Serang

Serang is a city in Indonesia and the capital of Banten province. It is on the island of Java, near the coast of Banten Bay. Before Banten province was created in 2000, Serang was part of West Java province.

The city has a warm, wet climate all year. It faces the Java Sea, which includes the Thousand Islands. Serang is close to the large Jakarta area, only about 15 kilometers away, and many people travel between the two.

In 2010, about 576,961 people lived in Serang. By 2020, the number had grown to 692,101, and in 2023, officials estimated that around 735,651 people lived there. The city is an important part of the region and has historical sites like Old Banten.

Culture

Religion

Most people in Serang and Banten Province practice Islam, but people of other religions also live together peacefully. Serang is often called the "kota santri" or the "city of pious people" because of its history as a place for learning about Islam. The city has two big congregational mosques, the Ats-Tsauroh Great Mosque of Serang and the Al-Bantani Grand Mosque, where many people come to worship.

Language

While most people in Banten Province speak the Sundanese language, some people in Serang also speak the Javanese language in a way that is similar to the Cirebon area. This is because many people from Java came in 1527 to help build the Banten Sultanate and stayed there.

Transportation

Serang has a train station called Serang, run by PT Kereta Api Indonesia.

The city is connected by the Tangerang–Merak Toll Road, which is part of the bigger Trans-Java toll road. Plans exist for a new bridge called the Sunda Strait Bridge. It would start in Serang and go to Cilegon and across the water to Sumatra.

The closest big airport is Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, about 29 kilometers away from Serang.

Administrative districts

Serang used to be part of Serang Regency. On November 2, 2007, Serang became its own city. Since then, Serang City is a small area surrounded by Serang Regency on three sides, with the Java Sea to the north.

The city of Serang is split into six districts. Here are details about their sizes and how many people live there.

Climate

Serang has a tropical rainforest climate with lots of rain all year. The rain is very heavy between December and March.

Emblem

The emblem of Serang has a special design. It shows a hexagon with a picture of the gerbang Kaibon and a star. At the bottom, there is a banner with the motto of Serang city, Kota Serang Madani, which means "Self-reliant Serang."

Notable people

Serang is the home city of Arif Cahyono. He was born in 1975 and later became an army general.