Sunda

Sunda is a geographic, cultural, and historical term associated with the western part of the Indonesian archipelago and the surrounding seas. In geology and geography it is used to describe the Sunda Shelf, a shallow continental shelf that connects parts of Southeast Asia during lower sea levels, and to designate the chain of islands known as the Sunda Islands. This group includes the Greater Sunda Islands (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Sulawesi) and the Lesser Sunda Islands (Bali, Lombok, Sumbawa, Flores, Timor, Sumba, and nearby islands). The Sunda Strait between Sumatra and Java is a prominent waterway within this region.

Ethnographically, Sundanese refers to the people native to western Java, primarily West Java and Banten. They speak Sundanese, an Austronesian language with multiple dialects, and maintain a distinct cultural tradition that includes music, dance, and folklore. The Sundanese are one of Indonesia’s major ethnic groups.

Historically, the western part of Java was home to the Sunda Kingdom, centered at Pakuan Pajajaran near present-day Bogor. This polity flourished roughly from the early medieval period until the rise of Islamic sultanates and larger Javanese powers in the region, such as Majapahit. The term Sunda also appears in broader regional contexts, such as Sundaland, which refers to a biogeographic and cultural area that includes western Indonesia and parts of the Malay Peninsula.

In modern usage, Sunda serves as a reference in geography, linguistics, and regional identity, as well as in scientific terms such as the Sunda Shelf and Sundaland.