Banyuwangi Regency

Banyuwangi, German spelling also Banjuwangi, is a port city in Indonesia with over 114,000 residents. It is located in the province of East Java in the far east of the island of Java near the Strait of Bali, which separates the city from the island of Bali. Banyuwangi is the capital of the district ( Kecamatan ) Banyuwangi, which has a total of 1,540,000 inhabitants.

In the city itself live next to the Osings also Javanese (mostly in the south and west of the city ), Madurese (mainly in the north and on the east coast ) and Balinese, who also live in the east of the city. In addition, there also Chinese, Arabs and Bugis live in the city sporadically.

About Banyuwangi copra, rubber and wood is exported from the interior of Java. There are sawmills; to the other sectors of the economy of the city include wood carving, paper making and leather tanning.

The city is rich in culture, which is reflected in the many festivals that are celebrated in the city each year. Famous is the special dance form Gandrung Banyuwangi, in which an unmarried young singer and dancer dancing in a night event with changing male viewers, of which she gets slipped bills. Gandrung was originally a fertility and purification dance. The usual orchestral accompaniment consists of two Biolas (violins ), two Kendangs ( barrel drums ), two Kethuk (small kettle gongs made ​​of iron ), a hanging gong and a Kluncing ( triangle ). A similar Gandrung dance style is accompanied in the music of Lombok, among others, by a Preret (wind instrument ).

The city is also a popular destination for Bali tourists due to its proximity to Bali.

In the Middle Ages Banyuwangi was under the rule of the East Javanese kingdom of Majapahit and Singhasari. After the fall of Majapahit ( late 15th century ) could the last Hindu empire on Java, the Kingdom Blambangan, whose capital Banyuwangi was to make independent and turned to ward off attacks from the Muslim north Javanese Sultanate of Demak under the protection of Balinese kingdoms. Until the 17th century belonged to the Empire Blambangan Banyuwangi. In 1772 the city came under the control of the Dutch.

- 8.2186111111111114.36694444444Koordinaten: 8 ° 13 ' S, 114 ° 22 ' E