Gresik Regency

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 center near the coast.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_-dCAAAAcAAJ&q=The+History+of+Java|title=The History of Java: In Two Volumes|last=Raffles|first=Thomas Stamford|date=1817|publisher=Black, Parbury, and Allen : and John Murray|language=en}}

Since the 11th century, Gresik has become an international trade center 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 of Sheikh Maulana Malik Ibrahim and Fatimah bint Maimun.Buku Potensi Pariwisata dan Produk Unggulan Jawa Timur, 2009 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.{{Cite web|url=http://gresikkab.go.id/profil/sejarah|title=Pemerintah Kabupaten Gresik - Sejarah|website=gresikkab.go.id|language=id|access-date=2019-03-25}}

The port of Gresik-Djaratan has functioned as an important commercial center 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".{{cite book | last =Ricklefs | first =M.C. | title =A History of Modern Indonesia since c. 1300 | publisher =MacMillan | year =1991|edition=2nd | location =London| isbn = 0-333-57689-6 |page= 39}} 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 center 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.

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.

The Gresik Regency is divided into eighteen administrative districts (kecamatan). The districts are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kabupaten Gresik Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.3525) The mid 2022 estimates were revised downwards from 1,332,664 to 1,291,538 ; this reduction was notably in the districts immediately adjoining Surabaya. However population growth continued and by mid 2024 the total had been returned to 1,327,497. The table also includes the number of administrative villages in each district (totaling 329 rural desa and 27 urban kelurahan), and its post code.

Notes: (a) comprising 11 kelurahan (Gending, Gulomantung, Indro, Kawis Anyar, Kebomas, Ngargosari, Prambangan, Sidomoro, Sidomukti, Singosari and Tenggulunan) and 10 desa.
(b) comprising 16 kelurahan (Bedilan, Karangpoh, Karangturi, Kebungson, Kemuteran, Kroman, Lumpur, Ngipik, Pekauman, Pekelingan, Sidokumpul, Sukodono, Sukorame, Tlogopatut, Tlogopojok and Trate) and 5 desa.
(c) Sangkapura and Tambak districts together constitute the island of Pulau Bawean, lying to the north of Madura but administratively a part of Gresik Regency.

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.

Gresik has a humidity varying between 44% and 88%. The maximum humidity is 88% and the average humidity is 58%. The wind velocity of Gresik is within the range of 0–18 km/hour. The maximum wind velocity is 18 km/hour and the average is 12.6 km/hour. The temperature of this city is within the range of 23 °C-35 °C with the average temperature is 28.5 °C.

{{Weather box

|location = Gresik, Gresik Regency (elevation {{convert|10|m|abbr=on|disp=or}})

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan high C = 30.7

|Feb high C = 30.8

|Mar high C = 31

|Apr high C = 31.6

|May high C = 31.7

|Jun high C = 31.5

|Jul high C = 31.1

|Aug high C = 31.8

|Sep high C = 32.4

|Oct high C = 33.2

|Nov high C = 33.1

|Dec high C = 31.4

|Jan mean C = 27.2

|Feb mean C = 27.2

|Mar mean C = 27.2

|Apr mean C = 27.6

|May mean C = 27.5

|Jun mean C = 27

|Jul mean C = 26.6

|Aug mean C = 26.9

|Sep mean C = 27.5

|Oct mean C = 28.6

|Nov mean C = 28.7

|Dec mean C = 27.6

|Jan low C = 23.8

|Feb low C = 23.6

|Mar low C = 23.5

|Apr low C = 23.7

|May low C = 23.4

|Jun low C = 22.6

|Jul low C = 22.1

|Aug low C = 22.1

|Sep low C = 22.7

|Oct low C = 24.1

|Nov low C = 24.3

|Dec low C = 23.9

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 300

|Feb precipitation mm = 267

|Mar precipitation mm = 263

|Apr precipitation mm = 169

|May precipitation mm = 123

|Jun precipitation mm = 63

|Jul precipitation mm = 37

|Aug precipitation mm = 18

|Sep precipitation mm = 23

|Oct precipitation mm = 52

|Nov precipitation mm = 129

|Dec precipitation mm = 242

|Jan humidity = 82.3

|Feb humidity = 82.8

|Mar humidity = 83.2

|Apr humidity = 80.1

|May humidity = 79

|Jun humidity = 76

|Jul humidity = 73.4

|Aug humidity = 70.5

|Sep humidity = 68.7

|Oct humidity = 68.7

|Nov humidity = 73

|Dec humidity = 79.3

| source 1 = Climate-Data.org (temp & precip)

{{cite web

| url = https://en.climate-data.org/asia/indonesia/east-java/gresik-977159/

| title = Climate: Gresik, Gresik Regency

| publisher = Climate-Data.org

| access-date = 25 March 2019}}

| source 2 = Weatherbase (humidity)

{{cite web

| url = http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=602330&cityname=Gresik-Indonesia

| title = Gresik, Indonesia

| publisher = Weatherbase

| access-date = 25 March 2019}}

}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Cite book|title=The History of Java|last=Raffles|first=Thomas Stamford|publisher=Quarterly Review source from Bavarian State Library|year=1817|volume=1|location=Munich|author-link=Stamford Raffles}}
• {{cite book

| last =Turner | first =Peter | title =Java | publisher =Lonely Planet | year =1997 | location =Melbourne| isbn = 0-86442-314-4 | page =341 | edition =1st }}

{{Commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20050310200950/http://www.gresik.go.id/en_sejarah.php Official Information Center of Gresik Regency]
• [http://www.eastjava.com/tourism/gresik/photo-gallery.html Gresik Tourism Photo Galleries]

{{E Java}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Bengawan Solo basin