Banten

Banten
Province
Province of Banten
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Tanah Jawara (Sundanese) ᮒᮔᮂ ᮏᮝᮛ Land of the Champions
Motto(s):  Iman Taqwa (Indonesian) (Faith and Piety)
Banten in    Indonesia
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 6°30′S 106°15′E / 6.500°S 106.250°E / -6.500; 106.250
Capital	Serang
Largest city	Tangerang
Established	4 October 2000
Government
• Body	Banten Provincial Government
• Governor	Al Muktabar (Acting)
• Vice Governor	Vacant
Area
• Total	9,352.77 km2 (3,611.12 sq mi)
• Rank	34th in Indonesia
Highest elevation (Mount Halimun)	1,929 m (6,329 ft)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
• Total	12,307,732
• Rank	5th in Indonesia
• Density	1,300/km2 (3,400/sq mi)
Demonym	Bantenese
Demographics
• Religion	Islam (94.62%) Christianity (3.94%) —Protestant (2.65%) —Catholic (1.29%) Buddhism (1.30%) Hindu (0.10%) Aliran Kepercayaan (0.03%) Konghucu (0.01%)[2]
• Languages	Indonesian (official) Sundanese (lingua franca) Javanese (minor areas) Betawi
Time zone	UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
ISO 3166 code	ID-BT
GDP (nominal)	2022[3]
- Total	Rp 747.3 trillion (8th) US$ 50.3 billion Int$ 157.0 billion (PPP)
- Per capita	Rp 61.00 million (15th) US$ 4,107 Int$ 12,817 (PPP)
- Growth	5.03%[4]
HDI	0.738 (8th) – high
Website	bantenprov.go.id

Banten (Indonesian: Banten, Sundanese: ᮘᮔ᮪ᮒᮨᮔ᮪, romanized: Banten) is the westernmost province on the island of Java, Indonesia. Its capital city is Serang and its largest city is Tangerang. The province borders West Java and the Special Capital Region of Jakarta on the east, the Java Sea on the north, the Indian Ocean on the south, and the Sunda Strait (which separates Java from the neighbouring island of Sumatra) on the west and shares a maritime border with Bengkulu and Lampung to the east and Bangka Belitung Islands to the north. The province covers an area of 9,352.77 km² (3,611.12 sq mi). It had a population of over 11.9 million in the 2020 census,^[5] up from about 10.6 million in 2010.^[6] The estimated mid-2023 population was 12.308 million.^[1] Formerly part of the province of West Java, Banten was split off to become a province on 17 October 2000.

The northern half (particularly the eastern areas near Jakarta and the Java Sea coast) has recently experienced rapid rises in population and urbanization, and the southern half (especially the region facing the Indian Ocean) has a more traditional character but an equally fast-rising population.

Present-day Banten was part of the Sundanese Tarumanagara kingdom from the fourth to the seventh centuries AD. After the fall of Tarumanegara, it was controlled by Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms such as the Srivijaya Empire and the Sunda Kingdom. The spread of Islam in the region began in the 15th century; by the late 16th century, Islam had replaced Hinduism and Buddhism as the dominant religion in the province, with the establishment of the Banten Sultanate. European traders began arriving in the region – first the Portuguese, followed by the British and the Dutch. The Dutch East India Company (VOC) finally controlled the regional economy, gradually weakening the Banten Sultanate. On 22 November 1808, Dutch Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels declared that the Sultanate of Banten had been absorbed into the Dutch East Indies.^[7] This began the Bantam Residency, 150 years of direct Dutch rule. In March 1942, the Japanese invaded the Indies and occupied the region for three years before their August 1945 surrender. The region was returned to Dutch control for the next five years before the Dutch left and it was ruled by the Indonesian government. Banten became part of the province of West Java, but separatist efforts led to the creation of the separate province of Banten in 2000.^[8]