Gresik, East Java, Indonesia

🇮🇩 Gresik is a town in, East Java, Indonesia. It is the administrative centre of Gresik Regency. It forms part of Gerbangkertosusila, the metropolitan region of Surabaya. The Surabaya metropolitan area, known locally as Gerbangkertosusila as it is an acronym of Gresik–Bangkalan–Mojokerto–Surabaya–Sidoarjo–Lamongan. The regency covers and an area of 1,191.26 km². The regency's administrative centre is the town of Gresik, about 25 km to the north-west of Surabaya. Gresik Regency (excluding Bawean Island) is also part of Gerbangkertosusila, the metropolitan region of Surabaya.

Etymology Thomas Stamford Raffles in his book, The History of Java, reveals that the name of Gresik comes from the word Giri Gisik, which means "mountain near the coast", referring to the hilly topography of the Gresik town centre near the coast.

History Since the 11th century, Gresik has become an international trade centre visited by many nations such as, Chinese, Arabs, Champa and Gujaratis. Gresik Regency is also the first entry point for Islam in Java, which among others is marked by the existence of ancient Islamic tombs from Sheikh Maulana Malik Ibrahim and Fatimah bint Maimun. Gresik has become one of the main ports and trade cities that are quite important since the 14th century, as well as being a haven for ships from Maluku to Sumatra and mainland Asia (including India and Persia). This continued until the VOC era.

The port of Gresik-Djaratan has functioned as an important commercial centre since the eleventh century, trading with merchants from as far away as China, India, and Arabia. Some of these traders helped spread Islam in the area. In 1487 Sunan Giri, also known as Sultan Ainul Yaqin, began to rule Gresik. In his 1515 book, Suma Oriental, the Portuguese apothecary and traveller Tomé Pires described Gresik as "the jewel of Java in trading ports". Sunan Giri's descendants ruled the area for the following two centuries.

Initially the Gresik region was part of the Surabaya Regency. On 1 November 1974, the Central Government issued PP No. 38 of 1974. All government activities began to be gradually transferred to Gresik and the name was changed to Gresik Regency with a centre of activity in Gresik town. Also in 1974 the Indonesian government made Gresik, now a suburb of Surabaya, part of Gerbangkertosusila Metropolitan Area, the official metropolitan region by the Government.

21st-century Gresik The town of Gresik has a reputation for its many coffee shops, called warkop (from warung kopi). In 2002, Petrokimia Putra (owned by PT Petrokimia Gresik), a soccer club from Gresik, has one national league title.

Administration The Gresik Regency is divided into eighteen administrative districts (kecamatan).

Economy: Industry A large number of industries have established themselves in Gresik, mainly supporting agriculture and agricultural machinery. A lot of home-based industry exists, making caps (songkoks), bags, etc.

Two of the largest factories in Gresik are Semen Gresik (Gresik Portland Cement) and Petrokimia Gresik. Semen Gresik, the largest cement factory in Indonesia, supplies 41% of the Indonesian market; while Petrokimia Gresik, the most complete fertilizer producer in Indonesia, supplies 50% of national subsidized fertilizers.