Java is an island that is mostly formed from volcanic
activity, it is the thirteenth largest island in the world, and the fifth
largest in Indonesia. Lines of volcanoes form a line stretching from east to
west of the island. There are three main languages on this island, but the
majority of the population speak Javanese. Javanese is the mother tongue of 60
million Indonesians, and most of its speakers live on the island of Java. Most
of the population is bilingual, speaking Indonesian as both a first and second
language. Most of the population of Java is Muslim, but there are various
sects, religions, ethnic groups and cultures on the island.
The origin of the name 'Javanese' is unclear. One
possibility is that the island's name comes from the jáwa-wut plant, which was
found on the island in ancient times, before the entry of Indian influence the
island may have had many names. There is also an assumption that this island
comes from the word jaú which means "far away". In Sanskrit, yava means
barley plant, a plant for which the island is famous. Yawadvipa is mentioned in
the Indian epic Ramayana. Sugriwa, the wanara (ape-man) commander of Sri Rama's
army, sent his envoy to Yawadvipa (Java island) to find Dewi Shinta. Then based
on Indian literature, especially the Tamil literature, it is called the
Sanskrit name yāvaka dvīpa (dvīpa = island). Another suggestion is that the
word "Java" comes from the root word in the Proto-Austronesian
language, which means' home.
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