Surabaya information

Surabaya  

                        
Surabaya (formerly Soerabaja) is Indonesia's second-largest city, and the capital of the province of East Java. It is located on the northern shore of eastern Java at the mouth of the Mas River and at the side of the Madura Strait.

The city is one of the busiest ports in the country. Its principal exports include sugar, tobacco and coffee. It has a large shipyard, and numerous specialized naval schools.

Surabaya derives its name from the words sura (shark) and buaya (crocodile), which, in a local myth, are told to be fighting each other in order to gain the title "the strongest and most powerful animal in the area". Now the two animals are used as the city's logo, the two facing each other while circling the city's monument, the Tugu Pahlawan (Heroes' monument).


History

In the fifteenth and sixteenth century, Surabaya was a sultanate and a major political and military power in eastern Java. It entered a conflict with, and was later captured by, the more powerful Sultanate of Mataram in 1625 under Sultan Agung. It was one of Mataram's fiercest campaigns, in which they had to conquer Surabaya's allies, Sukadana and Madura and to lay siege to the city before capturing it. With this conquest, Mataram then controlled almost the whole of Java, with the exception of the Sultanate of Banten and the Dutch settlement of Batavia.

The expanding East Indies Companies took the city over from a weakened Mataram in November 1743. Surabaya became a major trading center under the Dutch colonial government, and hosted the largest naval base in the colony.

In 1917 a revolt occurred amongst the soldiers and sailors of Surabaya, led by the Indies Social Democratic Association. The revolt was firmly crushed and the insurgents given harsh sentences.

During World War II Surabaya was captured by the Japanese in 1942, until the Allies bombed it in 1944. After that it was seized by Indonesian nationalists. However, the young nation was soon put into conflict with the Allied-backed Dutch who tried to retake their colony. The Battle of Surabaya was one of the most important battles of the Indonesian revolution. It was started after British Brigadier General Mallaby was killed in a car explosion in October 30, 1945 near Jembatan Merah (the "Red Bridge"). The Allies gave an ultimatum to the Indonesian freedom fighters inside the city to surrender, but this was refused. The ensuing battle took place on 10 November, nowadays celebrated as Heroes' Day (Hari Pahlawan).

The city was then re-occupied by the Dutch in 1947. Because of prolonged international pressure, the Dutch agreed to transfer sovereignty of its colony in August 1949. Surabaya was ultimately incorporated into Indonesia in December 1949 and rebuilt.


The city

As the main seaport and commercial center in the eastern region of Indonesia, Surabaya has become one of the largest cities in Southeast Asia. Today, Surabaya's population is around three million, and the surrounding metropolitan area houses at least 5 million. The areas surrounding Surabaya include Lamongan to the northwest, Gresik to the west, Bangkalan to the northeast, Sidoarjo to the south, and Mojokerto and Jombang to the southwest.

Currently, the Indonesian government is building the Suramadu Bridge between Surabaya and the island of Madura; when completed, it will be the longest bridge in the country. Madura is currently accessible by a ferry service that operates regularly from Surabaya's port, Tanjung Perak (which literally means: "Silver Cape" in Indonesian).

Surabaya is home to the Eastern Armada, one of two in the Indonesian Navy. Its strong maritime heritage is also reflected with the Submarine Monument, a real retired Russian submarine, called Pasopati, that was converted into a museum ship in the city centre.

Flooding is common in many areas of the city during the rainy season, mostly caused by clogged sewers and inept bureaucracy. The fact that Surabaya is located in a river delta and has a flat and relatively low elevation doesn't help the matter either.

Surabaya is the location of the only synagogue in Indonesia, although it is currently inactive.

Surabaya's zoo, opened in 1916, was the first in the world to have successfully bred orangutans in captivity.

Other points of interest include:

Grand Mosque of Surabaya, the largest mosque in East Java
Cheng Ho Mosque, the first mosque in Indonesia built with a Chinese style architecture
Jales Veva Jaya Mahe Monument, a large, admiral-like statue which commemorates the Indonesian Navy
Mpu Tantular Museum, has a large collection of ancient Javanese artifacts


Demography

Surabaya is the second most populous city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Most of its population are of Javanese descent. Notable minorities include Madurese from nearby Madura Island and Chinese Indonesians.

Most citizens speak a unique dialect of Javanese called Surabayan. This dialect is noted for equality and directness in speech. The usage of register is less strict than the Central Javan dialect. The Surabaya dialect is actively promoted in local media, such as in local TV shows, radio and traditional dramas called Loedroek.

The city is highly urbanized, due to the many industries located in the city, and as a result, there is also a large slum area.


Education

Surabaya has several major universities and other institutions with religious or technical specialties. One of them is Airlangga University (Unair), the oldest and largest public university in eastern Java, with eleven departments in a variety of fields, including an especially well-regarded medical school and psychology department

The Institut Teknologi Sepuluh Nopember is one of the country's most selective technology institutions, and is well-known for its robotics, mechanical engineering, and marine engineering programs.

As one of the Indonesian military's major naval ports, Surabaya is the site of the national Naval Military Academy.

Madurese form a significant portion of the city's population - estimates are between 25% and 33%, and the Madurese language influences the Surabayan dialect of Javanese spoken in the streets.


Understand

With over 3 million people, Surabaya may be the second-largest city in Indonesia, but it's a little lacking in sights. However, many people come here on business and Surabaya is also a gateway city for Mount Bromo and the island of Bali.

As with any big city, never let your guard down, because big cities such as Surabaya have a high criminal rate. Don't walk on the streets, especially at night, if you can avoid it since you won't have anything to sightsee and the air pollution is fairly high. Be polite to the people, since Surabayans tend to swear easily. Do not easily trust people you have just met, even if they look friendly.

During the rainy season, be prepared for the floods and the traffic jams, even though it's not as bad as Jakarta.

To call elderly people, use 'Pak'(short for 'Bapak') for men and 'Bu' (short for 'Ibu') for women. To call young adult people, use 'Mas' for men and 'Mbak' for women. To call children, use 'Dik' (short for 'Adik') for both gender. 'Permisi' is excuse me, 'Terima Kasih'/'Makasih' is thank you, and 'Maaf' is sorry.


See

• Grahadi. The colonial-era residence of the Governor of East Java.

• Surabaya Zoo (Kebun Binatang), 3 km south of the city (near Joyoboyo bus terminal). One of the largest and best in South-East Asia.

• House of Sampoerna.
• Tugu Pahlawan A monument dedicated to the fallen heroes of Surabaya during the Independence war of 1945-49.
• Kya-Kya Kembang Jepun At night the Kembang Jepun area in chinatown is transformed into a street bazaar of food stalls. An interesting show of indo-chinese culture and atmosphere.
• Monumen Jalasveva Jayamahe A monument in Surabaya's seafront dedicated to the service of The Indonesian Navy.
• Monumen Kapal Selam A submarine monument next to Delta Plaza.
• G-Walk located in west Surabaya (Citra-raya) they have a lot of food stall and bazar at night you can find most of famous food in this town. it's very crowded at night and it's a place for a lot of young people to hang out.

Emergency

• Ambulance: 118.
• Police: 110.
• East Java Police HQ: Jl. Ahmad Yani, Tel.: (62)(31) 8280748.
• Surabaya Police HQ: Jl. Sikatan 1. Tel.: (62)(31) 3523927.
• Surabaya Police stations:
  • East Surabaya, Jl. Sidodadi. Tel.: (62)(31)5341053, (62)(31) 3711052.
  • North Surabaya, Jl. Raden Saleh. Tel.: (62)(31)5688099, (62)(31) 5341053.
  • South Surabaya, Jl. Dukuh Kupang Barat 16. Tel.: (62)(31) 3711052, (62)(31) 5670641.
  • Tanjung Perak, Jl. Kalianget 1. Tel.: (62)(31) 3293023, (62)(31) 3293023.

List hospitals with 24 hours emergency room (ER):

• RSUD Dr. Soetomo, Jl. Prof. Moestopo 6-8. Tel.: (62)(31) 5340061.
• RSUD Haji, Jl. Manyar Kertoadi. Tel.: (62)(31) 5947760.
• RS Darmo, Jl. Raya Darmo. Tel.: (62)(31) 5676253.
• RS Griya Husada, Jl. Bubutan 93. Tel.: (62)(31) 5340828.
• RS Mitra Keluarga, Jl. Satelit Indah II Darmo Satelit. Tel.: (62)(31) 7345333.
• RS William Booth, Jl. Diponegoro 34. Tel.: (62)(31) 5678917.

Climate

Jan--Dec 78.8^oF to 95^oF
(26^oC to 35^oC) 75% to 100% Indonesia's climate is definitely tropical. There is no Autumn or Winter and distinctive "dry" and "wet" seasons share the year. The East Monsoon, from June to September, brings dry weather while the West Monsoon, from December to March rains rather heavily. The transitional period between these two seasons is interspersed by the occasional heavy rain shower.
Heaviest rainfalls are usually recorded in December and January and humidity is generally between 75% and 100%


Government

The country is known officially as Republic of Indonesia and in short, Indonesia. Indonesia is a republic, the capital is Jakarta.
The national holiday is on 17 August (1945).
Executive power is vested in the president, who is elected by the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) for a 5-year term.

Geography

Surabaya is situated on the north and east of Madura Strait in the East of Java.Surabaya covers a total area of about 127 square miles (326 square kilometers )