Surabaya (Dutch Soerabaja), city in southern Indonesia, the capital of East Java Province. Surabaya is a port on the northern shore of the island of Java at the mouth of the Mas River. It is the second largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. A major seaport and one of the chief commercial and trading centers of Asia, Surabaya is the terminus of a railway and highway that connect it to other Javanese cities. A principal export is sugar. Other articles of trade include tobacco, coffee, corn, hides, and tapioca. Shipbuilding, the manufacture of machinery, textiles, glass and metal products, and the processing of food and petroleum are leading industries of Surabaya. A large harbor is enclosed by breakwaters and contains floating docks and numerous quays, wharves, and warehouses. The roadstead, an open harbor where ships may anchor, is protected by nearby Madura Island. Located in the city are Airlangga University (1954), Petra Christian University (1965), and the Surabaya Institute of Technology (1960).
Before World War II (1939-1945) Surabaya was the most important Dutch naval station in the Netherlands East Indies. Many harbor installations were damaged in World War II, first by the Japanese, who captured the city in 1942, and two years later by the Allies. At the end of the war in 1945, it was seized by the Indonesian nationalists, briefly reoccupied by the Dutch, then incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia. Population (1997 estimate) 2,351,303.
