Bojonegoro Regency Kabupaten Bojonegoro
Regency
Other transcription(s)
• Javanese	ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦨꦗꦤꦼꦒꦫ
Darussalam Mosque in Bojonegoro
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Jer karta raharja mawa karya (official) (Javanese: Hard works are needed to prosper) Bojonegoro matoh (informal) (Javanese: Great Bojonegoro)
Location withinEast Java
Bojonegoro Regency Location inJava andIndonesia Show map of Java Bojonegoro Regency Bojonegoro Regency (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates:7°19′03″S111°45′41″E / 7.3175°S 111.7615°E /-7.3175; 111.7615
Country	Indonesia
Province	East Java
Capital	Bojonegoro
Government
• Regent	DR. Hj. Anna Muawanah
• Vice Regent	Drs. H. Budi Irawanto, M.Pd
Area
• Total	2,307.06 km2 (890.76 sq mi)
Elevation	14 m (46 ft)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
• Total	1,363,058
• Density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+7 (IWST)
Postcode	62xxx
Area code	(+62) 353
Website	bojonegorokab.go.id

Bojonegoro Regency (Indonesian:Kabupaten Bojonegoro, older spelling isKabupaten Bodjanegara,Javanese:ꦑꦧꦸꦥꦠꦺꦤ꧀ꦨꦗꦤꦼꦒꦫ,romanized: Kabupatèn Bojånegårå) is aregency inEast Java Province ofIndonesia, about 110 km west ofSurabaya and 73 km northeast ofNgawi. It covers a land area of 2,307.06 km² (890.76 miles²) and is located in the inland part of the northernJava plain, mainly on the south bank of theSolo River, the longest river in Java. It had a population of 1,209,973 at the 2010 Census^[2] and 1,301,635 at the 2020 Census;^[3] the official estimate as at mid-2023 was 1,363,058 (comprising 684,317 males and 678,741 females).^[1] The administrative centre of the regency is the town ofBojonegoro.

Previously known as a major producer ofteak andtobacco, Bojonegoro is a focus of attention in Indonesia as a newoil field has been found in this area. This oil find is the biggest oil discovery in Indonesia in three decades^[4] and one of the biggest reserves in Indonesia.^[5]

Across the eastern border of Bojonegoro is theLamongan Regency, to the north isthe Tuban Regency, while to the south arethe Ngawi Regency,Madiun Regency,Nganjuk Regency, andJombang Regency.Blora Regency is located to the west, inCentral Java Province.

Bojonegoro occupies an area of 2,307.06 km². Much of it consists of low plains along the Solo River, with hilly areas in the southern part of the Regency. As with most ofJava, the Bojonegoro landscape is dominated byrice paddy fields. In the Bojonegoro area, the Solo River changes its course from northward to eastward.

The climate in Bojonegoro istropical with six months of rainy and dry seasons. Seasonal conditions are often very contrasting. In the rainy season, rain will fall almost daily while in the dry season, rain will not come for months, causing widespread drought and water shortages.^[6] These problems have been compounded with the loss of forests and other green areas. The teak forest once covered much of Bojonegoro, but has since considerably reduced due toover-exploitation.

Floods in the rainy season of 2007 were bigger than in previous years. The water level of the Solo River rose due to heavy rain, especially in the upper valley in Central Java, forcing the Gajah Mungkur Dam to be opened. The resulting flood submerged 15 districts, with water as high as 1.5 m, and displaced 2,700 families. A further 2.5 hectares of rice fields were damaged. No casualties were reported.^[7]

Bojonegoro has 42-100% of humidity. Maximum humidity is 100% and average humidity is 81%. Bojonegoro has 0–35 km/h of wind velocity. Maximum wind velocity is at 35 km/h (18.9 knots). The average wind velocity is 30 km/h (16.2 knots). It has an average temperature of 27.1 °C - 28.2 °C.

The area near the Solo River is fertile and has been settled since early history by theJavanese. However, these settlements never developed into major urban center, except for several coastal cities. Rather, villages are dependent on a weekly market which rotates among them andbakul (traveling peddlers) collect and distributeagricultural andmanufactured products among the villages.

The Solo River played a major role in the development of these settlements. It acted as a source of water and fertile soil, and a means of transportation. A set of copper plates of the Ferry Charter (1358 C.E.) lists over twentyferry crossings on the lower stretch of the Solo River, downstream from Bojonegoro. Inland settlements would tradeagricultural products via trading centres in the coastal cities, like neighbouringTuban, forspices fromSpice Islands,ceramics fromChina, and other commodities.^[8]

The authority over these settlements, including the territory of modern-day Bojonegoro, was held by the dominant power in Central Java, and later East Java, the kingdoms ofMataram,Kediri,Singhasari, andMajapahit.

As a territory in northern Java, the area of modern-day Bojonegoro was one of the first to acceptIslam. The Solo River area and most of Java would become part of theSultanate of Demak and its successor theSultanate of Mataram.

The modern regency (kabupaten) was founded on October 20, 1677, with Mas Toemapel as the first regent (bupati), with its capital in Jipang village (currently around Padangan District in the westernmost part of Bojonegoro). It was founded as a response to the loss of Mataram's coastal area to theDutch East India Company. Bojonegoro then became an important border town. In 1725 the capital was moved to its current location.

After the Dutch took over Java in the 18th and 19th centuries, Bojonegoro and the neighbouring regencies ofTuban andLamongan were administered under Bojonegoro Residency, with a Dutch Resident in Bojonegoro town. The resident acted as an advisor and supervisor to the regents, positions which were held by native Javanese nobility (priyayi).

During Dutch rule,tobacco andmaize were introduced from theAmericas, which would later become major commodities in Bojonegoro.

In 1894, the trans-Javarailroad, which linkedBatavia andSurabaya and passed through Bojonegoro, was finished, increasing transportation and improving the teak industry.Urbanisation also progressed under Dutch rule.

Since theIndonesian National Revolution, Bojonegoro regency has been administered as part ofEast Java province, with R.M.T. Suryo, the grandson of the former Bojonegoro regent as its first governor. In 2008, the Bojonegoro people elected its first directly elected regent, following an amendment in theconstitution. Suyoto ofthe National Mandate Party was elected as regent. In the 2018 Election, Dr Hj. Anna Muawannah (PKB-National Awakening Party) won the election by a majority (30.7%) and was elected as regent.^[9]

At the 2010 Census, Bojonegoro Regency was divided into twenty-sevendistricts (kecamatan), but in 2012 an additional district - Gayam District - was created from parts of the existing Ngasem and Kalitidu Districts. These are tabulated below with their areas and population totals from the 2010 Census^[2] and the 2020 Census,^[3] together with the official estimates as of mid-2023.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number ofadministrative villages in each district (totaling 419 ruraldesa and 11 urbankelurahan - the latter all inBojonegoro District), and its postal codes.

Notes: (a) except for the village of Margomulyo, which has a postcode of 62168.
(b) comprising 11kelurahan (Banjarejo, Jetak, Kadipaten, Karang Pacar, Kepatihan, Klangon, Ledok Kulon, Ledok Wetan, Mojokampung, Ngrowo and Sumbang) and 7desa.
(c) except for the village of Sumberejo, which has a postcode of 62191.
(d) the population of Gayam District in 2010 is included in the figures for Ngasem and Kalitidu Districts, from parts of which it was created in 2012.

Bojonegoro Regency has a population of 1,363,058 people (as of mid-2023). Most of the population work as farmers or foresters. Many still live in poverty, especially in the southern part of the regency, where the soil is less fertile. The major population centre is Bojonegoro town, located on the southern bank of the Bengawan Solo River.

The racial makeup of this regency is mainlyJavanese, with a minority ofChinese,Madurese,Balinese,Batak people, and other Indonesian ethnic groups.

Most residents speakJavanese as a daily language andIndonesian on formal and writing activities, though a minority speak Madurese and other languages.

MostJavanese andMadurese areMuslim, with a small number belonging to Christian sects.Chinese follow various religions, often with an aspect of syncretism with traditionalChinese culture.

Agriculture has been the regency's main industry. The Solo River provides a fertile farming area forrice. The main crops are rice andtobacco, as well asmaize. In 1984, the area of maize harvested reached 67,000 hectares with yields ranging from 1 to 1.28 t/ha.^[10] A typical farmer grows rice in the rainy season, when water is abundant, and tobacco or maize in the dry season. There is a high risk in agriculture because of seasonal uncertainty. Rice growing will fail if the rainy season ends before its time, and tobacco growing will fail if rain comes early.

Bojonegoro is one of the biggest producers of tobacco in Indonesia, with a total value ofRp1.2 trillion (around US$100 million) and employing 57 percent of the workforce.^[11] The majority of tobacco planted is Virginia varieties. However, Bojonegoro tobacco suffers from a high proportion ofchlorine,^[12] and uncertain rainfall. Most tobacco is used to makeclove cigarettes (kretek).

Bojonegoro is also known for its hardwood tree (teak) production. There is an annualBojonegoro Teak Fair in late January to early February where local craftsmen display their products. Teak is mainly used in shipbuilding andfurniture making. A teak cutter is calledblandong in the local Javanese dialect.

Teak forestry faces a major problem inillegal logging, as with other parts of Indonesia. In 2001 alone, the area looted covered 3,000 ha; looters stole an estimated 27,000 trees. The regional police reported impounding 550 largetrucks of stolentimber, approximately 2,000 m³, with an estimated local market value of US$1,000,000. Several riots have happened when tension arose from teak claims and when police tried to enforce the law on local thieves.

These riots were the worst during the period of turmoil between PresidentAbdurrahman Wahid andMegawati Sukarnoputri in 2001. However, after that situation calmed, enforcement became better, but illegal logging is still a significant problem, with police and bureaucratic officials often accused of cooperating with timber thieves.

The recent discovery ofoil andgas fields in the area is providing new economic opportunities.

The oil/gas fields locations include Banyu Urip, Alas Dara, Alas Tua West, Alas Tua East, Jambaran, Cendana (ExxonMobil 45%, Pertamina 45%, local companies 10% - under Joint Operating Agreement), and Sukowati (Operated under Joint Operating Body - Petrochina Pertamina East Java).

The Banyu Urip oil and gas field has provenoil reserves of over 250 million barrels (40,000,000 m³), with peak production of about 165,000 barrels (26,200 m³) per day, accounting for 20 percent of the present national crude oil production.^[13]

The main exploration started officially when a cooperative contract was signed on September 17, 2005, with Mobil Cepu Ltd., a subsidiary ofExxonMobil as the main operator. A joint operation agreement between state oil companyPertamina was signed in March 2006. Pertamina and ExxonMobil concluded a 30-year production-sharing contract in which each company would share 45 percent interest in the block. The remaining 10 percent would go to the local governments.^[14] Foreign companies, mainly fromChina, have started to invest in Bojonegoro in various projects related to the planned exploration and exploitation of the Cepu Block oil fields with a total value of US$8 million.^[15] According to the former minister and ambassador to theUnited States,Dorodjatun Kuntjoro-Jakti, Tuban and Bojonegoro would resembleTexas, because of its gas and oil resources.^[16]

Communities in Bojonegoro have benefited from community development projects by foreign companies like ExxonMobil, which have built houses of worship, schools, community health centers, and infrastructure.^[17] However, oil production is becoming a source of controversy.

SomeRegional Representatives Council (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat, DPD) members grouped in the People's Front for the Salvation of the Cepu Block (GRPBC) have called for the cancellation of the joint operation agreement between the government and ExxonMobil on the Cepu Block oil fields. They demand it is canceled because the agreement had been signed "in an atmosphere rife with suspectedcorruption, collusion andnepotism, and based on a public lie" and will make the Indonesian government lose US$1.32 billion of revenue.^[18] And Now, the New Bojonegoro Leader (Bupati Bojonegoro) are waiting for a new agreement with ExxonMobil to avoidcorruption, collusion, andnepotism.

Oil exploration and production activity has also caused several accidents. On August 31, 2006, a gas leak in the Sukowati-5 oil well (Operated by JOB Pertamina Petrochina East Java) releasedhydrogen sulfide gas to residential areas. At least 16 villagers had to be treated forsuffocation because of the gas inhalation.^[19]

Theenvironmental effects of the oil industry have become a concern of Bojonegoro residents. Some villagers claimed the presence of the oil well has not caused any improvement in the local economy and the village. Since the exploration of the Sukowati oil well in an area measuring five hectares in July 2005, the village's land has become drier and harvest significantly reduced.^[20] There is also concern that income distribution inequality could causesocial unrest when compounded with the Indonesian notorious reputation ofcorruption.

Indonesian National Route 20 traverses Bojonegoro fromBabat, goes south toNgawi, and joinsIndonesian National Route 15 which goes east fromYogyakarta toSurabaya in Caruban. The road also meetsIndonesian National Route 1 at a junction in Babat.^[21]

Bojonegoro regency is served by extensive intercity bus services (stopping and express) offering routes to neighbouring regencies, Surabaya,Malang,Denpasar,Bandung, andGreater Jakarta, usually starting and terminating at Rajekwesi bus station in the eastern part of Bojonegoro district.

Bojonegoro is well served by trains operated byPT Kereta Api Indonesia. The train service began after the completion of the trans-Java railroad which connected Batavia (Jakarta) and Surabaya in 1894. A double-tracking project connectingSemarang andSurabaya via Bojonegoro finished on 3 September 2014.^[22] Bojonegoro Regency has 6 railway stations spread across the regency: Bojonegoro,Kapas,Sumberrejo,Bowerno, Kalitidu, and Tobo

Ledre is a snack from Bojonegoro. It is rolled and made from bananas, especially from the local banana cultivar called Pisang Raja.^[23]

Bojonegoro has two local television network B-One TV and JTV Bojonegoro.^[24] Radar Bojonegoro (Jawa Pos Group) is published daily as a bundle ofJawa Pos newspaper. A monthly tabloid, Blok Bojonegoro, is also based in the regency.^[25]

Football (soccer) andbadminton are the most popular sports in Bojonegoro. The regency football team,Persibo Bojonegoro, is currently playing inthe Indonesian Premier League, the highest level of professional competition for football clubs in Indonesia since 2011.^[26] Their home stadium is Lt Gen Sudirman Stadium, Bojonegoro.^[27]

Badminton was either introduced by Dutch colonists or, more likely, byethnic Chinese. Ethnic Chinese inSumatra introduced badminton fromMalaya by inviting Chinese players in the early 1930s. In the mid-1930s, a player from Batavia, Oei Kok Tjoan, visited cities inEast Java on some occasions, raising the popularity of badminton. The game began to penetrate small towns such as Tuban, Bojonegoro,Malang, andJember and became one of the most popular sports in Java.^[28]

In archery, athletes from Bojonegoro have dominated many national and international archery championships.Rina Dewi Puspitasari^[29] and I Gusti Nyoman Puruhito Praditya^[29] have competed in national and international archery competitions, including the2004 Summer Olympics. As of October 2006, Rina Dewi Puspitasari is ranked 39th in the Recurve Women category with 59.95 points.^[30] Praditya is ranked 52 in the Compound Man category with 41.2 points.^[31]

One of the distinctive communities in Bojonegoro is theSamin people. They were ethnically indistinguishable from other Javanese people.Samin people are follower ofSurosentiko Samin, a local farmer who preachedpacifist resistance to Dutch colonial rule in the 1890s.^[32]Samin was incited by the acquisition of local teak forest by Dutch colonial authority. Dutch officials refused access to the forest for local people, as it was claimed as Dutch property. Rather than rising in a violent uprising,Samin taught peaceful resistance, such as refusing to paytaxes to the colonial authority and continuing to take teak from the forest as they had for generations.^[33]Samin people are nominally Muslim but do not practice many Islamic rituals, such as fasting or regular prayer. Rather, they emphasize thespiritual aspect, as well ashonesty,modesty, andsimplicity.^[34] In this, they are similar toKejawen's followers.Samin people reside in the southwestern part of Bojonegoro (in the heart of its teak forest) and in Blora Regency,Central Java.

• Abdoel Gaffar Pringgodigdo, Minister of Justice (21 January–6 September 1950) and Minister of State Secretariat (19 August–14 November 1945)
• Anis Hidayah, activist
• Aries Tuansyah, footballer
• Budiono Darsono, journalist and founder ofDetikCom
• Bijahil Chalwa, footballer
• Hanis Sagara Putra, footballer
• Ika Yuliana Rochmawati, archer
• Mochammad Zaenuri, footballer
• Novan Sasongko, footballer
• Pratikno, Indonesian minister of state secretariat (incumbent)
• Rina Dewi Puspitasari, archer
• Samsul Arif, footballer
• Sumarsan, traditional Javanese musician
• Titie Said, writer, journalist and chair of the IndonesianFilm Censorship Board from 2003 to 2006 and from 2006 to 2009.
• Jihan Nurlela, physician and politician

Wikimedia Commons has media related toBojonegoro Regency.

Bojonegoro travel guide from Wikivoyage

• (in Indonesian)Official site
• (in Indonesian)Bupati Bojonegoro official site
• (in Indonesian)Bojonegoro public forums
• (in Indonesian)Badan Pusat Statistik Kabupaten Bojonegoro

• Bojonegoro Regency
• 1677 establishments in Asia
• Bengawan Solo basin

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