14S 



EASTERN GEOGRAPHY. 



JAVA A SI) UADl'ltA. 



Sixth in swe, unci by fur the richest and most populous of all the 

 Fj4?t Indian Island*, Jav a rivals tin.: most favoured regions of the 

 world in its fertility, natural beauties, and exuberant vegetation* It 

 lie* between 10ft" 10 — 114° 34' E. long., and between 6* 5£ — 8" 4tT 

 S, hit., stretching fn.iui the Bunda Strait for G£3 juilea eastwards to 

 the Bali Strait, with an extreme breadth of 121 miles from Cape 

 Beimel in Yupara to the houiIi const of .lokjifkarta, anil an urea of 

 about 53,000 square in ilea. Both physically nnd adininirtralJvety 

 Madura forms n dependency of Java, from which it ia separated tit 

 its western extremity by the navigable Surabaya Strait, less limn two 

 miles wMe, It is '.Ml mil.-s hy and cnum.-!* mostly »»f ehalk, the 

 cretaceous hill* on the north sUU< forming it geological continuation 

 of those of Rcmbnng and Surabaya on the opposite side of the strait. 

 Hence it seems probable I hut it formed an integral part of the main- 

 land before the epoch of the great upheaval*, of which Java was the 

 chief centre. It lias some extensive forests, but the soil is generally 

 poor, yielding inanlRcient rice for the local consumption* 



Other natural dependencies are Palau Panitau (I Vine's Islnml). lying 

 dflf the westernmost promontory ; Krakatofi, in the Suadu Strait, w.cxm of 

 the memorable eruption of August 2c?[h, 1SS3 ; the small Carimon Jurat 

 group, about 50 miles north of Yapara ; lSavran r some 60 miles due north of 

 Sumi'iiva strait ; imd I Hi, Ti»j\i, X /■••■■< fonNfaftpm) &$mvu, .-imt Aftwa 

 Iktntng, off tho south coast, making altogether a total area of nearly 52,000 

 Bujiuru railns* 



Coast-line — Java, which Efl washed north and south hy the Java 

 Sen and Indian Ocean, has a coast-line of 1400 miles, diversified hy 

 several open bays on the north side, but with no deep inlets or 

 natural havens, bo that the only commodious harbour is that of 

 Surabaya, formed by the adjacent island of Madura, The still Jess 

 indented south coast has no nafa anchorage except under the shelter 

 of Karnbangan, and ia moreover exposed to the heavy and dangerous 

 surge rolling in from the Indian Ocenu llinuighmit the year. The 

 enasHine is otherwise broken hy a nuinl»T of hold headlands with 

 intervening hays, such as Java Head and St. Nicholas Point at the 

 southern and northern entrance of Snnda Strait ; Wyncoop's } 

 Welcome, and Pepper Bay a at the west end of the island ; Cape 

 Bugel over against Cartmon Java, and Cape Scdano commanding the 

 northern approach to Bali Strait. 



