The Majapahit Dynasty, based in and around East Java, began the foundations
of an empire that was to dominate the entire Indonesian archipelago, the Malay
peninsula and prt of the Philippines for hundres of years. As power in 
Central Java declined in the 10th century, powerful kingdoms rose in East
Java to fill the power which become vacuum. 

The provincial capital Surabaya, is the second largest city in Indonesia. It is
also the most industrialized province in the nation with a strong economy
based on agriculture, fisheries and oil.

The other city, Jember, is known for its cocoa, coffee and tobacco 
plantation. It is the home of the famous Besuki variety (tobacco) exported
to Bremen - Germany. Tourists can take the city tour of Jember to witness
the process of drying the tobacco leaves. Here you can witness where 
tobacco is inspected and its price decided by the tobacco experts before
it is exported.

The other attractions in East Java include:

MT BROM - A phony ride from the village of Ngadisari takes you over a sea
of sand to the foot of Mt. Bromo volcano to see the magnificient panoramic
view of sunrise.

MERU BETIRI RESERVE which house the last Java tigers. For tourist who wish to
spend overnight can stay at BANDEALIT PLANTATION.

SUKAMADE TURTLE BEACH which is around 90 kilometers from the town of Jember 
where you can find a 250-kg sea turtle which come to lay their eggs here. 

IJEN CRATER - This is a special type of volcanic feature common to Indonesia,
one kilometer in diameter and 175 meters deep. The floor is covered completely
by a warm lake, milky blue-green in color, held back by a dam built many
years ago by the Dutch.