Current Time in Cilacap, Indonesia

Cilacap lies on the south coast of Central Java in Indonesia, facing the open Indian Ocean, roughly two hundred kilometres south-west of Semarang. It occupies a strategically valuable position, for the long limestone island of Nusakambangan lies just offshore and shelters the only natural deep-water harbour on the entire southern coast of Java. The town has a population of around a quarter of a million, while the regency it administers counts close to two million people.

The Dutch recognised the value of the anchorage in the nineteenth century and developed Cilacap as a port and naval station, building the coastal fortress now known as Benteng Pendem, a partly buried complex of barracks, tunnels and gun emplacements completed in the 1860s and today one of the town's main attractions. In March 1942 the harbour became the last escape route from Java for Allied personnel fleeing the Japanese advance, and the town suffered heavily in the war that followed.

Modern Cilacap is dominated by heavy industry. The largest oil refinery in Indonesia stands here, processing several hundred thousand barrels a day and supplying much of Java's fuel, and it is accompanied by a large coal-fired power station, cement works and fertiliser and chemical plants. The fishing port is among the busiest on the southern coast, landing tuna, snapper and prawns, and shipyards, warehousing and container handling complete the maritime economy.

Nusakambangan is the region's most famous feature. Densely forested and ringed by cliffs and beaches, the island has served as a prison since the colonial period and today holds Indonesia's highest security jails, which has given it a formidable reputation, though parts of the island are open to visitors for their beaches, old fortifications and rainforest. Between the island and the mainland lies Segara Anakan, a broad mangrove lagoon of extraordinary ecological importance, threaded by channels where fishing communities live in stilt villages and where crabs, shrimp and waterbirds abound.

On the mainland, Teluk Penyu beach stretches along the town's seafront, busy with seafood stalls and fishing boats, and the coast towards Ayah and Pangandaran offers cliffs, caves and surf. Local culture is Javanese with strong coastal traditions, most visibly the annual sea offering ceremony in which decorated boats carry gifts out to the ocean in honour of the queen of the southern sea, accompanied by gamelan music and wayang performances.

The town is served by a branch railway line connecting to the main southern Java route, by an airport used for regional and industrial flights, and by roads leading to Yogyakarta, Bandung and Purwokerto. Polytechnics and a growing number of colleges provide technical education linked to local industry.

Industrious, maritime and set against a wild ocean coastline, Cilacap is one of the most distinctive towns on the southern shore of Java.