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Bantam (city)

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Bantam (Indonesian: Banten) in Banten province near the western end of Java was a strategically important site and formerly a major trading city, with a secure harbor on the Sunda Strait through which all ocean-going traffic passed, at the mouth of Cibanten River that provided a navigable passage for light craft into the island's interior. which itself provides a good access to the hinterland.

As a trading city Bantam received an early influx of Islamic influence in the early 16th century. Bantam was the seat of a powerful sultanate. Later, the Portuguese and Dutch fought for control of Bantam in the 17th century. The English, who started to sail to the East Indies from around 1600, established a permanent trading post in Bantam in 1603. The Dutch found that they could control Batavia more thoroughly than Bantam, which contributed to its decline. South-Bantam or Bantan-Kidoel or Lebak was also the place where the main character Max Havelaar in Multatuli's novel Max Havelaar acted as the assistant-resident.

Today, Bantam is a small local seaport, economically overpowered by the neighbouring port of Merak. In Bantam, the Chinese are an important component of the community.

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