Initially, the economy of the
Sundanese people in West Java relied heavily on
rice cultivation. Ancient kingdoms established in the province such as the
Tarumanagara and
Sunda Kingdom are known to have relied on rice taxes and agriculture revenues. The cycle of life of the ancient Sundanese people revolved around the rice crop cycle. Traditional rice harvest festivals such as the
Seren Taun were important. The ancient goddess of rice,
Nyai Pohaci Sanghyang Asri, is revered in Sundanese culture. Traditionally, Sundanese people often used dry rice cultivation (
ladang). After the
Mataram expanded to the Priangan area in the early 17th century following the
Sultan Agung campaign against Dutch Batavia,
sawah (wet rice cultivation) began to be adopted in the northern lowlands of West Java. Regencies such as
Indramayu,
Cirebon,
Subang,
Karawang and
Bekasi are now well known as vital rice-producing areas. The mountainous region of West Java supplies vegetables, flower and much horticultural produce to Jakarta and Bandung, while animal farms in West Java produce dairy products and meats.
Colonial period seen from the
Bogor Botanical Garden During the entire Dutch colonial era, West Java fell under Dutch administration centered in
Batavia. The Dutch colonial government introduced
cash crops such as
tea,
coffee, and
quinine. Since the 18th century, West Java (known as "De Preanger") was known as a productive plantation area and became integrated with global trade and economy. Services such as transportation and banking were provided to cater for wealthy Dutch plantation owners. West Java is known as one of the earliest developed regions in the Indonesian archipelago. In the early 20th century, the Dutch colonial government developed infrastructures for economic purposes, especially to support Dutch plantations in the region. Roads and railways were constructed to connect inland plantations area with urban centres such as Bandung and the port of Batavia.
Post independence After Indonesian independence in 1945, West Java became a supporting region for
Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Jakarta remained as the business and political centre of Indonesia. Several regencies and cities in West Java such as
Bogor,
Bekasi and
Depok were developed as supporting areas for Jakarta and came to form the
Greater Jakarta area or
Jabodetabek (
Jakarta,
Bogor,
Depok,
Tangerang and
Bekasi). The northern area of West Java has become a major industrial area, with areas such as Bekasi,
Cikarang and
Karawang sprawling with factories and industries. The area in and around
Bandung has also developed as an industrial area.
Natural resources in
Pangalengan. Tea plantations are a common sight across mountainous West Java Based on the data from Indonesia State Secretary, the total area of rice fields in West Java Province in 2006 was 9,488,623 km which produced 9,418,882 tons of paddy in 2006, consisting of 9,103,800 tons rice field paddy and 315,082 tons farmland paddy. Palawija (non-rice food) production, reached 2,044,674 tons with productivity 179.28 quintal per ha. Nevertheless, the widest plant's width is for corn commodity which reaches 148,505 ha. West Java also produces horticulture consists of 2,938,624 tons vegetables, 3,193,744 tons fruits, and 159,871 tons medicines plants/ bio pharmacology. . Forest in West Java covers 764,387.59 ha or 20.62% from the total size of the province. It consists of productive forest 362,980.40 ha (9.79%), protected forest 228,727.11 ha (6.17%), and conservation forest 172,680 ha (4.63%). Mangrove forest reaches 40,129.89 ha, and spread in 10 regencies where coasts are available. Besides, there is also another protected forest of about 32,313.59 ha organized by Perum Perhutani Unit III West Java and Banten. From the productive forest, in 2006 West Java harvested crop of about 200,675 m³ wood, although the need for wood in this province every year is about 4 million m³. Until 2006, populace forest's width 214,892 ha with wood production is about 893,851.75 m³. West Java also produces non-forest's crop which is potential enough to be developed as forestry work, such as silk, mushroom, pine, dammar, maleleuca, rattan, bamboo, and swallow bird's nest. In the fishery sector, commodities include goldfish, nila fish, milkfish, freshwater catfish, windu shrimp, green mussel, gouramy, patin, seaweed and vaname shrimp. In 2006, this province harvested 560,000 tons of fish from fishery cultivation crop and brackish or 63.63% from fishery production total in West Java. in
Kampung Naga. Rice terraces are grow very well on the island of Java, especially in West Java. In the poultry field, dairy cow, domestic poultry, and ducks are common commodities in West Java. 2006 data stated that there are 96,796 dairy cows (25% of the national population), 4,249,670 sheep, 28,652,493 domestic poultries, and 5,596,882 ducks (16% of the national population). Now there are only 245,994 beef cattle in West Java (3% national population), whereas the need every year is about 300,000 beef cattle. This province has many plantation crops, such as tea, cloves, coconut, rubber, cacao, tobacco, coffee, sugar, palm and akar wangi (
Chrysopogon zizanioides). From all those commodities, cloves, coconut, rubber, cocoa, tobacco, and coffee are common in West Java. From area side, the best productivity, that is plan area's width equals with the plant's width that produces tobacco and sugar palm commodities. From the production side, the highest productivity is oil palm (6.5 tons per ha) and sugar palm (5.5 tons per ha). West Java also has several mining operations. In 2006, it contributed 5,284 tons zeolite, 47,978 tons bentonite, iron sand, pozzolan cement, feldspar, and jewel barn/ gemstone. Precious stone mining potential generally is found in Garut, Tasikmalaya, Kuningan, and Sukabumi Regency areas. As consequences of having many volcanoes, West Java has the potential of
geothermal energy. There are eleven points of geothermal energy, and three, i.e.
Papandayan,
Ceremai, and
Gede Pangrango have conducted pre-exploration. Raw natural resources include
chalk, several offshore oilfields in the
Java Sea, and lumber. Most of the province is very fertile, with a mix of small farms and larger plantations. There are several
hydropower dams, including
Jatiluhur,
Saguling,
Cirata, and
Jatigede.
Tourism in
Southern Bandung is a
Volcanic crater lake Tourism is an important industry in West Java, and the
Bandung and
Puncak areas have long been known as popular weekend destinations for Jakartans. Today, Bandung has developed into a historical tourist destination, with the
Merdeka Building and
Braga Street shopping area popular not only among locals, but also with visitors from Malaysia and Singapore. The history-rich coastal city of
Cirebon is also a cultural tourism destination since the city has several
kratons and historical sites such as Gua Sunyaragi. Other tourist destinations include the
Bogor Botanical Garden,
Taman Safari,
Tangkuban Perahu crater,
Pelabuhanratu Bay, Ciater hot springs,
Kawah Putih crater to the south of Bandung,
Pangandaran beach, and various mountain resorts in Cianjur, Garut, Tasikmalaya, and Kuningan. == Demographics ==