The province of West Java is geographically located on the west part of Java island. Its total area covers 35.222,18 km2, the total population of 48.68 million people in 2018. Its territory is bordered by the Java Sea to the north, Central Java to the east, the Indian Ocean to the south, and Banten and Jakarta provinces to the west. The ethnic groups in West Java are Betawi, Sundanese, and Cirebon. The majority of the population is Muslim (95.68%), Catholic (5.67%), Christians (2.93%), Buddhist (1.94%), and Hindu (0.79%). This province possesses many cultural points of interests and the relics of ancient royal kingdoms, namely: Tarumanagara Kingdom, Sunda Kingdom, Sultanate of Demak, Sultanate of Cirebon, Sultanate of Banten, and Mataram kingdom before the colonial era in 17th Century. The Sultanate of Cirebon still exists and carries on strong political-cultural influence in the city of Cirebon, West Java. Its palace and royal heritage are preserved under the law of the Indonesian Ministry of Education Culture.
West Java society is known as a religious community, with a wealth of cultural heritage and traditional noble values. Its community adheres to the values of ‘Herang Caina Beunang Laukna’ that promotes mutual understanding, cooperations, and mutual benefits among the community members.
