Surabaya anniversary

This city has its own place deep in the heart of many Indonesian and foreign war veterans, especially the Dutch, Japanese and Britons.

Still as vibrant as it was in the past, Surabaya -- Indonesia's second-largest, busiest and most heavily polluted city after Jakarta -- today plays a major role in this country's development: economically, politically and geograpically.

To coincide with its 709th anniversary today, The Jakarta Post provides on this page a briefing on the city, both today and in the past.