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Tegal is a city in the northwest part of the province of Central Java, Indonesia. It is situated on the north coast (or pesisir) of Central Java, about from Semarang, the capital of the province. It had a population of 239,599 at the 2010 Census and 273,825 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2025 was 297,173 (comprising 149,957 males and 147,216 females).

The city is administratively separate from Tegal Regency, which borders it to the south and east; Brebes Regency borders it to the west. As originally calculated, the metropolitan area of the city and surrounding districts within Tegal Regency at the 1990 Census was 719,847 (not including 289,103 inhabitants within Brebes Regency). Its built-up (or metro) area made up of Tegal Municipality and 12 districts spread over Tegal and Brebes Regencies was home to 1,410,124 inhabitants as at the 2010 census and 1,602,546 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 1,698,092.

The Dutch East Indies colonial sugar industry originated in Tegal and the nearby city of Pekalongan, approximately to the east. Tegal Regency remained a major sugar production center until the mid-20th century. The city served as a port for exporting sugar produced on the nearby plantations. Tegal is famous for its warung, commonly called "warteg" or warung tegal. It is also known for its tea products, such as teh botol Sosro, Tong Tji tea, 2 Tang tea, Gopek tea, and other brands.

Tegal has its own language, known as Bahasa Tegal. The Tegal language has a resemblance to the language of Banyumas ("ngapak") that is in the vocabulary. However, people in Tegal are reluctant to use ngapak as a term of the language, due to their dialectical difference. People using the Tegal language include the northern part of the Tegal Regency, Tegal City, the western part of the Pemalang Regency, and the eastern part of the Brebes Regency. The first Tegal language Congress was held by the Tegal City government on 4 April 2006, at the Bahari Inn Hotel. The event which was initiated by Yono Daryono presented several figures such as SN Ratmana (cerpenis), Ki Enthus Susmono (dalang Tegal), Eko Tunas (Tegal poet), Dwi Ery Santoso (Poetry and Director). The purpose of the congress was to raise the status of the Tegalan dialect into the Tegal language. Some Indonesian comedians speak it because its accent and dialect arouse amusement. One example is the translation of the greeting phrase "How are you?" into "Kepriben kabare?".

It is common practice for people in Tegal to call their friends "Jon", "Jack" or "Jakwir". The translation for "Daddy" is Jasak, "Mommy" is Jok, a younger brother is addressed as Yarig, and an older brother is Sahang. Many other words can only be understood by native Tegals. Bahasa Tegal also has many Arabic loan words.

Aerial view of Tegal (date unknown) Aerial view of Pagongan sugar factory (ca.1928–40) The city of Tegal developed from a small village called Tetegual. The modernization of the village began in the early 1530s, and it eventually became part of the Pekalongan Regency, which admitted the existence of the Pajang Empire in Central Java. The Pajang Empire was the successor of the Sultanate of Demak.

The city was founded by Ki Gede Sebayu. Together with the local people, he aspired to increase the region's agriculture, exploiting its fertile soil. Because of his efforts to develop the region, he became the high leader and the symbol of the city. His coronation as leader was held simultaneously with a traditional festival celebrating a rich agricultural harvest. By district ordinance no. 5/1988, 28 July is the anniversary of the city of Tegal.

In the 1920s, the city was a center of activism for the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI), and the radical leaders of the Tegal branch of the PKI were among the instigators of the 1926 rebellion that led to the temporary destruction of that party.

On 8 October 1945, an anti-feudalism movement called Gerakan Tiga Daerah ("Three Regions Movement") was established in Tegal, Pekalongan, and Brebes. Its goal was to replace the blue-blood regents (related to the kings of Yogyakarta and Surakarta) with ordinary people. According to the leaders of this movement, the old regents cooperated with the Japanese during World War II and sent people to Japanese slave labor camps. The main leader of Gerakan Tiga Daerah was Sarjiyo, who became the new regent of Pekalongan. Others were Kutil, K. Mijaya and Ir. Sakirman. Ir Sakirman was the local leader of the PKI. The government of the Republic of Indonesia in Yogyakarta opposed Gerakan Tiga Daerah and declared it illegal.

Gerakan Tiga Daerah had the old regents arrested, stripped naked, and dragged into prison. Other government officials and police officers were kidnapped and massacred at Talang Bridge. The Gerakan Tiga Daerah also provoked a racial riot against ethnic Chinese in Brebes. On 4 November 1945, the movement attacked the Indonesian army headquarters and the regent office in Pekalongan. The rebels were defeated by the Indonesian army in a fierce battle on 21 December 1945, and most of their leaders were arrested and imprisoned. This rebellion is called the Three Regions Affair.

During the unrest following the resignation of President Suharto in 1998, Tegal was the site of extensive protests and occasional violence against local government officials, especially in June 1998.

Tegal has faced issues relating to political corruption. In the late 2010s, two consecutive mayors of the city – Ikmal Jaya and Siti Masitha Soeparno – were both arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission and convicted.

Tegal City is located on the north coast road (pantura) of Central Java, located 165 km west of Semarang City or east of Jakarta, and lies between 109 ° 08 '- 109 ° 10' East Longitude and 6 ° 50 '- 6 ° 53' South latitude, with an area of or approximately 3,914 hectares. Tegal City is located in the Pantura region, from the orientation map of Central Java Province located in the Western Region, with the farthest spans north to south and west to east. Seen from a geographical location, Tegal's position is very strategic as a liaison of cross-national and regional economic paths in the Pantura region that is from west to east (Jakarta-Tegal-Semarang-Surabaya) with middle and south area Pulai Jawaa (Jakarta-Tegal-Purwokerto-Yogyakarta- Surabaya) and vice versa.

The built-up area of Tegal stretches south far beyond the administrative border, in particular to include the districts of Adiwerna, Dukuhturi and Talang in Tegal Regency, which together cover 63 km2 with a combined population in mid 2025 of 353,246.

Notes: (a) the 9 districts of Lebaksiu, Pangkah, Slawi, Dukuhwaru, Adiwerna, Dukuhturi, Talang, Tarub and Kramat. (b) the 3 districts of Brebes, Jatibarang and Wanasari.

Tegal has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with moderate to little rainfall from June to October and heavy to very heavy rainfall from November to May.