Central Java city and its surrounding regencies have formed a separate special region (equivalent to a province) since Indonesian independence, administrated separately. Located in the middle of the island of Java, the Central Java province is bordered by West Java and East Java provinces. A small portion of its south region is the Yogyakarta Special Region province, fully enclosed on the landward side by the Central Java province. To the north and the south, the Central Java province faces the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean. Central Java includes offshore islands such as Karimun Jawa Islands in the north, and Nusakambangan in
West Java Java Province to Central or East Java Provinces is literally said to be moving from Sunda to Java worlds. Bandung, the capital city of West Java, is considered as the cultural heartland of Sundanese people. Many indigenous Sundanese artforms were developed in this city. The nearby province of Banten, which was formerly part of West Java before it became its own province, is similar in this regard and is also considered to be part of "Pasundan" as well. The musical arts of Sunda, which is an expression of the emotions of Sundanese culture, express politeness and grace of Sundanese. Degung