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Surabaya is the
capital city A capital city, or just capital, is the municipality holding primary status in a country, state (polity), state, province, department (administrative division), department, or other administrative division, subnational division, usually as its ...
of
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
and the second-largest city in
Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
, after
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
. Located on the northeastern corner of
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
island, on the
Madura Strait Madura Strait is a stretch of water that separates the Indonesian islands of Java and Madura, in the province of East Java. The islands of Kambing, Giliraja, Genteng, and Ketapang lie in the Strait. The Suramadu Bridge, the longest in Indones ...
, it is one of the earliest port cities in Southeast Asia. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Surabaya is one of the four main central cities of Indonesia, alongside
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
,
Medan Medan ( , ) is the capital city, capital and largest city of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of North Sumatra. The nearby Strait of Malacca, Port of Belawan, and Kualanamu International Airport make Medan a regional hub and multi ...
, and
Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...
. The city had a population of 2,874,314 within its
city limits City limits or city boundaries refer to the defined boundary (real estate), boundary or border of a city. The area within the city limit can be called the city proper. Town limit/boundary and village limit/boundary apply to towns and villages. ...
at the 2020 census.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. With 3,009,286 people living in the city as of mid 2023 (comprising 1,490,358 males and 1,518,928 females) Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kota Surabaya Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3578) and over 10 million in the extended
Surabaya metropolitan area The Surabaya metropolitan area or Greater Surabaya, known locally as Gerbangkertosusila (, from ''Gresik-Bangkalan-Mojokerto-Surabaya-Sidoarjo-Lamongan''), is a metropolitan area in East Java, Indonesia. It is the country's second-largest metropol ...
, according to the latest official estimate, Surabaya is the second-largest metropolitan area in Indonesia. Surabaya metropolitan is also ASEAN's 6th largest economy ahead of
Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...
. In 2023, the city's GRP PPP was estimated at US$150.294 billion. The city was settled in the 10th century by the Kingdom of Janggala, one of the two
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
nese kingdoms that was formed in 1045 when
Airlangga Airlangga (also spelled Erlangga), regnal name Rakai Halu Sri Lokeswara Dharmawangsa Airlangga Anantawikramottunggadewa (born 1002 in Bali, Indonesia – died 1049 in Java), was the only king of the Kingdom of Kahuripan. The Kingdom was bui ...
abdicated his throne in favor of his two sons. In the late 15th and 16th centuries, Surabaya grew to be a
duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important differe ...
, a major political and military power as well as a port in eastern Java, probably under the
Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...
empire. At that time, Surabaya was already a major trading port, owing to its location on the River Brantas delta and the trade route between
Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
and the
Spice Islands In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for ...
via the
Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...
. During the decline of Majapahit, the lord of Surabaya resisted the rise of the
Demak Sultanate The Demak Sultanate () was a Javanese Muslim state located on Java's north coast in Indonesia, at the site of the present-day city of Demak. A port fief to the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit kingdom thought to have been founded in the last quarter o ...
and only submitted to its rule in 1530. Surabaya became independent after the death of Sultan Trenggana of Demak in 1546. From the 18th century until the mid-20th century, Surabaya was the largest city in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
and the main trading hub for the Indonesian archipelago, competing with
Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...
and
Hong Kong Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
. Surabaya has been one of the busiest trading city ports in Asia. Principal exports from the port include
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
,
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, and
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
. Its rich history as a trading port has led to a strong financial infrastructure with financial institutions such as banks, insurance, and export-import companies. The economy is influenced by the recent growth in international industries and the completion of the
Suramadu Bridge The Suramadu Bridge (, Javanese language, Javanese: ''Kreteg Suramadu'', Madurese language, Madurese: ''Tètè Suramadu''; from the abbreviation of ''Surabaya–Madura Bridge'') is a cable-stayed bridge between Surabaya on the island of Java (is ...
. The city is home to a large
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
and numerous specialized naval schools. The Bank of Indonesia has also made plans for Surabaya to be the Islamic financial center of Indonesia.


Name

The name Surabaya, derived from the Javanese phrase "'," translates to "bravely facing danger." Its origins trace back to the
Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...
words "''sura''," referring to the figure "''Asura''" from Buddhist beliefs, and ''bhaya'', meaning "fear," "perils," or "danger." This name is connected to a prophecy by
Jayabaya Jayabhaya or Jayabaya ( Javanese spelled: Ratu Jayabaya), was the Javanese king of the Kediri Kingdom in East Java, Indonesia, who ruled from around 1135 to 1159 CE. With the title of ''abhiseka'' used is Sri Maharaja Sang Mapanji Jayabhaya Sr ...
, a 12th-century psychic king of the
Kediri Kingdom Kediri Kingdom or Kadiri, also known as Panjalu, was a Hindu-Buddhist Javanese people, Javanese kingdom based in East Java from 1042 until 1222 (1292–1293 under Jayakatwang). This kingdom is centered in the ancient city ''Dahanapura'', des ...
, whose name itself means "conquering fear or perils, drawn from the Pali words "''jaya''" or "''vijaya''" (victory or conqueror) and ''bhaya'' (fear or peril). Jayabaya predicted a battle between a giant white shark and a giant white
crocodile Crocodiles (family (biology), family Crocodylidae) or true crocodiles are large, semiaquatic reptiles that live throughout the tropics in Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australia. The term "crocodile" is sometimes used more loosely to include ...
in the region. The event is sometimes interpreted as foretelling the
Mongol invasion of Java The Yuan dynasty under Kublai Khan attempted in 1293 to invade Java, an island in modern Indonesia, with 20,000 to 30,000 soldiers. This was intended as a punitive expedition against Kertanegara of Singhasari, who had refused to pay tribute to ...
, a major conflict between the forces of
Kublai Khan Kublai Khan (23 September 1215 – 18 February 1294), also known by his temple name as the Emperor Shizu of Yuan and his regnal name Setsen Khan, was the founder and first emperor of the Mongol-led Yuan dynasty of China. He proclaimed the ...
,
Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...
ruler of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and those of
Raden Wijaya Raden Wijaya or Raden Vijaya, also known as Nararya Sangramawijaya and his regnal name Kertarajasa Jayawardhana was a Javanese emperor and founder of the Majapahit Empire who ruled from 1293 until his death in 1309.Slamet Muljana, 2005, ''Run ...
's
Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...
on 31 May 1293, which is now considered the date of the city's founding. The two animals are now used as the city's symbol, with the two facing and circling each other, as depicted in a statue appropriately located near the entrance to the city zoo. Some people consider
Jayabaya Jayabhaya or Jayabaya ( Javanese spelled: Ratu Jayabaya), was the Javanese king of the Kediri Kingdom in East Java, Indonesia, who ruled from around 1135 to 1159 CE. With the title of ''abhiseka'' used is Sri Maharaja Sang Mapanji Jayabhaya Sr ...
's prophecy as being about the
great war World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
between native Surabayan people and foreign invaders at the start of the war of independence in 1945. Another story tells of two heroes who fought each other to be the king of the city. The two heroes were named Sura and Baya. These
folk etymologies Folk etymology – also known as (generative) popular etymology, analogical reformation, (morphological) reanalysis and etymological reinterpretation – is a change in a word or phrase resulting from the replacement of an unfamiliar form by a mo ...
, though embraced enthusiastically by its people and city leaders, are unverifiable. Surabaya was previously known as ''Soerajabaya'', a name written using the
van Ophuijsen spelling system The Van Ophuijsen Spelling System (, EVO) was the Romanized standard orthography for the Indonesian language from 1901 to 1947. Before the Van Ophuijsen Spelling System was in force, the Malay language (and consequently Indonesian) in the Dutch ...
, an older form of Indonesian orthography.


History


Early history

The Kingdom of Janggala was one of the two
Java Java is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea (a part of Pacific Ocean) to the north. With a population of 156.9 million people (including Madura) in mid 2024, proje ...
nese kingdoms that were formed in 1045 when
Airlangga Airlangga (also spelled Erlangga), regnal name Rakai Halu Sri Lokeswara Dharmawangsa Airlangga Anantawikramottunggadewa (born 1002 in Bali, Indonesia – died 1049 in Java), was the only king of the Kingdom of Kahuripan. The Kingdom was bui ...
abdicated the throne of the Kingdom of Kahuripan in favor of his two sons. The earliest historical record of Surabaya was in the 1225 book '' Zhu Fan Zhi'' written by
Zhao Rugua Zhao Rukuo ( zh, t=趙汝适, s=赵汝适, p=Zhào Rǔkuò; 1170–1231), also romanised as Zhao Rugua, Chau Ju-kua, or misread as Zhao Rushi, was a Chinese government official and writer during the Song dynasty. He wrote a two-volume book titled ' ...
, in which it was called Zhòng Jiā Lú (重迦庐).F. Hirth and W.W. Rockhill, Chau Ju-kua, St Petersburg, 1911 The name Janggala is derived from the
Old Javanese Old Javanese or Kawi is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language and the oldest attested phase of the Javanese language. It was natively spoken in the central and eastern part of Java Island, what is now Central Java, Special Region o ...
name Hujung Galuh (). Hujung Galuh was located on the estuary of
Brantas River The Brantas is the longest river in East Java, Indonesia. It has a length of 320 km, and drains an area of over 11,000 km2 from the southern slope of Mount Kawi-Kelud-Butak, Mount Wilis, and the northern slopes of Mount Liman-Limas, ...
and today is part of modern Surabaya city and
Sidoarjo Regency Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a land ar ...
. By the 14th and 15th centuries, Surabaya was one of the
Majapahit Majapahit (; (eastern and central dialect) or (western dialect)), also known as Wilwatikta (; ), was a Javanese people, Javanese Hinduism, Hindu-Buddhism, Buddhist thalassocracy, thalassocratic empire in Southeast Asia based on the island o ...
ports or coastal settlements, together with
Tuban Tuban is a town located on the north coast of Java, in Tuban Regency (of which the town is the administrative capital), approximately west of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. Tuban Regency is surrounded by Lamongan Regency in the east, Bojo ...
,
Gresik Gresik Regency ( older spelling: Grissee, ) is a regency within East Java Province of Indonesia. As well as a large part of the northern and western suburbs of the city of Surabaya, it includes the offshore Bawean Island, some 125 km to the ...
, and Hujung Galuh (modern Sidoarjo).
Ma Huan Ma Huan (, Xiao'erjing: ) ( 1380–1460), courtesy name Zongdao (), pen name Mountain-woodcutter (會稽山樵), was a Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer who accompanied Admiral Zheng He on three of his seven expeditions to the We ...
documented the early 15th-century visit of
Zheng He Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in History of China, Chinese history. Born into a Muslims, Muslim famil ...
's treasure ships in his 1433 book '' Yingya Shenglan.
Ma Huan Ma Huan (, Xiao'erjing: ) ( 1380–1460), courtesy name Zongdao (), pen name Mountain-woodcutter (會稽山樵), was a Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer who accompanied Admiral Zheng He on three of his seven expeditions to the We ...
Ying-yai Sheng-lan, ''The Overall Survey of Ocean Shore'', translated by J.V.G. Mills, p. 90, 1970,
Hakluyt Society The Hakluyt Society is a text publication society, founded in 1846 and based in London, England, which publishes scholarly editions of primary records of historic voyages, travels and other geographical material. In addition to its publishin ...
, reprint by White Lotus, 1997. .
'' Ma Huan visited Java during Zheng He's fourth expedition in 1413, during the reign of Majapahit king
Wikramawardhana Vikramavardhana (), often known by his regnal name Bhra Hyang Wisesa was a Javanese emperor and succeeded Hayam Wuruk as the fifth monarch of the Majapahit, reigning from 1389 to 1429. Early life His ksatria name was Raden Gagak Sali as stated i ...
. He describes his travel to the Majapahit capital. He first arrived at the port of ''Tupan'' (
Tuban Tuban is a town located on the north coast of Java, in Tuban Regency (of which the town is the administrative capital), approximately west of Surabaya, the capital of East Java. Tuban Regency is surrounded by Lamongan Regency in the east, Bojo ...
) where he saw large numbers of Chinese settlers migrated from
Guangdong ) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
and
Zhangzhou Zhangzhou (, ) is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and (with Quanzhou) surrounding the prefecture of Xiamen. Nam ...
. Then, he sailed east to the thriving new trading town of ''Koerhhsi'' (
Gresik Gresik Regency ( older spelling: Grissee, ) is a regency within East Java Province of Indonesia. As well as a large part of the northern and western suburbs of the city of Surabaya, it includes the offshore Bawean Island, some 125 km to the ...
), ''Supaerhya'' (Surabaya), and then sailing inland into the river by smaller boat to the southwest until he reached the Brantas river port of ''Changku'' ( Canggu). Continuing to travel by land to the southwest, he arrived in ''ManchepoI'' (Majapahit), where the Javanese king stayed.


Pre-colonial era

The Surabaya area was once the main gateway to the capital of the Majapahit Kingdom from the sea, at the mouth of ''Kali Mas'' river. The anniversary of the city of Surabaya was set on May 31, 1293, commemorating the victory of the Majapahit led by
Raden Wijaya Raden Wijaya or Raden Vijaya, also known as Nararya Sangramawijaya and his regnal name Kertarajasa Jayawardhana was a Javanese emperor and founder of the Majapahit Empire who ruled from 1293 until his death in 1309.Slamet Muljana, 2005, ''Run ...
against the
Mongol invasion The Mongol invasions and conquests took place during the 13th and 14th centuries, creating history's largest contiguous empire, the Mongol Empire (1206–1368), which by 1260 covered large parts of Eurasia. Historians regard the Mongol devastati ...
. Mongol troops who came from the sea were described as ''Sura'' (sharks/brave) and Raden Wijaya's troops who came from the land were described as ''Baya'' (crocodiles/danger), literally translating to brave to face the dangers that come threatening. So the day of victory is commemorated as the anniversary of Surabaya. By the late 15th century,
Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
began to take its root in Surabaya. The settlement of Ampel, located around
Ampel Mosque Ampel Mosque (; ; ) is an ancient mosque located in the Ampel sub-district, district Semampir, Surabaya, East Java. The oldest mosque in East Java was built in 1421 CE by Sunan Ampel where his tomb complex is located within the area. Architectur ...
in today's Ampel subdistrict, Semampir district, north Surabaya, was established by Islamic proselytiser
Sunan Ampel Sunan Ampel (born Raden Ahmad Rahmatullah or Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah; 1401–1481) was one the nine revered Javanese Muslim saints, or Wali Songo, credited with the spread of Islam in Java. According to local history, around Demak the mosque of ...
. In the late 15th and 16th centuries, Surabaya grew to a
duchy A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fiefdom, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or Queen regnant, queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important differe ...
, a major political and military power in eastern Java. The Portuguese writer
Tomé Pires Tomé Pires (c. 1468 — c. 1524/1540) was a Portuguese apothecary, colonial administrator, and diplomat. In 1510 he was commissioned by the Portuguese court to serve as a " factor of drugs" in India, arriving at Cannanore in 1511. In 1512 he was ...
mentioned that a Muslim lord was in power in Surabaya in 1513, though likely still a vassal of the Hindu–Buddhist Majapahit. By that time, Surabaya was already a major trading port, owing to its location on the Brantas River delta and the trade route between
Malacca Malacca (), officially the Historic State of Malacca (), is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state in Malaysia located in the Peninsular Malaysia#Other features, southern region of the Malay Peninsula, facing the Strait of Malacca ...
and the
Spice Islands In the culinary arts, a spice is any seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance in a form primarily used for flavoring or coloring food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for ...
via the
Java Sea The Java Sea (, ) is an extensive shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf, between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south, Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east. Karimata Strait to its northwest links it to the South Ch ...
. During the decline of Majapahit, the lord of Surabaya resisted the rise of the
Demak Sultanate The Demak Sultanate () was a Javanese Muslim state located on Java's north coast in Indonesia, at the site of the present-day city of Demak. A port fief to the Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit kingdom thought to have been founded in the last quarter o ...
and only submitted to its rule in 1530. Surabaya became independent after the death of Sultan
Trenggana Trenggana (1521–1546), also called Trenggono, was the third Sultan of Demak after he succeeded Pati Unus. Sultan Trenggana was crowned by Sunan Gunungjati, one of the Wali Songo who spread Islam in Java. He became the third and greatest rule ...
of Demak in 1546. Following the collapse of Demak, Surabaya was conquered by the
Mataram Sultanate The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese people, Javanese kingdom on the island of Java (island), Java before it was Dutch Empire, colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the inte ...
, under the leadership of '' Panembahan Senopati'' in 1598, and invaded by ''Panembahan Seda ing Krapyak'' in 1610, An article by the VOC in 1620 described Surabaya as a rich and powerful region.' The Duchy of Surabaya entered conflict with and was later captured by the more powerful
Sultanate of Mataram The Sultanate of Mataram () was the last major independent Javanese kingdom on the island of Java before it was colonised by the Dutch. It was the dominant political force radiating from the interior of Central Java from the late 16th cent ...
in 1625 under
Sultan Agung Sultan Agung Adi Prabu Anyakrakusuma (; 1593 – 1654), commonly known as Sultan Agung, was the third Sultan of Mataram in Central Java ruling from 1613 to 1645. He was a skilled soldier who conquered neighbouring states and expanded and cons ...
.Drakeley S. ''The History of Indonesia''. Greenwood, 2005. It was one of Mataram's fiercest campaigns, in which they had to conquer Surabaya's allies, Sukadana and
Madura is an list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively ...
, and to lay siege to the city, blocking the flow of the Brantas River, Sultan Agung forced Surabaya to surrender. With this conquest, Mataram then controlled most of Java, except the
Banten Sultanate The Banten Sultanate (, ) was a Bantenese people, Bantenese Islamic trading sultanate, kingdom founded in the 16th century and centred in Bantam (city), Banten, a port city on the northwest coast of Java; the contemporary English name of both w ...
and the Dutch settlement of Batavia.


Colonial era

The expanding
Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( ; VOC ), commonly known as the Dutch East India Company, was a chartered company, chartered trading company and one of the first joint-stock companies in the world. Established on 20 March 1602 by the States Ge ...
took over the city from a weakened Mataram in November 1743. In consolidating its rule over Surabaya and, in time, the rest of East Java, the Dutch collaborated with leading regional magnates, including Ngabehi Soero Pernollo (1720–1776), his brother Han Bwee Kong, Kapitein der Chinezen (1727–1778), and his nephew, Han Chan Piet, Majoor der Chinezen (1759–1827), all from the powerful
Han family of Lasem The Han family of Lasem, also called the Han family of East Java or Surabaya, was an influential, aristocratic family of Peranakan Chinese and Javanese people, Javanese descent in the Dutch East Indies (today known as Indonesia). The Peranakan bra ...
. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Surabaya was largest city in the Dutch East Indies, becoming a major trading center and hosting the most extensive naval base in the colony. Surabaya also served as the center of Java's plantation economy, industry, supported by its natural harbor. During the Dutch East Indies era, Surabaya was the capital of the Surabaya Residency, whose territory encompasses what is now the
Gresik Gresik Regency ( older spelling: Grissee, ) is a regency within East Java Province of Indonesia. As well as a large part of the northern and western suburbs of the city of Surabaya, it includes the offshore Bawean Island, some 125 km to the ...
Regency,
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a l ...
,
Mojokerto Mojokerto ( (''Måjåkěrtå'')) is a city in East Java Province of Indonesia. It is located 40 km southwest of Surabaya, the provincial capital, and constitutes one of the component units of the Surabaya metropolitan area (known as Gerbang ...
, and Jombang. In 1905, Surabaya received the status of municipality (gemeente). In 1926, Surabaya was designated the capital of the province of East Java. Since then Surabaya developed into the second largest city in the
Dutch East Indies The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies (; ), was a Dutch Empire, Dutch colony with territory mostly comprising the modern state of Indonesia, which Proclamation of Indonesian Independence, declared independence on 17 Au ...
after Batavia. Before 1900, the city center of Surabaya revolved around the ''Jembatan Merah'' (). In 1910, a modern port facility was built in Surabaya, now known as Tanjung Perak Harbor. Until the 1920s, new settlements such as Darmo, Gubeng, Fields, and Ketabang grew. Surabaya was an early center for leftist political organizing in colonial Indonesia. In the 1910s, Dutch colonists founded the predecessor to the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), the ISDV. The success of organizing with sailors and local Indonesians led to a crackdown in 1917.


Independence era

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
occupied the city in 1942, as part of the
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. In May 1940, Germany German invasion of the Netherlands, occupied the Netherlands, and ma ...
, and it was bombed by the
Allies An alliance is a relationship among people, groups, or states that have joined together for mutual benefit or to achieve some common purpose, whether or not an explicit agreement has been worked out among them. Members of an alliance are calle ...
in 1944. After the
surrender of Japan The surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was Hirohito surrender broadcast, announced by Emperor Hirohito on 15 August and formally Japanese Instrument of Surrender, signed on 2 September 1945, End of World War II in Asia, ending ...
at the end of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, Surabaya was seized by Indonesian nationalists. The young nation soon came into conflict with the British, who had become caretakers of the Dutch colony after the Japanese surrender. The
Battle of Surabaya The Battle of Surabaya () was a major battle in the Indonesian National Revolution fought between regular infantry and militia of the Indonesian nationalist movement and British and British Indian Army, British Indian troops against the re-imp ...
, started after the ''Arek-Arek Suroboyo'' () killed British Brigadier Aubertin Mallaby on 30 October 1945, near ''Jembatan Merah'', allegedly with a stray bullet. The Allies gave an ultimatum to the Republicans inside the city to surrender, but they refused. The ensuing battle, which cost thousands of lives, took place on 10 November, which Indonesians subsequently celebrate as ''Hari Pahlawan'' (Heroes' Day). The
incident The Incident Command System (ICS) is a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response providing a common hierarchy within which responders from multiple agencies can be effective. ICS was initially develope ...
of the red-white flag (the
Dutch flag The national flag of the Netherlands () is a horizontal tricolour of red, white, and blue. The current design originates as a variant of the late 16th century orange-white-blue '' Prinsenvlag'' ("Prince's Flag"), evolving in the early 17th ...
at the top of Yamato Hotel's tower that was torn into the Indonesian red-white flag) by Bung Tomo is also recorded as a heroic feat during the struggle over the city. The city is known as ''Kota Pahlawan'' () due to the importance of the Battle of Surabaya in galvanising Indonesian and international support for
Indonesian independence The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence (, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 Tokyo Standard Time on Friday 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of the Indonesian Nati ...
during the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...
.


Modern history

After the independence era, population growth and rapid urbanization forced Surabaya to develop towards the east and west as it is today. The increase in vehicles, the growth of new industries and the proliferation of housing carried out by real estate companies occupying the outskirts of the city have resulted in traffic jams not only in the downtown area but also frequently in the suburbs. Surabaya grew from a relative poor city in the late 19th century into a metropolis in the late 20th century, and became one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in Southeast Asia. Surabaya also managed to become one of the most organized metropolitan cities in Indonesia with the cleanest air. On 13 May 2018, three churches in Surabaya and one apartment complex in the neighboring regency of Sidoarjo were bombed in a series of terrorist attacks initiated by
Jamaah Ansharut Daulah Jamaah Ansharut Daulah (JAD, ) was an Indonesian terrorist group that was reported to be linked to the 2018 Surabaya bombings as well as the 2019 Jolo Cathedral bombings. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) was reported as claiming r ...
, the Southeast Asian branch of
ISIS Isis was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingdom () as one of the main characters of the Osiris myth, in which she resurrects her sla ...
, followed by a bombing on Surabaya Police Department HQ the next day. 28 people were killed, including the assailants. 57 people were injured; several of whom where in a critical condition. The first confirmed case of
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
in
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
was in Surabaya, on 17 March 2020. In May 2020, Surabaya became the epicenter of the pandemic in Indonesia.


Geography

Surabaya the capital of East Java province, extends over , its
metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...
covers , which includes the satellite cities of
Mojokerto Mojokerto ( (''Måjåkěrtå'')) is a city in East Java Province of Indonesia. It is located 40 km southwest of Surabaya, the provincial capital, and constitutes one of the component units of the Surabaya metropolitan area (known as Gerbang ...
,
Gresik Gresik Regency ( older spelling: Grissee, ) is a regency within East Java Province of Indonesia. As well as a large part of the northern and western suburbs of the city of Surabaya, it includes the offshore Bawean Island, some 125 km to the ...
,
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a l ...
,
Bangkalan Bangkalan ( Madurese: ''Bhângkalan'') is a town on the western coast of Madura Island in Indonesia, the government seat of the Bangkalan Regency. Tourism Mount Jaddih is 10 kilometres from Bangkalan and can be accessed by a motorcycle to the mo ...
, and
Lamongan Lamongan Regency () is a regency () of the East Java Province of Indonesia. It has a total land area of approximately or + 3.78% of the area of East Java Province. With a length of along the coastline (comprising Paciran and Brondong Distric ...
, and has an estimated population of 9.96 million , making it the Second largest urban area in Indonesia and the Top 50 largest in the world. Surabaya ranks 11th among the Indonesian city in the
human development index The Human Development Index (HDI) is a statistical composite index of life expectancy, Education Index, education (mean years of schooling completed and expected years of schooling upon entering the education system), and per capita income i ...
. Surabaya's offer business and employment opportunities, along with its ability to offer a potentially higher
standard of living Standard of living is the level of income, comforts and services available to an individual, community or society. A contributing factor to an individual's quality of life, standard of living is generally concerned with objective metrics outsid ...
compared to other parts of the country, have attracted migrants from across the Indonesian
archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands. An archipelago may be in an ocean, a sea, or a smaller body of water. Example archipelagos include the Aegean Islands (the o ...
, making it a melting pot of numerous cultures. The city is referred to as ''Kota Pahlawan'' (the city of heroes) due to the significance of the
Battle of Surabaya The Battle of Surabaya () was a major battle in the Indonesian National Revolution fought between regular infantry and militia of the Indonesian nationalist movement and British and British Indian Army, British Indian troops against the re-imp ...
during the
Indonesian National Revolution The Indonesian National Revolution (), also known as the Indonesian War of Independence (, ), was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between the Republic of Indonesia and the Dutch Empire and an internal social revolution during A ...
. The city is one of the important financial, commercial, industrial, transportation, and entertainment hubs of the archipelago. Arguably the second most significant city after Jakarta, the city is also home to Indonesia's second-busiest seaport, the Port of Tanjung Perak, which is located in northern Surabaya. The city is also known for being one of the cleanest and greenest in Indonesia.


Architecture

Architecture in Surabaya is a mixture of colonial, Asian, Javanese, modern, and post-modern influences. There are many colonial-era relics still standing today, such as
Hotel Majapahit The Hotel Majapahit is a historic hotel in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, opened in 1911. The hotel is currently managed by Accor through its MGallery chain. History The hotel was founded in 1910 as the Hotel Oranje by Lucas Martin Sarkies, ...
and Surabaya Post Office. As a relatively old city in Indonesia and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
, most colonial buildings were built around the 17th century to the early 20th century. These buildings show the influence of Dutch or European style in the Middle Ages. Before the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, there were many shophouses in the old part of the city, mostly two-storey. They display the influence of European and Chinese traditions. Although some have been dismantled for new construction, there are still many old buildings that are preserved as cultural heritage and city icons, which are around the area of Kembang Jepun Street, Karet Street, Gula Street, Slompretan Street, and Rajawali Street. After the independence of Indonesia, the center of Surabaya's architectural development was concentrated only in the area of Jembatan Merah and its surroundings. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, modern and post-modern style buildings were increasingly emerging in Surabaya. Along with economic development, such buildings have continued to grow. In the 2010s, Surabaya has become a center of
skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...
s and high-rises in East Java and central regions of Indonesia, such as The Peak Residence – Tunjungan Plaza 6 (215 meters) and One Icon Residence–Tunjungan Plaza 5 (200 meters).


Parks and Gardens

Surabaya is among the cleanest and greenest cities in Indonesia. This can be seen by the
urban park An urban park or metropolitan park, also known as a city park, municipal park (North America), public park, public open space, or municipal gardens (United Kingdom, UK), is a park or botanical garden in cities, densely populated suburbia and oth ...
s which are equipped with fountains in almost every
neighborhood A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neigh ...
area. These parks include Bungkul Park, Harmoni Park, Pelangi Park, Surya Park, Mundu Park, Undaan Fruit Park, Jayengrono Park, and others. Bungkul Park was awarded the Asian Townscape Award 2013 from the United Nations as the best park in Asia because of its very complete and integrated facilities, starting from the economic area ( street food centers), green open area, parks, disability-friendly area, free internet (
Wi-Fi Wi-Fi () is a family of wireless network protocols based on the IEEE 802.11 family of standards, which are commonly used for Wireless LAN, local area networking of devices and Internet access, allowing nearby digital devices to exchange data by ...
), and routine garden maintenance management. The city of Surabaya is very outstanding in the field of environment. The city has won many awards in the field of environment and city planning both nationally and internationally. These awards have included Adipura, Adipura kencana, Adiwiyata, Wahyu Tata Nugraha, and other green awards, the Adipura Cup, which Surabaya won several times in the 1980s and 1990s, the Adipura Kencana trophy, the cleanest metropolitan city category in the 1990s and in the period of 2010 to 2017, seven consecutive times, as well as the Adipura trophy, plenary in 2016. The city also received several awards from the central government as one of the major cities with the best air quality in Indonesia. Surabaya in 2012 has won the award "City of the Best Participation in the
Asia Pacific Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
" by Citynet for the success of the city government and people's participation in managing the environment. Surabaya has also been awarded the ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Award or "the city with the best sustainable environmental management in ASEAN" in 2011 and 2014. In 2018, Surabaya won the Lee Kuan Yew City Prize along with
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
,
Kazan Kazan; , IPA: Help:IPA/Tatar, ɑzanis the largest city and capital city, capital of Tatarstan, Russia. The city lies at the confluence of the Volga and the Kazanka (river), Kazanka Rivers, covering an area of , with a population of over 1. ...
, and
Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...
, on the basis of the ability to maintain and manage villages in the middle of the city with excellent government management and community participation amid the rapidly developing city. Surabaya became the first city in Indonesia to receive this award. On the other hand, however, there are not a few areas in Surabaya that appear less organised, especially in the neighborhoods of Southern and Northern Surabaya. This is the concern of the city government to reorganise the environment of the region.


Climate

Surabaya features a
tropical wet and dry climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...
(
Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...
: ''Aw''), with distinct wet and
dry season The dry season is a yearly period of low rainfall, especially in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which moves from the northern to the southern tropics and back over the course of the year. The t ...
s. The city's wet season runs from October through May, while the dry season covers the remaining four months. Unlike many cities and regions with a tropical wet and dry climate, average high and low temperatures are very consistent throughout the year, with an average high temperature of around 31 °C and average low temperatures around 23 °C. Summer months (December to February) are the wettest months, while spring months (September to November) are the hottest months.


Government and politics

Surabaya is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
with a mayor–council form of government. The city government is responsible for the provision of public education, public health facilities, public safety, civic services, public welfare and public transportation. The city council, namely the
Surabaya City Regional House of Representatives The Surabaya City Regional House of Representatives is the unicameral municipal legislature of the city of Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. It has 50 members, who are elected every five years, simultaneously with the national legislative election ...
is the unicameral legislative body consisting of 50 members. Both the mayor and the city’s legislative officials are directly elected by the locals every five years, with an exception that the city’s mayor can only have a two consecutive-term limit. The current mayor is
Eri Cahyadi Eri Cahyadi (born 27 May 1977) is an Indonesian politician and bureaucrat who has served as Mayor of Surabaya since 26 February 2021. He was elected in the 2020 Surabaya mayoral election. Career Cahyadi graduated with a degree in civil engineeri ...
, who was elected in 2020 and has served the city since 26 February 2021. The city's first female mayor is Tri Rismaharini, who has led Surabaya to achieve many regional, national and international awards during her ten-year tenure, from 2010 to 2020. In 2012, Surabaya was awarded the "ASEAN Environmentally Sustainable City Award". Besides representatives to the city council, Surabaya also sends 8 delegates to the East Java provincial parliament. On a national level, Surabaya is consolidated with the neighboring
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a l ...
Regency to form the East Java I constituency for the Indonesia House of Representatives. Together, they send 10 delegates to the lower house of the national legislature. The city administration maintains a central command center since 2016, integrating all civic services including Satpol PP, Bakesbangpol and Linmas, Hygiene and Parks Service, Transportation Agency, Public Works Agency of Highways and Extermination, ambulance and fire services. All services can be accessed by dialling 112 number. The city is dubbed as the champion of a smart city in Indonesia and won Indonesia Smart City Index (IKCI) in 2015 and 2018. Surabaya also received an award at the Guangzhou International Award for Urban Innovation in the Online Popular City category and Lee Kuan Yew World City Prize in 2018.


Administrative divisions

Surabaya is divided into thirty-one ''kecamatan'' (districts),Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and subdivided into 154 ''kelurahan'' (urban villages). The districts are grouped into five areas: Central, North, South, East, and West. The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with their official estimates as at mid 2023.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kota Surabaya Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3578) The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, and the number of
administrative village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...
s (all classed as urban ''kelurahan'') in each district. Notes: (a) except the 2 ''kelurahan'' of Simomulyo and Simomulyo Baru, which have the postcode of 60281.


Demographics

Surabaya is the second-most populous city in Indonesia, with 2,874,314 inhabitants recorded in the chartered city limits (''kota'') in the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 3,009,286.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kota Surabaya Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3578) With the extended metropolitan development area called ''
Gerbangkertosusila The Surabaya metropolitan area or Greater Surabaya, known locally as Gerbangkertosusila (, from ''Gresik-Bangkalan-Mojokerto-Surabaya-Sidoarjo-Lamongan''), is a metropolitan area in East Java, Indonesia. It is the country's second-largest metropol ...
'' (derived from Gresik- Bangkalan- Mojokerto-Surabaya- Sidoarjo- Lamongan) adding more than 12 million inhabitants in several cities and around 50 districts spread over noncontiguous urban areas including Gresik, Sidoarjo, Mojokerto, and Pasuruan regencies. The central government of Indonesia recognises only the metropolitan area (Surabaya, Gresik, and Sidoarjo) as Greater Surabaya (''Zona Surabaya Raya'') with a population of 8,319,229 (2015), making Surabaya now the second-largest metropolitan area in Indonesia. The city is highly urbanised, with industries centralised in the city, and contains slums. As a leading education center, the city is also home for students from around Indonesia. Surabaya is an old city that has expanded over time, and its population continues to grow at roughly 2.2% per year. In recent years, more people have moved to Surabaya from nearby suburbs and villages in East Java.


Ethnicity

Javanese people The Javanese ( , ; ) are an Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic group native to the central and eastern part of the Indonesian island of Java. With more than 100 million people, Javanese people are the largest ethnic group in both Indo ...
form the majority in Surabaya, with about 83 percent of the population, while the Madurese and Chinese are significant minorities, each making up about 7 percent of the population. Smaller groups include
Arabs Arabs (,  , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of yea ...
, especially the
Hadhrami people The Hadharem (; singular: Hadhrami, ) are an Arabs, Arabic-speaking ethnographic group indigenous to the Hadhramaut region in the Arabian Peninsula, which is part of modern-day Yemen. The spoken language of the Hadharem is Hadhrami Arabic. Among ...
who originate from the
Hadhramaut Hadhramaut ( ; ) is a geographic region in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula which includes the Yemeni governorates of Hadhramaut, Shabwah and Mahrah, Dhofar in southwestern Oman, and Sharurah in the Najran Province of Saudi A ...
region in
Yemen Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
,
Armenians Armenians (, ) are an ethnic group indigenous to the Armenian highlands of West Asia.Robert Hewsen, Hewsen, Robert H. "The Geography of Armenia" in ''The Armenian People From Ancient to Modern Times Volume I: The Dynastic Periods: From Antiq ...
, and
Jewish people Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
. Surabaya also has ethnic populations from other parts of Indonesia: Sundanese,
Minang Minang may refer to: Sumatra * Minangkabau people, an ethnic group in Sumatra * Padang cuisine or Minang food, the cuisine of the Minangkabau people * Minang language, the language spoken by the Minangkabau people Australia * Mineng Mineng ...
,
Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...
, Banjar, and Balinese. As one of Indonesia's educational destinations, Surabaya is also the residence of students from various regions of the country, who may form communities based on the region they come from. Most come from the Eastern part of Indonesia, including those who are Papuan, Minahasan or
Bugis The Bugis people, also known as Buginese, are an Austronesian ethnic groupthe most numerous of the three major linguistic and ethnic groups of South Sulawesi (the others being Makassarese and Torajan), in the south-western province of Sula ...
, as well as people from
Timor Timor (, , ) is an island at the southern end of Maritime Southeast Asia, in the north of the Timor Sea. The island is Indonesia–Timor-Leste border, divided between the sovereign states of Timor-Leste in the eastern part and Indonesia in the ...
and others. Because it is a regional trade hub, many foreigners (expatriates) live in Surabaya, especially in the western part of the city. There are communities of
Koreans Koreans are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. The majority of Koreans live in the two Korean sovereign states of North and South Korea, which are collectively referred to as Korea. As of 2021, an estimated 7.3 m ...
and westerners in the city.


Language

Most citizens speak a dialect of East Javanese called '' Suroboyoan'', a subdialect of the ''Arekan'' dialect. A stereotype of this dialect concerns equality and directness in speech. The use of
register Register or registration may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Register (music), the relative "height" or range of a note, melody, part, instrument, etc. * ''Register'', a 2017 album by Travis Miller * Registration (organ), ...
is less strict than the standardized
Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
dialect. The Suroboyoan dialect is a mixture of both Indonesian and Javanese, also with some significant influence from foreign languages such as Madurese, which has formed a distinctive dialect known as Suroboyoan. The Suroboyoan dialect is actively promoted in local media, such as in local TV shows, radio, newspapers, and traditional dramas called ''
Ludruk ''Ludruk'' is one of the theatrical genres in East Java. It is a form of traditional performance presented by a troupe of actors (or comedians) on a stage, re-telling the life stories of everyday people and their struggles. Its origin is unclea ...
''. The speakers of Suroboyoan dialect are well known for being proud of their distinctive dialect and consistently maintain it wherever they go.


Religion

Although around 85% of citizens in Surabaya adhere to
Sunni Islam Sunni Islam is the largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any Succession to Muhammad, successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr ...
, other major religions include
Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, which states that Jesus in Christianity, Jesus is the Son of God (Christianity), Son of God and Resurrection of Jesus, rose from the dead after his Crucifixion of Jesus, crucifixion, whose ...
(
Roman Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
,
Protestantism Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
, and Orthodox), of whom the majority are Roman Catholics. The influence of
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
is strong in basic Surabayan culture, but only a minority of the population adheres to Hinduism, mostly among the ethnic Indian and Balinese minorities. Also, a significant population of Chinese Indonesians adhere to
Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
and
Confucianism Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China, and is variously described as a tradition, philosophy, Religious Confucianism, religion, theory of government, or way of li ...
, and a small community of
Dutch Jews The history of the Jews in the Netherlands largely dates to the late 16th century and 17th century, when Sephardic Jews from Portugal and Spain began to settle in Amsterdam and a few other Dutch cities, because the Netherlands was an unusual ...
follow
Judaism Judaism () is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic, Monotheism, monotheistic, ethnic religion that comprises the collective spiritual, cultural, and legal traditions of the Jews, Jewish people. Religious Jews regard Judaism as their means of o ...
. The city had an influential role as a major Islamic center in Java during the
Wali Sanga ''Wali Songo'' (), also transcribed as ''Wali Sanga'', are revered saints of Islam in Indonesia, especially on the island of Java, because of their historic role in the spread of Islam in Indonesia. The word ''wali'' is Arabic for "trusted one ...
era. The prominent and honored Islamic figure in Surabaya was
Sunan Ampel Sunan Ampel (born Raden Ahmad Rahmatullah or Sayyid Ali Rahmatullah; 1401–1481) was one the nine revered Javanese Muslim saints, or Wali Songo, credited with the spread of Islam in Java. According to local history, around Demak the mosque of ...
(Raden Rahmat). His tomb is a sacred religious site in the city and is visited by Surabayans and pilgrims from different parts of Indonesia. The largest Muslim organisation in Indonesia,
Nahdlatul Ulama Nahdlatul Ulama (, , NU) is an Islamic organization in Indonesia. Its membership numbered over 40 million in 2023, making it the largest Islamic organization in the world. NU is also a charitable body funding schools and hospitals as well as or ...
, was established in Surabaya on 26 January 1926. Al-Akbar Mosque is the largest mosque in the city and one of the largest mosque in the world. Christianity as a whole is mainly practised by
Chinese Indonesians Chinese Indonesians (), or simply ''Orang Tionghoa'' or ''Tionghoa'', are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese Indonesians are the fourth largest community of Overseas Chinese in th ...
, as well as native Javanese,
Bataks Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian peoples, Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo people ( ...
, and Ambonese who attend either a Roman Catholic or Protestant church. A minority of Javanese worship at Greja Kristen Jawi Wetan, a syncretic religious movement that combines Christianity with the traditional religion of Java. Around 15 churches are in Surabaya; they vary in size. The Church of the Birth of Our Lady, also known as Gereja Kepanjen, was built in 1815 as the first church in Surabaya and is one of the oldest churches in Indonesia.
Graha Bethany Nginden Nginden Bethany Church () is an evangelical megachurch affiliated with Bethany Indonesian Church in Surabaya, Indonesia. The senior pastor of this community is Pdt. David Aswin Tanuseputra since 2012, replacing his father Pdt. Abraham Alex Tanus ...
, is a
megachurch A megachurch is a church with a very large membership that also offers a variety of educational and social activities. Most megachurches are Evangelical, although the term denotes a type of organization, not a denomination. A megachurch draws 2 ...
which is one of the largest churches in Surabaya, Indonesia and
Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...
. The main Orthodox Church in Indonesia, St Nikolas Church, is also based in Surabaya. The Orthodox Christian Center Surabaya was opened on 15 October 2008. Once the major religion in Surabaya and across the archipelago during the Janggala and Majapahit era,
Hinduism Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
played a major role in traditional Surabayan culture. Small Hindu communities still exist, most commonly in the eastern sections of the city. Surabaya was the location of the only
synagogue A synagogue, also called a shul or a temple, is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans. It is a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as wed ...
in Java, but it rarely obtained a ''
minyan In Judaism, a ''minyan'' ( ''mīnyān'' , Literal translation, lit. (noun) ''count, number''; pl. ''mīnyānīm'' ) is the quorum of ten Jewish adults required for certain Mitzvah, religious obligations. In more traditional streams of Judaism ...
'' (quorum). The synagogue was demolished in 2013 by unidentified people while the city council was in the process of registering it as a heritage site. In the years before its demolition, it had been the site of many anti-Israel protests. A Jewish cemetery exists in the city. File:Masjid Nasional Al-Akbar Surabaya 2016.jpg, Al-Akbar Mosque is the largest mosque in Surabaya and also East Java File:Gereja Kelsapa Surabaya.jpg, Church of the Birth of Our Lady, Surabaya it is the oldest Roman Catholic church in Surabaya File:Bethany Nginden Building.jpg,
Nginden Bethany Church Nginden Bethany Church () is an evangelical megachurch affiliated with Bethany Indonesian Church in Surabaya, Indonesia. The senior pastor of this community is Pdt. David Aswin Tanuseputra since 2012, replacing his father Pdt. Abraham Alex Tanuse ...
File:The front side of Sanggar Agung Temple, Surabaya-Indonesia, which is facing the sea.jpg, Vihāra Sanggar Agung


Economy

Since the early 1900s, Surabaya has been one of the most important and busiest trading city ports in Asia. Principal exports from the port include
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
,
tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...
, and
coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...
. Its rich history as a trading port has led to a strong financial infrastructure with modern economic institutions such as banks, insurance, and sound export-import companies. The economy is influenced by the recent growth in international industries and the completion of the
Suramadu Bridge The Suramadu Bridge (, Javanese language, Javanese: ''Kreteg Suramadu'', Madurese language, Madurese: ''Tètè Suramadu''; from the abbreviation of ''Surabaya–Madura Bridge'') is a cable-stayed bridge between Surabaya on the island of Java (is ...
. The high potential and economic activities make the city an attractive destination to foreign investors. The city is home to a large
shipyard A shipyard, also called a dockyard or boatyard, is a place where ships are shipbuilding, built and repaired. These can be yachts, military vessels, cruise liners or other cargo or passenger ships. Compared to shipyards, which are sometimes m ...
and numerous specialized naval schools. The Bank of Indonesia has also made plans for Surabaya to be the Islamic financial center of Indonesia. As the provincial capital, Surabaya has numerous offices and business centers; as a metropolitan city, it became the center of economic, financial, and business activities in East Java and beyond. Also, Surabaya is the second-largest port city in Indonesia after Jakarta. As a trading center, Surabaya is not only a trade center for East Java, but also facilitates areas in
Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogya ...
,
Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...
, and Eastern Indonesia. Surabaya's strategic location in almost in the center of Indonesia and just south of Asia makes it one of the critical hubs for trading activities in Southeast Asia. It is currently in the process of building high-rise skyscrapers, including apartments, condominiums, and hotels to attract foreign capital. Surabaya and the surrounding area are undergoing the most rapidly growing and the most advanced economic development in Indonesia. The city is also one of the most essential cities in supporting Indonesia's economy. Most of the population is engaged in services, industry, and trade. Surabaya is a fast-growing trading center. Major industries include shipbuilding, heavy equipment, food processing and agriculture, electronics, home furnishings, and handicrafts. Many major multinational companies are based in Surabaya, such as Sampoerna, Maspion, Wings Group, Unilever Indonesia, Pakuwon Group, Jawa Pos Group, and
PAL Indonesia PT PAL Indonesia (formerly abbreviated from ) is an Indonesian state-owned enterprise that manufactures ships for military and civilian use and conducts repairs and maintenance on ships and engineering. History PT PAL Indonesia (Persero) was ...
.


Shopping

Surabaya has plenty of shopping centers like other major cities of Indonesia, ranging from traditional markets to most modern shopping malls. Outlets of local and international brands have a presence in modern shopping malls. There were about 100 hectares/one million square metres of retail space in Surabaya by the end of 2016. There are many dedicated markets for electronic goods, gadgets and computer hardware. Some important shopping malls of the city which are
Ciputra World Surabaya Ciputra World Surabaya (Mall) is a mall in Surabaya, Indonesia. Officially opened on 22 July 2011, it is located in a super-block in Southwest Surabaya along Maj. Gen. Sungkono Avenue. Ciputra World Surbaya was built on a site in a Central Busine ...
, City of Tomorrow, Royal Plaza Surabaya, Pakuwon City Mall, Galaxy Mall, Grand City Mall, Marvell City, Pakuwon Mall, and
Tunjungan Plaza Tunjungan Plaza (TP) is a mixed development Superblock (urban planning), superblock in Surabaya and is the second-largest shopping center in Indonesia after Pakuwon Mall, both owned-and-operated by Pakuwon Jati which has its headquarters inside ...
.


Infrastructure

Until 2009, the growth of road length in Surabaya was only about 0.01% per year. This is not comparable to the growth of motorized vehicles which reaches around 7–8% annually. Congestion that occurred in Surabaya was triggered by the growth of vehicles that were not proportional to the capacity of the road. To reduce congestion, the city government has built many new roads, including the construction of a frontage road on Ahmad Yani road which is divided into east and west sides of 4 km each. This slow lane is planned to penetrate to the Buduran area,
Sidoarjo Regency Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a land ar ...
. In addition, the municipal government has completed the construction of the Middle East Ring Road (MERR) or Dr. Ir. H. Soekarno Boulevard, which is a 10.98 km ring road between the Kenjeran area to Tambak Sumur that connects the
Suramadu Bridge The Suramadu Bridge (, Javanese language, Javanese: ''Kreteg Suramadu'', Madurese language, Madurese: ''Tètè Suramadu''; from the abbreviation of ''Surabaya–Madura Bridge'') is a cable-stayed bridge between Surabaya on the island of Java (is ...
and
Juanda International Airport Juanda International Airport is an international airport, international joint-use airport located in Sedati, Sedati District, Sidoarjo Regency, Sidoarjo, Indonesia. It is now the List of the busiest airports in Indonesia, third busiest airport ...
; and the 780-meter Suroboyo Bridge that crosses the sea which is now a tourist icon in the Kenjeran Beach area. The city government has also intensified the construction of massive box culverts in Surabaya to reduce congestion while anticipating flooding. The municipal government is also working on the construction of two new ring roads, namely the 17 km Outer East Ring Road (OERR) between the Kenjeran area to Gunung Anyar which also connects the Suramadu Bridge and
Juanda International Airport Juanda International Airport is an international airport, international joint-use airport located in Sedati, Sedati District, Sidoarjo Regency, Sidoarjo, Indonesia. It is now the List of the busiest airports in Indonesia, third busiest airport ...
and the West Outer Ring Road ( West Outer Ring Road (WORR) along 26.1 km between the Romokalisari area to Lakarsantri which connects the southern area of Surabaya with Teluk Lamong Harbor Terminal. In addition to building the ring road, the city government has completed the construction of an underpass on Jalan Mayjen Sungkono, and plans to build an underpass and flyover on Jalan Ahmad Yani. The problem of flooding is also a serious threat to city residents. To anticipate the occurrence of flooding, the city government has built many pump houses spread across several points in Surabaya, including Mulyorejo and Jemursari. In addition to pump houses, the city government has also built many parks that are used as sources of water absorption as well as areas for residents to interact, as well as carry out intensive cleaning and maintenance of major rivers in Surabaya. To accommodate the needs of pedestrians and tourists, the Surabaya city government has built bicycle lanes on many protocol roads in Surabaya, as well as pedestrian paths that are almost evenly distributed throughout the Surabaya area.


Highways

The highways that are connected to Surabaya are the Surabaya-Gresik segment which connects Surabaya with Gresik and the northern part of East Java, Surabaya-Mojokerto which connects Surabaya with the western part of the province, Surabaya-Gempol which connects Surabaya with the southern part of the province, as well as Waru-Juanda Airport which connects Surabaya with Juanda International Airport. In 2018, President
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...
inaugurated final segments of the
Trans-Java Toll Road The Trans-Java Toll Road is a toll road, tolled controlled-access highway, expressway network in Java, the island of Java, Indonesia, runs from Port of Merak in Cilegon, the main link between the island of Sumatra and Java, to Banyuwangi, the eas ...
, fully connecting
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
and Surabaya with expressways. The Surabaya-Gempol section is connected to the Gempol-Pandaan section. The Gempol-Pandaan section is connected to the Gempol-Pasuruan section which connects Surabaya with the ''Horseshoe'' () area in East Java and the Pandaan-Malang section which connects Surabaya with Malang, the second largest city in East Java. The
Suramadu Bridge The Suramadu Bridge (, Javanese language, Javanese: ''Kreteg Suramadu'', Madurese language, Madurese: ''Tètè Suramadu''; from the abbreviation of ''Surabaya–Madura Bridge'') is a cable-stayed bridge between Surabaya on the island of Java (is ...
(abbreviated of ''Sura''baya-''Madu''ra) connects Surabaya and
Madura Island is an Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively part of Madura's easternmost ...
over the Madura Strait. A highway has been proposed to be built from the Suramadu Bridge to Madura International Seaport-City in Pernajuh village, Kocah district,
Bangkalan Bangkalan ( Madurese: ''Bhângkalan'') is a town on the western coast of Madura Island in Indonesia, the government seat of the Bangkalan Regency. Tourism Mount Jaddih is 10 kilometres from Bangkalan and can be accessed by a motorcycle to the mo ...
,
Madura is an list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively ...
at the cost of approximately Rp. 60 billion (US$7 billion). This container port was built to ease the burden on Surabaya's overloaded Tanjung Perak Port.


Transportation

Transportation in Surabaya is supported by land and sea infrastructure serving local, regional, and international journeys. Air transport is located at
Juanda International Airport Juanda International Airport is an international airport, international joint-use airport located in Sedati, Sedati District, Sidoarjo Regency, Sidoarjo, Indonesia. It is now the List of the busiest airports in Indonesia, third busiest airport ...
, in
Sedati Sedati is a district in the Sidoarjo Regency in Java, Indonesia. Juanda International Airport Juanda International Airport is an international airport, international joint-use airport located in Sedati, Sedati District, Sidoarjo Regency, Si ...
,
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a l ...
. Intracity transport is primarily by motor vehicles, motorcycles and taxis with limited public bus transport available. Recently Surabaya has been declared as one of the cities with the worst congestion in Indonesia, according to a survey Surabaya is also a transit city between
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
and
Bali Bali (English:; Balinese language, Balinese: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller o ...
for ground transportation. Another bus route is between Jakarta and the neighboring island of
Madura is an list of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian island off the northeastern coast of Java. The island comprises an area of approximately (administratively including various smaller islands to the east, southeast and north that are administratively ...
. Surabaya has three major train stations, being Surabaya Kota (also known as Semut), Surabaya Pasar Turi, and Surabaya Gubeng. The ''
Argo Bromo Anggrek ''Argo Bromo Anggrek'' is the name of Executive and Compartment train jointly operated by Kereta Api Indonesia between Surabaya and Jakarta in Indonesia. The train covers in 7 hours and 45 minutes along Java's north coast, stopping at Semaran ...
'' operated by
Kereta Api Indonesia PT Kereta Api Indonesia (Persero) (, abbreviated as PT KAI or simply KAI) is a major railway operator in Indonesia and one of the Public transportation, public railway companies in the country. It is State-owned enterprise, state-owned and pa ...
(KAI) connects Surabaya from Surabaya Pasar Turi Station to Gambir Station in Jakarta. Both economy and executive class trains are served to and from Surabaya. Surabaya commuter rail has 7 separate lines (as of 2023) that connect Surabaya with surrounding regencies. Their services, also operated by KAI Commuter, have extended into Lamongan, Mojokerto, Sidoarjo, and Pasuruan. Surabaya will become the final destination for a Whoosh High speed rail initiative which connects
Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...
to Surabaya. The Indonesian government currently have a cooperation contract with the investors, and will begin construction in soon. The main bus terminal is Purabaya Bus Terminal (located in Bungurasih, Waru,
Sidoarjo Sidoarjo Regency () is a regency in East Java, Indonesia. It is bordered by Surabaya City and Gresik Regency to the north, by Pasuruan Regency to the south, by Mojokerto Regency to the west, and by the Madura Strait to the east. It has a l ...
), the other major terminal is Osowilangon in Tambak. In Surabaya it is served by city buses such
Suroboyo Bus Suroboyo Bus, simplify SB is a city Bus rapid transit system in Surabaya, Indonesia. Suroboyo Bus was launched on 7 April 2018 under the former mayor Tri Rismaharini. It is one of two bus transit systems in the city, the other being Trans Semanggi ...
, Trans Semanggi Suroboyo, Trans Jatim, shuttle bus service (Wira Wiri Suroboyo), and Share taxis is called ''Angkot'' as a means of choice for residents of Surabaya and surrounding cities for their daily activities. Surabaya has a number of terminals in the city, including Joyoboyo Terminal, Bratang Terminal, Jembatan Merah Bus Stop, Ujung Baru Bus Stop, and so on. These terminals are meeting points between city buses and other modes of transportation within the city. Since 7 April 2018, the Surabaya city government has launched a city bus system named Suroboyo Bus which serves important points throughout the city. The Suroboyo Bus payment system is unique because it uses plastic waste making Surabaya the second city in the world to implement this system in mass transportation after the
Beijing subway The Beijing Subway is the rapid transit system of Beijing Direct-controlled municipality, Municipality that consists of 29 lines including 24 rapid transit lines, two airport rail links, one maglev line and two light rail, light rail tram line ...
in 2014. Suroboyo Bus has small stops scattered throughout the city. Surabaya's
Juanda International Airport Juanda International Airport is an international airport, international joint-use airport located in Sedati, Sedati District, Sidoarjo Regency, Sidoarjo, Indonesia. It is now the List of the busiest airports in Indonesia, third busiest airport ...
is a passenger and cargo airport which also serves as Surabaya's Naval Airbase, operated by the TNI-AL (
Indonesian Navy The Indonesian Navy (, TNI-AL) is the Navy, naval branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. It was founded on 10 September 1945 and has a role to patrol Indonesia's lengthy coastline, to enforce and patrol the territorial waters and Exclus ...
) and located just outside Surabaya, on the outskirts of Sidoarjo. This airport has served Surabaya for many years and currently has two terminals, with domestic flights served from Terminal 1 and all international flights and
Garuda Indonesia Garuda Indonesia is the flag carrier of Indonesia, headquartered at Soekarno–Hatta International Airport near Jakarta. A successor of KLM Interinsulair Bedrijf, it is a member of SkyTeam airline alliance and the second-largest airline of Ind ...
's domestic flights serviced from Terminal 2. Port of Tanjung Perak is the main trading port of Surabaya and
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
as a whole. It is one of the busiest ports in the country. It is the second-largest port of trade, container and passenger traffic in Indonesia after the Port of Tanjung Priok in Jakarta. Because of its strategic position and the existence of surrounding advantageous hinterlands, the port constitutes the center of inter island shipping for Eastern Indonesia.


Culture

Javanese culture in Surabaya has distinctive characteristics compared to other regions, the uniqueness of its characteristics which is more egalitarian and open. Surabaya is known to have several distinctive arts, namely: *
Ludruk ''Ludruk'' is one of the theatrical genres in East Java. It is a form of traditional performance presented by a troupe of actors (or comedians) on a stage, re-telling the life stories of everyday people and their struggles. Its origin is unclea ...
, a cultural drama performance art that tells daily routine of working-class people. * Remo Dance, a traditional welcome dance that is generally dedicated to special guests. * ''Kidungan'', a poetry musicalisation and contains elements of humor. In addition to the art above, the call culture of ''arek'' or ''rek'' (a distinctive call from Surabaya) is also a unique characteristic. There are other distinctive calls as well, namely Cak for men and Ning for women. In an effort to preserve culture, Cak & Ning Surabaya is selected once a year, and the selected finalists are tourism ambassadors and icons of the young generation of the city. Cak Durasim Festival (FCD) is held annually, which is an art festival to preserve the culture of Surabaya and East Java in general. The Cak Durasim Festival is usually held at Cak Durasim Building. There is also the Surabaya Art Festival (FSS) which raises all kinds of art forms such as theatre, dance, music, literary seminars, painting exhibitions. Event organisers usually aside from art groups in Surabaya also come from outside the city. Also enlivened is the screening of movie screens and T-shirt exhibitions. The Surabaya Art Festival is held once a year in June and is usually held at the Youth Hall. In addition to Javanese culture, there has also been a mixture of various cultures such as from Madura, the Arab world, India, the Malay world, China and Europe. The Surabaya Cross Culture is an annual art and culture festival that show various cultures outside Indonesia.


Cuisine

As a metropolitan city, all types of
Indonesian cuisine Indonesian cuisine is a collection of various regional culinary traditions by various ethnic groups that formed in the archipelagic nation of Indonesia. There are a wide variety of recipes and cuisines in part because Indonesia is composed ...
and other international cuisines have a presence. However, as the capital of
East Java East Java (, , ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost third of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean border its northern ...
, cuisines from the rest of the province dominate the culinary culture of the city. East Javanese cuisine includes a variety of processed fruits, crispy tempeh, Bakpao telo,
Bakso Bakso or baso is an Indonesian meatball, or a meat paste made from beef surimi. Its texture is similar to the Chinese beef ball, fish ball, or pork ball. The word ''bakso'' may refer to a single meatball or the complete dish of meatball soup. ...
Malang, Rawon, tahu campur lamongan, Cwie noodles, tahu takwa, tahu pong, getuk pisang, pecel madiun, wingko, tape, nasi krawu, otak-otak bandeng, bonggolan, shrimp crackers, shrimp paste or petis, Tempeh Chips, tahu tepo, Nasi lethok, sego tempong, salad soup, pecel rawon, Suwar-suwir, tape proll, gaplek, lodho, goat satay, and pecel tulungagung. Surabaya is famous for Rawon, Rujak cingur, Semanggi, Lontong Balap, clams satay, mussels, and rice cake. * ''Rujak cingur'': a marinated
cow Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are called co ...
snout or lips and noses (''cingur''), served with boiled vegetables and shrimp crackers. It is then dressed in a sauce made of caramelised fermented shrimp paste ('' petis''), peanuts, chili, and spices. It is usually served with ''
lontong ''Lontong'' () is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a Cylinder (geometry), cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a bana ...
'', a boiled rice cake. ''Rujak cingur'' is considered traditional food of Surabaya. * '' Rawon'': a dark beef soup, served with
mung bean The mung bean or green gram (''Vigna radiata'') is a plant species in the legume family.Brief Introduction of Mung Bean. Vigna Radiata Extract Green Mung Bean Extract Powder Phaseolus aureus Roxb Vigna radiata L R Wilczek. MDidea-Extracts P ...
sprouts and the ubiquitous ''
sambal Sambal is an Indonesian chili sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of chillis with secondary ingredients such as shrimp paste (terasi), garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an Indonesia ...
''. The dark (almost black) color comes from the kluwak (''Pangium edule'') nuts. * ''Lontong kupang'': ''
lontong ''Lontong'' () is an Indonesian cuisine, Indonesian dish made of compressed rice cake in the form of a Cylinder (geometry), cylinder wrapped inside a banana leaf, commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Rice is rolled inside a bana ...
'' with small cockles in '' petis'' sauce. * ''Semanggi'': a salad made of boiled ''semanggi'' (''
Marsilea crenata ''Marsilea crenata'' is a species of fern found in Southeast Asia. It is an aquatic plant looking like a four leaf clover. Leaves floating in deep water or erect in shallow water or on land. Leaflets glaucous, sporocarp ellipsoid, on stalks a ...
'') leaves that grow in paddy fields. It is dressed in a spicy peanut sauce. It is usually eaten with rice crackers.


Sports

Surabaya is a barometer and center of
association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...
development in Indonesia. The city has many association football clubs founded in Surabaya, but
Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Benowo, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. It is a part of the Surabaya Sports Center. The rest of the sports complex consists of an indoor stadium, a racing circuit, a roller skating track, t ...
is the home of
Persebaya Surabaya Persatuan Sepakbola Surabaya ( 'Football Association of Surabaya'), commonly known as Persebaya Surabaya or simply Persebaya (), is an Indonesian professional association football, football club based in Surabaya, East Java. The club currentl ...
. The first club was founded by the youth of ''Hoogere Burger School'' (HBS) John Edgar with the Victoria club in 1895. Others included Scoren Is Ons Doel (SIOD), Sparta, Rapiditas and Thot Heil Onzer Ribben (THOR). These are the pioneers of association football in Surabaya. The clubs then took management under Oost Java Voetbalbond (OJVB) in 1907. Two years later, the OJVB changed to ''Soerabajasche Voetbalbond'' (SVB). Starting in 1914, SVB was based on the Nederlandsch Indische Voetbalbond (NIVB), created by Dutch football federation (KNVB). The Surabaya Chinese and native people also founded their association football clubs by ethnicity. Oei Kwie Liem founded Hoa Soerabaja in 1914, while the Bumiputera through R Pamoedji and Paidjo founded the ''Soerabajasche Indonesische Voetbalbond'' (SIVB) on 18 June 1927 (now Persebaya), which three years later co-founded the
PSSI The Football Association of Indonesia (; 'All-Indonesian Football Association'; abbreviated as PSSI) is the governing body of football in Indonesia. It was founded on 19 April 1930. The PSSI joined FIFA in 1952 and the Asian Football Confedera ...
. In 1950, the working-class people and office men founded ''Soerabajasche Kantoor Voetbalbond'' (SKVB). The association football sector in Indonesia and specifically Surabaya became more developed, and the football association of Indonesia founded a semi-professional competition in 1979, which was named the Main Football League (Galatama). A new team emerged from Surabaya, NIAC Partners and the Salim Group Association. Besides Galatama, PSSI also formed a women's soccer competition called the Women's Football League (Galanita). Surabaya also has a women's soccer team, which was founded in 1977 and named Puteri Puspita. Clubs from Surabaya have also gained attention from the rest of the world. Persebaya has competed against European teams including Lokomotiv Moscow, Sturm Graz, Grasshoppers, Salzburg, Stade de Reims, Ajax Amsterdam, PSV Eindhoven, AC Milan, and lastly, Queens Park Rangers (QPR). Aside from European teams, there are several national teams outside the country competing against Persebaya, including Yugoslavia Olympics, Malaysia, Mozambique, Uruguay, Thailand, South Korea, and the Japanese national team. NIAC Mitra also competed against Arsenal and won the
Aga Khan Gold Cup The Aga Khan Gold Cup was a tournament played in Dhaka, Bangladesh which invited the club sides from leading football nations of Asia to compete. Many renowned football pundits regard this competition as a predecessor of the AFC Champions League ...
competition in 1979 in Bangladesh. The achievements of NIAC Mitra in the Galatama competition included three championships in 1980–1982, 1982–1983, and 1987–1988, and finishing as runners-up in 1988–89. However, NIAC Partners officially dissolved and withdrew from the Galatama competition held by PSSI in 1990 because they considered the policies issued by PSSI irrelevant. After being disbanded, the demands of the Surabaya community to revive the NIAC Partners were channelled when the Jawa Pos party weighed in and changed the name of the NIAC Partner to the Surabaya Partner. When the Union competition was merged with Galatama in 1994, the new Persebaya was able to win in 1997 and 2004. Persebaya was listed as the first team capable of winning the Indonesian League twice. Mitra Surabaya was only able to exist until the 1998–1999 season and it was re-established again in another city, Tenggarong and has not used the name of Surabaya again. Recently, only Persebaya has stable fans and achievements. Persebaya has won the Indonesian Premier Division three times–twice when the division was the first tier and once as the second tier. Fans refer to themselves as Bonek, an abbreviation for ''Bondo Nekat'' (which translates as "equipped by bravery"). The city is the home of CLS Knights Indonesia, a basketball club which participated in IBL (Indonesia basketball league) & Asean Basketball League. Surabaya has a
multi-purpose stadium A multi-purpose stadium is a type of stadium designed to be easily used for multiple types of events. While any stadium could potentially host more than one type of sport or event, this concept usually refers to a design philosophy that stres ...
,
Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Benowo, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. It is a part of the Surabaya Sports Center. The rest of the sports complex consists of an indoor stadium, a racing circuit, a roller skating track, t ...
. The stadium is used mostly for
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
matches. It is the new home stadium of Persebaya, replacing
Gelora 10 November Stadium Gelora 10 November Stadium (; literally "10 November Sports Arena Stadium"), formerly known as Tambaksari Stadium, is a football stadium located in Tambaksari, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. It is currently used mostly for association football m ...
. It was the venue of a match between Persebaya 1927 against then–English
Premier League The Premier League is a professional association football league in England and the highest level of the English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Football Lea ...
club
Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional association football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, the second level of the English f ...
, held on 23 July 2012. Another prevalent sport is badminton. There are numerous schools and clubs in the city that train students of various ages to reach the next level of the Badminton League. Many children start out their career from Surabaya and have made it to the national and sometimes international level.


Media

One of the largest circulating national newspapers in Indonesia, ''
Jawa Pos ''Jawa Pos'' ( 'Java Post') is an Indonesian national daily newspaper based in Surabaya, East Java. ''Jawa Pos'' was launched by Suseno Tedjo or The Chung Shen on July 1, 1949. The parent company, "Jawa Pos Group", is owned by Indonesian media tyc ...
'', is headquartered in Surabaya; alongside its media conglomerate Jawa Pos Group. Major newspapers include ''Surabaya Pagi'' and ''Surya''. Surabaya is served by many radio and television networks. Radio networks affiliates include the public RRI Surabaya, Gen FM Surabaya 103.1 and Prambors FM Surabaya 89.3; as well as local stations Suara Surabaya 100.0, EBS FM and Radio Merdeka 106.7. Local television stations include JTV (both are regional stations serving East Java, which are based in the city), Jawa Pos TV, Surabaya TV and Nahdlatul Ulama-affiliated TV9.


Education

One of the most well-liked educational locations in Indonesia is Surabaya, which is home to about 40 higher education institutions. In addition to various state-funded and -managed Junior High Schools (SMP Negeri), State High Schools (SMA Negeri), and State Vocational Schools (SMK), there are hundreds of public and private schools in the city. The city is home to at least seventeen universities, six of which are owned by the state, and sixty-four professional schools. These universities provide everything from natural, technology, and social sciences to tourism instruction. Major universities and institutes, including those with technical or religious specializations (arranged by significance), can be found in Surabaya. Which are included Universitas Airlangga (UNAIR), a prominent Indonesian public research institution with locations in
Banyuwangi Banyuwangi, previously known as Banjoewangi, is a large town and an administrative district (''kecamat5an'') which serves as the capital of Banyuwangi Regency at the far eastern end of the island of Java, Indonesia. It had a population of 106,000 ...
and Surabaya. The national public research university
Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (; abbreviated as ITS) is a national public research university located in Surabaya, East Java, with a strong emphasis on scientific, engineering, and vocational education system. Located on 180-hectares g ...
(ITS), which emphasizes science, engineering, and vocational education. The State University of Surabaya (UNESA), a prominent institution that trains teachers and offers courses in law, technology, and economics. One of Indonesia's leading private Christian universities, Petra Christian University offers courses in economics, technology, design, engineering, literature, and education. It is Indonesia's oldest significant Christian institution, having been founded in 1961. Major technical public institution, Electronic Engineering Polytechnic Institute of Surabaya (PENS-PPNS), Surabaya. Yayasan Nala is the manager of Hang Tuah University, which was established by the Indonesian Navy. Bhayangkara University, which is connected to the East Java Indonesian Police Department. State Islamic University of Sunan Ampel (UINSA), a public islamic university studies. Founded in 1968, the
University of Surabaya University of Surabaya (UBAYA) is a university in Rungkut, Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia. UBAYA is the successor to Trisakti University of Surabaya which was founded in 1966. Its name was changed to the University of Surabaya in 1968. Construct ...
(UBAYA) is a private institution that offers psychology and pharmacy studies. Wijaya Putra University a private university founded in 1984. Wijaya Kusuma University Surabaya, is the oldest private medical school in eastern Indonesia, located in Surabaya. The Faculty of Medicine was founded in 1986 after being established in 1981.
Widya Mandala Catholic University Widya Mandala Catholic University () commonly abbreviated as WMCU or UKWM, is a major private Roman Catholic university in Indonesia, located in the heart of Darmo District in Surabaya, East Java - Indonesia. Widya Mandala Catholic University i ...
, a private Catholic institution in Surabaya, which recently constructed a third campus in the eastern section of the city and houses facilities for healthcare studies. Among them is Widya Mandala Catholic University. Additionally, there are several international schools here, which is Surabaya Intercultural School, Surabaya Japanese School ( スラバヤ日本人学校), Surabaya Taipei International School (印尼泗水臺灣學校) , Surabaya European School, Merlion School, Ciputra School, and Spins Interactional School.


International relations

Surabaya has cooperation between cities throughout the world as well as several state representative offices here, such as the General Consulates and
Consulates A consulate is the office of a consul. A type of mission, it is usually subordinate to the state's main representation in the capital of that foreign country (host state), usually an embassy (or, only between two Commonwealth countries, a h ...
, considering that this city is ranked second in terms of population and economy. And some of this list are overseas representative offices and city
twin towns A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...
such are:


Diplomatic Missions


General Consulates

*
Australian Consulate-General, Surabaya The Australian Consulate-General in Surabaya () represents the Commonwealth of Australia in Surabaya, the second most populous city in Indonesia. The Consulate-General of Australia in Surabaya was established in February 2017, and is the fourth d ...
* Chinese Consulate-General, Surabaya * Consulate-General of Japan, Surabaya * Consulate General of the United States, Surabaya


Consulates

* Austria * Belarus * Belgium * Czech Republic * Denmark * East Timor * Finland * France * Germany * Hungary * India * Mongolia * Netherlands * New Zealand * Philippines * Poland * Russia * Slovakia * Sri Lanka * Switzerland * Sri Lanka * Sweden * Thailand * United Kingdom


Other diplomatic offices

* Taiwan (Taipei Economic and Trade Office in Surabaya)


Twin towns – sister cities

Surabaya is twinned with: *
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, United States (1992) *
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, South Korea (1994) * Kōchi, Japan (1997) *
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, Mexico (2001) *
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, China (2005) *
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, China (2008) *
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, Bulgaria (2010) *
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, United Kingdom (2017) *
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, India (2021) *
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, Malaysia * Kaoshiung, Taiwan *
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, Egypt *
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, Malaysia *
Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...
, Saudi Arabia *
Kuala Belait Kuala Belait (KB) or officially the Kuala Belait Town (), is the administrative town of Belait District, Brunei. The population of the town proper was 4,544 in 2021. Kuala Belait is officially a municipal area (), as well as a settlement under t ...
, Brunei Surabaya also has a friendship agreement with: *
Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia located at the mouth of the Swan River (Western Australia), Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australi ...
, Australia (1996)


Notable people


See also

* Colonial architecture of Surabaya * List of tallest buildings in Surabaya *
Surabaya metropolitan area The Surabaya metropolitan area or Greater Surabaya, known locally as Gerbangkertosusila (, from ''Gresik-Bangkalan-Mojokerto-Surabaya-Sidoarjo-Lamongan''), is a metropolitan area in East Java, Indonesia. It is the country's second-largest metropol ...


Notes


References


Citations


Bibliography

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *


Further reading

*


External links

* * * * * {{Authority control Populated places in East Java Populated coastal places in Indonesia Provincial capitals in Indonesia Populated places established in the 13th century Brantas basin