TUBAN

also spelled Toeban, city, East Java provinsi (province), Java, Indonesia. It is a fishing port on the Java Sea, about 50 miles (80 km) northwest of Surabaya. Road and railway link it with Babat to the south, and it is connected by road with Rembang and Kudus to the west and Surabaya to the southeast. The population is predominantly Madurese, and there is a large colony of Chinese immigrants. Tuban is a major centre of trade and transshipment for the surrounding rice- and corn- (maize-) growing region, and its exports also include fish and copra. Its industry includes rice milling and other food processing; crafts include wood carving, handloom weaving, and batik printing. Tuban was one of several ports that fell to the Muslims in the last decades of the 15th century; in 1619 it was subjugated by Agung, sultan of the Mataram kingdom of Java. It was known as an opium-smuggling centre during Dutch rule. Pop. (1980) city, 65,981.