Banyuwangi Regency
Banyuwangi Regency is located at the easternmost end of Java Island. It serves as a port between Java and Bali. It is surrounded by mountains and forests to the west; by sea to the east and south. Banyuwangi is separated by Strait of Bali from Bali.
With an area of 5,782.4 km2, this regency is the largest in East Java. It had a population of 1,488,791 according to the 2000 Census; by the 2010 Census it had risen to 1,556,078; and the latest official estimate (for January 2014) is 1,599,788. The city of Banyuwangi is the administrative capital. The name Banyuwangi is Javanese for "fragrance water", connected to the Javanese folklore of Sri Tanjung.
Society and history
One Banyuwangi native group is the Osing community which has a Hindu culture although they can be considered as a Javanese sub-ethnic group. They live mainly in the central part of Banyuwangi and they sometimes consider themselves as Majapahit descendants. Other groups are Javanese (living mostly in the south and west), Madurese (mainly in the north and coastal area) and Balinese (scattered but more concentrated in the east). Other smaller groups include Chinese, Buginese, and Arabs.
