Merak, Banten

Geographical unit

Merak ( Indonesian Pulo Merak [ Note 1 ] ) is a port city in the administrative area of ​​the city ( Kota ) Cilegon in the Indonesian province of Banten. The western end of the island of Java lying, suitable for very large ships port is the starting point of a ferry across the Sunda Strait after Bakauheni in eastern Sumatra and mastered a significant portion of the freight turnover for the island of Java.

In the industrial area of ​​Merak to large petrochemical production facilities have established; here is also the largest coal power plant of Java with the name Kraftwerk Suralaya. Built in 1993 factory PT Peni, a subsidiary of BP Chemicals, is Indonesia's largest manufacturer of polyethylene. Merak is connected by a good road and a railway line with Serang and Jakarta, Indonesia.

Since the late 16th century, the Dutch ruled the island of Java. Merak counted because of the convenient port to the Europeans preferred settlements. At the time of the Napoleonic Wars the British occupied from 1811 to 1816 Java.

In the coastal region in the southwest of the province of Banten, the tourism is a major industry.

In the great eruption of Krakatoa volcano in the Sunda Strait on August 27, 1883 destroyed a very strong tsunami with many other settlements also a part of Merak. In the surroundings of the town of Karang volcano dominates a part of the coastal region.

With Merak, the Japanese were in WWII, during the Pacific War, a beachhead for the taking of Java. On March 1, 1942 the first troops landed here the second division, the main force of the Japanese attack, and began, without being greatly disturbed by the weak Dutch coastal defense forces, immediately the rapid advance of the main roads to Batavia.

The Indonesian government is planning with the involvement of investors from Europe to build a tunnel connection with Merak under the sea to unite the railway networks of Sumatra and Java directly.

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