Sukabumi is a city surrounded by the regency of the same name in the highlands of West Java

West Java

West Java , with a population of over 43 million, is the most populous and most densely populated province of Indonesia. Located on the island of Java, it is slightly smaller in area than densely populated Taiwan, but with nearly double the population...

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

, about 80 km (49.7 mi) south of the national capital, Jakarta

Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...

.

At an altitude of approximately 600 meters (2000 feet), the city is a minor hill station

Hill station

A hill station is a town located at a higher elevation than the nearby plain or valley. The term was used mostly in colonial Asia , but also in Africa , for towns founded by European colonial rulers as refuges from the summer heat, up where temperatures are cooler...

 resort, with a cooler climate than the surrounding lowlands. Sukabumi is also a destination for whitewater rafting. Rubber

Rubber

Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...

 production is a major industry in the area.

In Dutch colonial times, Sukabumi was the site of the colonial police academy. In early 2005, Sukabumi Regency

Sukabumi Regency

Sukabumi Regency Indonesian: Kabupaten Sukabumi is a regency of West Java, Indonesia. Pelabuhan Ratu is its capital. Sukabumi City is fully encircled by the regency.-Beaches:...

 became the first place in Indonesia that polio

Poliomyelitis

Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile paralysis, is an acute viral infectious disease spread from person to person, primarily via the fecal-oral route...

 was reported in ten years, the beginning of a nationwide outbreak of the disease which had been believed to be eradicated in the country.

Made in 804 the Sukabumi inscription is the earliest evidence of Old Javanese script and language.