km and the average value of 15 km. The shores are winding and contain many small bays; there are many small sandy islands (noko), rocks and coral reef
s off the coast with the size up to 600 meters. The largest inhabited satellite islands are Selayar, Selayar Noko, Noko Gili, Gili Timur and Nusa.
Most of the island is hilly, except for the narrow coast and a plain in the southwestern part; it is therefore also called locally as "island of 99 hills". The highest point (655 m) is at the hill (that literally means "high mountain"). The greatest heights are in the central and eastern parts of the island. Here are a few caldera
lakes, the largest being the Lake Kastoba . It has an area of about 0.3 km², depth of 140 meters, and is located at an altitude of about 300 meters. There are several small rivers and waterfalls, the highest being Laccar and Patar Selamat, as well as hot spring
s such as Kebun Daya and Taubat.
The climate is tropical monsoonal
, slightly less humid than the average in this part of Indonesia. Annual and daily temperature fluctuations are small, with the average maximum of 30 °C and the average minimum of 24.5 °C. Rainy season lasts from December to March, and the average monthly precipitation ranges from 402 mm in December to 23 mm in August. Northwesterly and easterly winds dominate the rainy and dry periods, respectively.
s make about 85% of its surface with occasional limestone
, sandstone
and dolomite
. The soil in low-lying coastal areas is mainly alluvial
, with a predominance of sand and gray clay. At altitudes of 10–30 meters above sea level, older alluvial accretions show up as horizontal layers of brown clay, and the higher areas are dominated by red-brown laterite
.
The area is considered seismically active, with frequent tremors which are companied by landslides. The island has deposits of coal and onyx
which are being mined from the early 2000s. There are oil and gas fields in the underwater shelf around the island, which are among the largest in Indonesia. Their development started in the 1960s and is being conducted now by the national company Pertamina
and several foreign companies.
The fauna of Bawean Island is generally quite similar to that of Java. Initially, most of the island was covered by rainforest
, but as a result of human activity its area gradually declined and by the end of the 20th century was not more than 10% of the island. About 15% is occupied by the artificially planted Common Teak
(Tectona grandis).
The local jungles are characterized by dense low understory
with a predominance of fern
s, bryophyte
s and orchids. The most common tree species are Ficus
, Nauclea
and Symplocos adenophylla. Some plant species do not occur in the nearby Java Island, such as Canarium asperum
, Pternandra coerulescens, Pternandra rostrata, Champera manilana, Ixora
miquelii, Phanera lingua and Irvingia
malayana. Mangrove
bushes occur in some coastal areas of the island, with the main species being Sonneratia
alba, Rhizophora
mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica and Lumnitzera
racemosa.
The most notable representative of the fauna
of the island is the endemic local subspecies of deer known as Bawean Deer
, Kuhl's hog deer or Bawean hog deer (Axis kuhlii). It is considered as symbol of Bawean is protected by Indonesian law. With less than 250 individuals, of which more than 90% belong to a single population, it is considered "critically endangered" and is included into the IUCN Red List
.
Bawean hosts other rare mammals, such as Crab-eating Macaque
(Macaca fascicularis), Sunda Porcupine
(Hystrix javanica), Small Indian Civet
(Viverricula indica), Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Most common birds are Black-crowned Night Heron
(Nycticorax nycticorax), Purple Heron
(Ardea purpurea), Great Frigatebird
(Fregata minor) and Gull-billed Tern
(Gelochelidon nilotica). Reptiles are represented by different kinds of lizards (Varanus sp .), reticulated python (Python reticulatus) and saltwater crocodile
(Crocodylus porosus) which sometimes (rarely) swims to the island.
Nature conservation measures were being taken back when Bawean was under colonial administration of the Netherlands. In 1932, five forests with the total area of 4,556 hectares were declared natural reserves. In 1979, two national (Indonesian) nature reserves were created with areas of 3,832 and 725 ha, mostly to protect the forests and the habitat of the Bawean Deer.
. From 1975 it is a part of the Regency (kabupaten) of Gresik. The island is divided into two regions: Sangkapura and Tambak composed around the cities of the same names. Sangkapura has an area of 118.72 km² and population of 48,280 (2009). It includes 17 villages is headed by M. Suhami. The area of Tambak is 77.55 km² and population is 26,039 (2009). It contains 13 villages and is headed by B.S. Sofyan.
The main source of income for the majority of the Bawean population is money earned by relatives working abroad. The islanders are mainly engaged in growth of rice, maize, potato and coconut
s. Yields are lower than in Java because of significantly lower levels of agricultural mechanization and more frequent droughts. Another common economical activities are fishing and growth of teak
. The industry is represented by a few handicraft workshops. From 2006 onyx
is being mined and in the central part of the island by several Taiwanese companies.
In 2009, the island had 7 schools with 936 pupils and 116 teachers and staff. Many young people go for their studies to Java and rarely return to the island.
The island has several pharmacies and small clinics, but no hospital. Despite lack of equipment, local athletes are among the best in the county, especially in table tennis and a popular in Southeast Asia ball game sepak takraw
(wherein a liana
-woven ball is kicked over the net). Volleyball became popular in the 2000s with about 80 officially registered teams on the island.
The main ring road runs along the coast of the island; it has a length of about 55 km and 33 km of it are in poor condition. There are motorised vehicles, but most travel is done by bicycle, horse and cart, or becak. The main port of the island, Sangkapura, is connected with the settlements of northern coast of East Java and Madura. The busiest shipping route is Sangkapura – Gresik. In 2009, the administration of East Java has announced plans to build an airport in Bawean.
Between about 1900 and 1930, the population was stable at the level of 30,000. It then rose, from 29,860 in 1930 to 59,525 in 1964, owing to the improving living conditions and arrival of new settlers from Madura. The growth rate then decreased and remains at 1% or higher per year.
Most people inhabiting the island in the 15–16th centuries were from Madura
and, to a lesser extent, from Java islands. They were gradually mixed with traders, fishermen and pirates of Bugis
and Malayan ethnicities coming from other parts of the Malay Archipelago. They were later joined by migrants from the Sumatran city of Palembang
, who formed a community and took a dominant position in trade. By the beginning of the 20th century Baweans represented a fairly homogeneous ethnic community, and while living abroad formed compact communities and identified themselves as Baweans rather than other Indonesian groups.
Recent migrations to the island are small and are mostly composed of Javanese people who have certain interests on the island. Several hundred Javanese live on the island of Gili Barat which is connected to Bawean with a dam. They are engaged in growing coconut palms (Cocos nucifera). Newcoming Javanese are distinguished from the old Javanese settlers who live in the village Dipongo and speak an old-Javanese dialect.
A small Chinese community has existed on the island since at least the late 19th century. It is increasing both by natural growth and via mixed marriages of Baweans and Singaporese.
Baweans, working abroad form compact communities, some of which are known for over 150 years. For example, there were at least 763 Baweans in Singapore in 1849, most of whom lived in the area known as (Bawean village). Later, districts with the same name appeared in several parts of Malaysia. The largest migrations from the island occurred in the later 1940s – early 1950s, during the formation of Indonesia as an independent state and the associated political instability and economic difficulties. So in 1950, there were 24,000 Baweans in Singapore alone. Most Baweans living abroad keep close ties with their relatives on the island, regularly visit them, and often return after several years of absence.
The migrations from the island are mostly caused by lack of jobs in a small densely populated island and low incomes. There are generations of recruitment agents in Singapore and Malaysia specializing on employment of Baweans, mainly as construction workers and sailors. This migration also became a part of life, it is believed on the island that a man is not mature enough until he spends several years abroad. So a poll in the 2008–2009 revealed that only 55% of the locals justified the departure by economic reasons, while 35% associated it with the traditions or a desire to gain life experience.
; Baweans living in Singapore and Malaysia speak its slight variation called . Virtually the entire population knows, to a various degree, the official language of the country – Indonesian
. The predominant religion on the island is Sunni Islam
, with some remnants of the traditional local beliefs.
is becoming increasingly popular.
Local costume is closer to that of Java than Madura. Men wear sarong
(a kind of kilt
) and a long-skirted tunic, and women are dressed in sarong and a shorter jacket. There are Malayan and Bugis varieties of dress. The Malayan influence is more noticeable in the customs, ceremonies and folk dances, where the Madura heritage is weak. Also absent on the island are such traditional Madura elements as bull races and sickle-shaped knives.
The local cuisine is diverse and borrows from all local ethnicities. The traditional local pie stuffed with vegetables (usually potatoes) is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore under the name (Bawean bread).
Islands of Indonesia
This is a list of islands of Indonesian Archipelago. Indonesia comprises 17,508 - 18,306 islands and 8,844 that have been named according to estimates made by the Government of Indonesia, with 922 of those permanently inhabited. The islands span eastward from Sabang in northern Sumatra to Merauke...
of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
located approximately 150 km north of Surabaya
Surabaya
Surabaya is Indonesia's second-largest city with a population of over 2.7 million , and the capital of the province of East Java...
in the Java Sea
Java Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
, off the coast of Java
Java
Java is an island of Indonesia. With a population of 135 million , it is the world's most populous island, and one of the most densely populated regions in the world. It is home to 60% of Indonesia's population. The Indonesian capital city, Jakarta, is in west Java...
. It is administered by Gresik Regency of East Java
East Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
province. 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 to 655 m above sea level. Its population as of 2009 is about 75,000 people, but more than 26,000 of them (that is about 70% of the male population) were temporarily living outside, working in other parts of Indonesia, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malaysia). As a result, females constituted about 77% of the actual population of the island, which is thus often referred to as the island of women .
The island territory is divided into two regions, Sangkapura and Tambak. More than half the population (about 48,000) lives in the city of Sangkapura located on the southern coast of the island. The island has rich nature with many endemic species, such as Bawean Deer
Bawean Deer
The Bawean deer, Hyelaphus kuhlii, also known as Kuhl's hog deer or Bawean hog deer, is a highly threatened species of deer found only in the island of Bawean in Indonesia....
which is only found on the island and is included to the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
. There are several large underwater petroleum
Petroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
and gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
fields around the island.
Etymology
The island's name is believed to originate from the KawiKawi language
Kawi is a literary and prose language on the islands of Java, Bali, and Lombok, based on Old Javanese, a language with a sizable vocabulary of Sanskrit loanwords. Kawi is the ancestor language of modern Javanese. The name "kawi" is derived from the root ku, which in Sanskrit means “poet”, and, in...
(or Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
) phrase ba (light) we (the sun) an (is), that is "having the sunlight". According to the legend, Javanese sailors wandering in the mist in 1350 named the island so because they saw a glimpse of light around it; before the island was known under Arabic name of Majidi.
During the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
colonization in the 18–20th centuries, the island was renamed into Lubok, but the name Bawean continued to be used by the locals and even among the Dutch. The Dutch name was abandoned in the 1940s.
As a linguistic variation, the island is also called Boyan and its natives Boyanese. These names are also common in Malaysia and Singapore, being brought there by numerous visitors from Bawean. Another popular appellation is the island of women . It originates from the predominance of the actual female population, as since the 19th century most males are taking part-time jobs outside Bawean. So whereas the nominal female population was about 52% in 2009, the actual fraction (corrected for residents abroad) was about 77%. This imbalance is a subject of national and international studies.
Precolonial period
It is uncertain when humans first settled on Bawean. In the early Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
ships sailing across the Java Sea often used the harbor on the island. The first records of permanent settlements on the island date to the 15th century. Most of the references to Bawean in regional (mostly Javanese) sources of the 16–17th centuries are associated with visits to the island of Muslim preachers. Mass conversion of islanders to Islam began after the death in 1601 of the local Raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
Bebileono who favored animism
Animism
Animism refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle....
and the arrival from Java of the Muslim theologian Sheik Maulana Umar Mas'ud. His dynasty became independent from the Javanese States, and his great-great-grandson Purbonegoro, who ruled the island between 1720 and 1747 visited Java as a sovereign ruler. The graves of Maulana and Purbonegoro are revered on the island, they are visited by Muslim pilgrims from other parts of Indonesia and are the main historical attractions of Bawean.
Colonial period
Dutch sailors first visited Bawean during their trading expedition to Java led by the explorer Cornelis de HoutmanCornelis de Houtman
Cornelis de Houtman , brother of Frederick de Houtman, was a Dutch explorer who discovered a new sea route from Europe to Indonesia and managed to begin the Dutch spice trade...
– on 11 January 1597, the expedition ship Amsterdam was badly damaged off the Bawean coast. In the 17–18th centuries, the island was regularly visited by ships of the Dutch East India Company
Dutch East India Company
The Dutch East India Company was a chartered company established in 1602, when the States-General of the Netherlands granted it a 21-year monopoly to carry out colonial activities in Asia...
, which was strengthening its position in this part of the Malayan archipelago, and in 1743 officially came under its control. The Island had little economic value and was used as a resting stop for ships sailing between Java and Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
.
After the bankruptcy and liquidation of the East India Company in 1798, Bawean and all its other possessions came under the direct control of the Netherlands Crown. Whereas the island was governed by an appointed Dutch official, native nobility retained certain influence, and the Muslim institutions of justice settled local court matters. The Bawean religious court was established in 1882.
Since the end of 19th century, men of the island began to regularly travel to work in the British colonial possessions in the Malay Peninsula
Malay Peninsula
The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula is a peninsula in Southeast Asia. The land mass runs approximately north-south and, at its terminus, is the southern-most point of the Asian mainland...
, especially in Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. The Dutch authorities do not interfere with the activities of foreign recruiters who visited the island, as Bawean, with about 30,000 people and 66 settlements was overpopulated. The island was then producing tobacco
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
, Indigo
Indigo
Indigo is a color named after the purple dye derived from the plant Indigofera tinctoria and related species. The color is placed on the electromagnetic spectrum between about 420 and 450 nm in wavelength, placing it between blue and violet...
, cotton fabrics and coal, and exported the Bawean Deer and local breed of horse. Large-scale planting of teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
started in the 1930s and resulted in deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
of most of the island.
World War II and after
During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
large-scale battles between the Japanese and Allied Navies occurred in the vicinity of Bawean island, especially during the Dutch East Indies campaign
Dutch East Indies campaign
The Dutch East Indies campaign of 1941–1942 was the conquest of the Dutch East Indies by forces from the Empire of Japan in the early days of the Pacific Campaign of World War II. Forces from the Allies attempted unsuccessfully to defend the islands. Indonesia was targeted by the Japanese for its...
of 1941–1942. On 25 February 1942, the island was captured by the Japanese troopers. On 28 February, in the first Battle of the Java Sea
Battle of the Java Sea
The Battle of the Java Sea was a decisive naval battle of the Pacific campaign of World War II, that sealed the fate of the Netherlands East Indies....
, the Japanese sunk several Allied ships, killing the commander of the East Indies Fleet, Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...
Karel Doorman
Karel Doorman
Karel Willem Frederik Marie Doorman was a Dutch Rear Admiral who commanded ABDACOM Naval forces, a hastily-organized multinational naval force formed to defend the East Indies against an overwhelming Imperial Japanese attack. Doorman was killed and the main body of ABDACOM Naval forces destroyed...
, on the light cruiser
Light cruiser
A light cruiser is a type of small- or medium-sized warship. The term is a shortening of the phrase "light armored cruiser", describing a small ship that carried armor in the same way as an armored cruiser: a protective belt and deck...
De Ruyter
De Ruyter class cruiser
The De Ruyter class was a class of light cruisers of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after the famous Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter. It was designed during the Great Depression, which, in addition to being a period of economical depression, was also a period in which pacifism was widespread in...
. The Second Battle of the Java Sea
Second Battle of the Java Sea
The Second Battle of the Java Sea was the last naval action of the Netherlands East Indies campaign, of 1941–1942. It occurred on 1 March 1942, two days after the first Battle of the Java Sea...
, also known as The Battle of Bawean, was fought on 1 March 1942. It resulted in sinking of all the participating Allied ships and effective termination of the Anglo-Dutch resistance in the region. The only naval success of the Allies in this region was the sinking of the Japanese transport ship in January 1945 by the Dutch submarine O-19. In August 1945, the Japanese garrison on the island surrendered to the Anglo-Dutch forces.
After the proclamation of the independent Republic of Indonesia on 17 August 1945 the island formally became a part of the new state. However, it remained de facto under Dutch control, and in February 1948, together with Madura and several other islands, was included in the quasi-independent state Madura promoted by the Government of the Netherlands. It joined the Republic of the United States of Indonesia
Republic of the United States of Indonesia
The Republic of the United States of Indonesia , also abbreviated as RUSI, was a federal state to which the Netherlands formally transferred sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies on 27 December 1949 following the Dutch-Indonesian Round Table Conference...
in December 1949, and finally the Republic of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
in March 1950.
Geography and climate
The island is located in the Java SeaJava Sea
The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
about 150 km north of the larger island of Madura
Madura
Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,250 km². Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. It is separated from Java by the narrow Strait of Madura.-History:...
. It has a nearly round shape with the size varying between 11 and 18 km and the average value of 15 km. The shores are winding and contain many small bays; there are many small sandy islands (noko), rocks and coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s off the coast with the size up to 600 meters. The largest inhabited satellite islands are Selayar, Selayar Noko, Noko Gili, Gili Timur and Nusa.
Caldera
A caldera is a cauldron-like volcanic feature usually formed by the collapse of land following a volcanic eruption, such as the one at Yellowstone National Park in the US. They are sometimes confused with volcanic craters...
lakes, the largest being the Lake Kastoba . It has an area of about 0.3 km², depth of 140 meters, and is located at an altitude of about 300 meters. There are several small rivers and waterfalls, the highest being Laccar and Patar Selamat, as well as hot spring
Hot spring
A hot spring is a spring that is produced by the emergence of geothermally heated groundwater from the Earth's crust. There are geothermal hot springs in many locations all over the crust of the earth.-Definitions:...
s such as Kebun Daya and Taubat.
The climate is tropical monsoonal
Tropical monsoon climate
Tropical monsoon climate, occasionally also known as a tropical wet climate or tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate in climate classification, is a relatively rare type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category "Am."Tropical monsoon climates have monthly...
, slightly less humid than the average in this part of Indonesia. Annual and daily temperature fluctuations are small, with the average maximum of 30 °C and the average minimum of 24.5 °C. Rainy season lasts from December to March, and the average monthly precipitation ranges from 402 mm in December to 23 mm in August. Northwesterly and easterly winds dominate the rainy and dry periods, respectively.
Geology
The island originated from a volcano located near its center. Igneous rockIgneous rock
Igneous rock is one of the three main rock types, the others being sedimentary and metamorphic rock. Igneous rock is formed through the cooling and solidification of magma or lava...
s make about 85% of its surface with occasional limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
, sandstone
Sandstone
Sandstone is a sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized minerals or rock grains.Most sandstone is composed of quartz and/or feldspar because these are the most common minerals in the Earth's crust. Like sand, sandstone may be any colour, but the most common colours are tan, brown, yellow,...
and dolomite
Dolomite
Dolomite is a carbonate mineral composed of calcium magnesium carbonate CaMg2. The term is also used to describe the sedimentary carbonate rock dolostone....
. The soil in low-lying coastal areas is mainly alluvial
Alluvium
Alluvium is loose, unconsolidated soil or sediments, eroded, deposited, and reshaped by water in some form in a non-marine setting. Alluvium is typically made up of a variety of materials, including fine particles of silt and clay and larger particles of sand and gravel...
, with a predominance of sand and gray clay. At altitudes of 10–30 meters above sea level, older alluvial accretions show up as horizontal layers of brown clay, and the higher areas are dominated by red-brown laterite
Laterite
Laterites are soil types rich in iron and aluminium, formed in hot and wet tropical areas. Nearly all laterites are rusty-red because of iron oxides. They develop by intensive and long-lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock...
.
The area is considered seismically active, with frequent tremors which are companied by landslides. The island has deposits of coal and onyx
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
which are being mined from the early 2000s. There are oil and gas fields in the underwater shelf around the island, which are among the largest in Indonesia. Their development started in the 1960s and is being conducted now by the national company Pertamina
Pertamina
Pertamina is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which extracts and refines the country's oil and gas reserves. It was created in August 1968 by the merger of Pertamin and Permina...
and several foreign companies.
Flora and fauna
Rainforest
Rainforests are forests characterized by high rainfall, with definitions based on a minimum normal annual rainfall of 1750-2000 mm...
, but as a result of human activity its area gradually declined and by the end of the 20th century was not more than 10% of the island. About 15% is occupied by the artificially planted Common Teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
(Tectona grandis).
The local jungles are characterized by dense low understory
Understory
Understory is the term for the area of a forest which grows at the lowest height level below the forest canopy. Plants in the understory consist of a mixture of seedlings and saplings of canopy trees together with understory shrubs and herbs...
with a predominance of fern
Fern
A fern is any one of a group of about 12,000 species of plants belonging to the botanical group known as Pteridophyta. Unlike mosses, they have xylem and phloem . They have stems, leaves, and roots like other vascular plants...
s, bryophyte
Bryophyte
Bryophyte is a traditional name used to refer to all embryophytes that do not have true vascular tissue and are therefore called 'non-vascular plants'. Some bryophytes do have specialized tissues for the transport of water; however since these do not contain lignin, they are not considered to be...
s and orchids. The most common tree species are Ficus
Ficus
Ficus is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes, and hemiepiphyte in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending into the semi-warm temperate zone. The Common Fig Ficus is a genus of...
, Nauclea
Nauclea
Nauclea is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. The species are evergreen trees or shrubs that are native to the paleotropics. The terminal vegetative buds are usually strongly flattened. The generic name is derived from the Ancient Greek words naus, meaning "ship" and kleio,...
and Symplocos adenophylla. Some plant species do not occur in the nearby Java Island, such as Canarium asperum
Canarium asperum
Canarium asperum is a species of plant in the Burseraceae family. It is found in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and the Solomon Islands.-References:...
, Pternandra coerulescens, Pternandra rostrata, Champera manilana, Ixora
Ixora
Ixora is a genus of flowering plants in the Rubiaceae family. It consists of tropical evergreen trees and shrubs and holds around 500 species. Though native to the tropical and subtropical areas throughout the world, its centre of diversity is in Tropical Asia. Ixora also grows commonly in...
miquelii, Phanera lingua and Irvingia
Irvingia
Irvingia is a genus of African and Southeast Asian trees in the family Irvingiaceae, sometimes known by the common names wild mango, African mango, or bush mango...
malayana. Mangrove
Mangrove
Mangroves are various kinds of trees up to medium height and shrubs that grow in saline coastal sediment habitats in the tropics and subtropics – mainly between latitudes N and S...
bushes occur in some coastal areas of the island, with the main species being Sonneratia
Sonneratia
Sonneratia is a genus of plants in the family Lythraceae. Formerly the Sonneratia were placed in a family called Sonneratiaceae which included both the Sonneratia and the Duabanga, but these two are now placed in their own monotypic subfamilies of the family Lythraceae...
alba, Rhizophora
Rhizophora
Rhizophora is a genus of tropical mangrove trees, sometimes collectively called true mangroves. The most notable species is the Red Mangrove but some other species and a few natural hybrids are known. Rhizophora species generally live in intertidal zones which are indundated daily by the ocean...
mucronata, Bruguiera cylindrica and Lumnitzera
Lumnitzera
Lumnitzera is an Indo-West Pacific mangrove genus in the family Combretaceae. The English common name is Black Mangrove. Lumnitzera, named after the German botanist, Stephan Lumnitzer , occurs in mangroves from East Africa to the Western Pacific , and northern Australia.The genus has two species of...
racemosa.
The most notable representative of the fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
of the island is the endemic local subspecies of deer known as Bawean Deer
Bawean Deer
The Bawean deer, Hyelaphus kuhlii, also known as Kuhl's hog deer or Bawean hog deer, is a highly threatened species of deer found only in the island of Bawean in Indonesia....
, Kuhl's hog deer or Bawean hog deer (Axis kuhlii). It is considered as symbol of Bawean is protected by Indonesian law. With less than 250 individuals, of which more than 90% belong to a single population, it is considered "critically endangered" and is included into the IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
.
Bawean hosts other rare mammals, such as Crab-eating Macaque
Crab-eating Macaque
The Crab-eating macaque is a cercopithecine primate native to Southeast Asia. It is also called the "long-tailed macaque", and is referred to as the "cynomolgus monkey" in laboratories.-Etymology:...
(Macaca fascicularis), Sunda Porcupine
Sunda Porcupine
The Sunda Porcupine is a species of rodent in the Hystricidae family. It is endemic to Indonesia....
(Hystrix javanica), Small Indian Civet
Small Indian Civet
The Small Indian Civet or Rasse is a species of civet found across south and South-east Asia as well as in the Indonesian archipelago. The Assamese name Johamaal refers to its glandular odour similar to a scented rice variety called Joha...
(Viverricula indica), Asian Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus). Most common birds are Black-crowned Night Heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
(Nycticorax nycticorax), Purple Heron
Purple Heron
The Purple Heron is a wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae, breeding in Africa, central and southern Europe, and southern and eastern Asia. The European populations are migratory, wintering in tropical Africa; the more northerly Asian populations also migrate further south within Asia...
(Ardea purpurea), Great Frigatebird
Great Frigatebird
The Great Frigatebird is a large dispersive seabird in the frigatebird family. Major nesting populations are found in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, as well as a population in the South Atlantic....
(Fregata minor) and Gull-billed Tern
Gull-billed Tern
The Gull-billed Tern formerly Sterna nilotica , is a seabird of the tern family Sternidae...
(Gelochelidon nilotica). Reptiles are represented by different kinds of lizards (Varanus sp .), reticulated python (Python reticulatus) and saltwater crocodile
Saltwater Crocodile
The saltwater crocodile, also known as estuarine or Indo-Pacific crocodile, is the largest of all living reptiles...
(Crocodylus porosus) which sometimes (rarely) swims to the island.
Nature conservation measures were being taken back when Bawean was under colonial administration of the Netherlands. In 1932, five forests with the total area of 4,556 hectares were declared natural reserves. In 1979, two national (Indonesian) nature reserves were created with areas of 3,832 and 725 ha, mostly to protect the forests and the habitat of the Bawean Deer.
Administration
Bawean belongs to the province of East JavaEast Java
East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and islands to its east and to its north East Java is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the eastern part of the island of Java and includes neighboring Madura and...
. From 1975 it is a part of the Regency (kabupaten) of Gresik. The island is divided into two regions: Sangkapura and Tambak composed around the cities of the same names. Sangkapura has an area of 118.72 km² and population of 48,280 (2009). It includes 17 villages is headed by M. Suhami. The area of Tambak is 77.55 km² and population is 26,039 (2009). It contains 13 villages and is headed by B.S. Sofyan.
Economy and social activities
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
s. Yields are lower than in Java because of significantly lower levels of agricultural mechanization and more frequent droughts. Another common economical activities are fishing and growth of teak
Teak
Teak is the common name for the tropical hardwood tree species Tectona grandis and its wood products. Tectona grandis is native to south and southeast Asia, mainly India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Burma, but is naturalized and cultivated in many countries, including those in Africa and the...
. The industry is represented by a few handicraft workshops. From 2006 onyx
Onyx
Onyx is a banded variety of chalcedony. The colors of its bands range from white to almost every color . Commonly, specimens of onyx contain bands of black and/or white.-Etymology:...
is being mined and in the central part of the island by several Taiwanese companies.
In 2009, the island had 7 schools with 936 pupils and 116 teachers and staff. Many young people go for their studies to Java and rarely return to the island.
The island has several pharmacies and small clinics, but no hospital. Despite lack of equipment, local athletes are among the best in the county, especially in table tennis and a popular in Southeast Asia ball game sepak takraw
Sepak takraw
Sepak takraw , or kick volleyball, is a sport native to the Malay-Thai Peninsula...
(wherein a liana
Liana
A liana is any of various long-stemmed, woody vines that are rooted in the soil at ground level and use trees, as well as other means of vertical support, to climb up to the canopy to get access to well-lit areas of the forest. Lianas are especially characteristic of tropical moist deciduous...
-woven ball is kicked over the net). Volleyball became popular in the 2000s with about 80 officially registered teams on the island.
The main ring road runs along the coast of the island; it has a length of about 55 km and 33 km of it are in poor condition. There are motorised vehicles, but most travel is done by bicycle, horse and cart, or becak. The main port of the island, Sangkapura, is connected with the settlements of northern coast of East Java and Madura. The busiest shipping route is Sangkapura – Gresik. In 2009, the administration of East Java has announced plans to build an airport in Bawean.
Tourism and attractions
Governments – both local and of Gresik – are attempting to appeal Bawean for tourists by advertising local natural attractions, which include the Lake Kastoba, hot springs Kebundaya and Taubat, waterfalls Lachchar and Patar Selamat, the caves in the central part of the island, sandy beaches and coral reefs on the coast. However, poor infrastructural development of the island, combined with its remoteness from Java, hinders the development of tourism here. In addition, some locals regard Kastoba as a sacred lake and protest visiting it by tourists.Demographics
The high migration hinders accurate count of the number of people living on the island. In 2009, the number of residents was 74,319, of which at least 26,000 were living abroad – in Malaysia, Singapore and, to a lesser extent, in Java and other areas in Indonesia. The southern coast of the island is most densely populated with more than half of the islanders living in the city of Sangkapura.Between about 1900 and 1930, the population was stable at the level of 30,000. It then rose, from 29,860 in 1930 to 59,525 in 1964, owing to the improving living conditions and arrival of new settlers from Madura. The growth rate then decreased and remains at 1% or higher per year.
Most people inhabiting the island in the 15–16th centuries were from Madura
Madura
Madura is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately 4,250 km². Madura is administered as part of the East Java province. It is separated from Java by the narrow Strait of Madura.-History:...
and, to a lesser extent, from Java islands. They were gradually mixed with traders, fishermen and pirates of Bugis
Bugis
The Bugis are the most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, the southwestern province of Sulawesi, Indonesia's third largest island. Although many Bugis live in the large port cities of Makassar and Parepare, the majority are farmers who grow wet rice on the...
and Malayan ethnicities coming from other parts of the Malay Archipelago. They were later joined by migrants from the Sumatran city of Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
, who formed a community and took a dominant position in trade. By the beginning of the 20th century Baweans represented a fairly homogeneous ethnic community, and while living abroad formed compact communities and identified themselves as Baweans rather than other Indonesian groups.
A small Chinese community has existed on the island since at least the late 19th century. It is increasing both by natural growth and via mixed marriages of Baweans and Singaporese.
Baweans, working abroad form compact communities, some of which are known for over 150 years. For example, there were at least 763 Baweans in Singapore in 1849, most of whom lived in the area known as (Bawean village). Later, districts with the same name appeared in several parts of Malaysia. The largest migrations from the island occurred in the later 1940s – early 1950s, during the formation of Indonesia as an independent state and the associated political instability and economic difficulties. So in 1950, there were 24,000 Baweans in Singapore alone. Most Baweans living abroad keep close ties with their relatives on the island, regularly visit them, and often return after several years of absence.
The migrations from the island are mostly caused by lack of jobs in a small densely populated island and low incomes. There are generations of recruitment agents in Singapore and Malaysia specializing on employment of Baweans, mainly as construction workers and sailors. This migration also became a part of life, it is believed on the island that a man is not mature enough until he spends several years abroad. So a poll in the 2008–2009 revealed that only 55% of the locals justified the departure by economic reasons, while 35% associated it with the traditions or a desire to gain life experience.
Language and religion
Most population speaks a Bawean dialect, which is regarded as the most lexically and phonetically peculiar dialect of Madurese languageMadurese language
Madurese is a language of the Madurese people of Madura Island and eastern Java, Indonesia; it is also spoken on the neighbouring small Kangean Islands and Sapudi Islands, as well as from migrants to other parts of Indonesia, namely the Tapal Kuda area comprising Pasuruan, Surabaya, Malang until...
; Baweans living in Singapore and Malaysia speak its slight variation called . Virtually the entire population knows, to a various degree, the official language of the country – Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
. The predominant religion on the island is Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims are referred to in Arabic as ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah wa āl-Ǧamāʿah or ʾAhl ūs-Sunnah for short; in English, they are known as Sunni Muslims, Sunnis or Sunnites....
, with some remnants of the traditional local beliefs.
Lifestyle
Traditional dwellings are quite similar on the Madura and Bawean islands. They have a bamboo frame, with porch, often on low poles. The roof is traditionally covered with palm leaves or reeds, but tileTile
A tile is a manufactured piece of hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, or even glass. Tiles are generally used for covering roofs, floors, walls, showers, or other objects such as tabletops...
is becoming increasingly popular.
Local costume is closer to that of Java than Madura. Men wear sarong
Sarong
A sarong or sarung is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist and worn as a kilt by men and as a skirt by women throughout much of South Asia, Southeast Asia, the Arabian Peninsula, the Horn of Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric most often has woven plaid or...
(a kind of kilt
Kilt
The kilt is a knee-length garment with pleats at the rear, originating in the traditional dress of men and boys in the Scottish Highlands of the 16th century. Since the 19th century it has become associated with the wider culture of Scotland in general, or with Celtic heritage even more broadly...
) and a long-skirted tunic, and women are dressed in sarong and a shorter jacket. There are Malayan and Bugis varieties of dress. The Malayan influence is more noticeable in the customs, ceremonies and folk dances, where the Madura heritage is weak. Also absent on the island are such traditional Madura elements as bull races and sickle-shaped knives.
The local cuisine is diverse and borrows from all local ethnicities. The traditional local pie stuffed with vegetables (usually potatoes) is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore under the name (Bawean bread).