Surabaya - East Java at a Glance
Surabaya, provincial capital of East Java and Indonesia's second largest city encompasses 290,44 sq km and is inhabited by more than 3 million people. Served for over half a millennium as trading port the inland empires of Java. Surabaya known as the "city of Heroes" because of its role in the nation’s independence struggle, has grown into an elegant city of large, colonnaded buildings bordering broad, tree shaded avenues. It serves as the commercial center of a thriving industrial and agricultural hinterland. Surabaya is also home to one of south east Asia's oldest and largest zoos.

Today's reality is mundane by comparison. Surabaya is a warm, sprawling city. Primarily a centre for trade, finance and manufacturing. Over the past few years the latest developments include the establishment of some new residential suburbs and a large industrial estate at Rungkut in the southeast of the city

For travelers in East Java, Surabaya serves as a convenient base for exploring the regions many charms, good for shopping, including the adventure trip to Mt. Bromo located in the impressively beautiful Tengger highlands, Mt. Bromo itself is an active volcano, which lies in the middle of the huge Tengger Caldera or sea of sand. It is a desolate volcanic massif offering the most spectacular sunrise in south east Asia. The cool mountain retreats of Tretes and Malang and the natural wonders of several nature reserves, offering a cool and picturesque escape from the lowland heat.

Further east is interesting object of Ijen Crater, the world's largest highly acidic lake and is the site of a labor-intensive sulfur mining operation in which sulfur-laden baskets are hand-carried from the crater floor. Coffee plantations cover much of the Ijen caldera floor, and tourists are drawn to its waterfalls, hot springs, and dramatic volcanic scenery.