Sundanese is the resident of West Java, known to Pasundan or Priangan land, covers an area around 4.500.000 hectares. One of the area with most densely populated region after Java. Sundanese is differentiate from Javanese based on their dialect which is different from Javanese. In Pasundan area have been developping a big and modern cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, and Cirebon. The area at the east is bordered from Java by Cilosari and Citanduy rivers.
In the past there was a famous kingdom ever flourishing, named Pajajaran Hindu kingdom. When Moslem influence was arriving, the people around the shores of Java must have been very interested due to the traders at the moment from West India usually rich men. So local people were interested to imitate them, or at least they got inspiration from them. So now the resident of the Pasundan are almost 98% Moslem.
As mentioned above that one indicator of the Sundanese is their different dialect from Javanese, while physically they are the same as Javanese, where mongoloid character is stronger than Malay characteristics. Sundanese dialect introduces 3 levels of speak, those are the refine one is spoken to older/senior people, normal speak is spoken among the colleges, and the low speak is addressed to the servants, children, students or similar level.
West Java also introduces social organization called Desa to cover the social affairs. The type of this Desa is almost the same for the whole Pasundan. The affinity among members of the Desa is not as strong as those in Bali, since the affairs they covers within the Desa is much smaller and is limited to those programs prepared by government.
Development of economy in West Java has been very complex from rural farming, big scale or estate, and industries with the centers of cities such as Jakarta, Bandung, and Cirebon. It is estimated around 500.000 hectares are cultivated land for agriculture, while the rest are only dry land farming and forests.
Number of population in West Java is one of the biggest social problem, where industry and government are are unable to create job opportunities, beside some mental problem of the society which is required by modern economic tendencies. In the growing weakness of Indonesian economy some areas were really suffering.
Some tourism object in West Java are the Ujung Kulon Nature Reserve, Baduy traditional village, Bogor Botanical garden, Ciater Hotspring, Mang Ujo Angklung bamboo music, and places of interest in Jakarta as National Capital and industry in Bandung.