Central Java

Central Java Jawa Tengah
Province
Province of Central Java
Seal
Motto(s):  Prasetya Ulah Sakti Bhakti Praja "The Powerful Devotion for the Country"
Central Java in    Indonesia
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 7°30′S 110°00′E / 7.500°S 110.000°E / -7.500; 110.000
Established	19 August 1945[1]
Capital and largest city	Semarang
Government
• Body	Central Java Provincial Government
• Governor	Nana Sudjana (Acting)
• Vice Governor	Vacant
Area
• Total	33,750.37 km2 (13,031.09 sq mi)
• Rank	25th in Indonesia
Highest elevation (Mount Slamet)	3,428 m (11,247 ft)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)[2]
• Total	37,608,336
• Rank	3rd in Indonesia
• Density	1,100/km2 (2,900/sq mi)
Demographics
• Ethnic groups	97.9% Javanese 1.4% Sundanese 0.4% Chinese 0.3% other[3]
• Religion	97.30% Islam 2.50% Christianity – 1.58% Protestantism – 0.92% Catholicism 0.14% Buddhism 0.04% Hinduism 0.02% Kejawen 0.004% Confucianism[4]
• Languages	Indonesian (official) Javanese (native) Sundanese (minority)
Time zone	UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
ISO 3166 code	ID-JT
GDP (nominal)	2022[5]
- Total	Rp 1,560.9 trillion (4th) US$ 105.1 billion Int$ 328.0 billion (PPP)
- Per capita	Rp 42.2 million (28th) US$ 2,839 Int$ 8,858 (PPP)
- Growth	5.31%[6]
HDI	0.727 (13th) – high
Website	jatengprov.go.id

Central Java (Indonesian: Jawa Tengah, Javanese: ꦗꦮꦶ​ꦩꦢꦾ, romanized: Jawi Madya) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta in the south, East Java in the east, and the Java Sea in the north. It has a total area of 33,750.37 km², with a population of 36,516,035 at the 2020 Census^[7] making it the third-most populous province in both Java and Indonesia after West Java and East Java. The official population estimate in mid-2023 was 37,608,336^[2] The province also includes a number of offshore islands, including the island of Nusakambangan in the south (close to the border of West Java), and the Karimun Jawa Islands in the Java Sea.

Central Java is also a cultural concept that includes the Yogyakarta Special Region, in turn including the city of Yogyakarta; however, administratively that city and its surrounding regencies have formed a separate special region (equivalent to a province) since the country's independence, and is administered separately. Although known as the "heart" of Javanese culture, there are several other non-Javanese ethnic groups, such as the Sundanese on the border with West Java. Chinese Indonesians, Arab Indonesians, and Indian Indonesians are also scattered throughout the province.

The province has been inhabited by humans since the prehistoric-era. Remains of a Homo erectus, known as "Java Man", were found along the banks of the Bengawan Solo, and date back to 1.7 million years ago.^[8] What is present-day Central Java was once under the control of several Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms, Islamic sultanates, and the Dutch East Indies colonial government. Central Java was also the centre of the Indonesian independence movement. As the majority of modern-day Indonesians are of Javanese descent, both Central Java and East Java have a major impact on Indonesia's social, political, and economic life.