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Jakarta

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Asia

   CAPTION: Special Territory Province of Jakarta
   Provinsi Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta

   Seal of Jakarta

   Motto: Jaya Raya
   (Indonesian): "Prosper and Great"

                      Map of Indonesia showing Jakarta

   Capital       Jakarta
   Governor      Sutiyoso
   Area          661.52 km² (33rd)
   Population    8,792,000 (2004, 5th)
   Ethnic groups Javanese (35%), Betawi (28%), Sundanese (15%), Chinese
                 (6%)
   Religion      Islam (86%), Protestant (6%), Roman Catholic (4%), Buddhism
                 (4%), Hindu
   Languages     Indonesian, Betawi, Javanese, Sundanese
   Time zone     WIB ( UTC+7)
   Web site      www.jakarta.go.id

   Jakarta (also Djakarta or DKI Jakarta), formerly known as Sunda Kelapa,
   Jayakarta and Batavia is the capital and largest city of Indonesia.
   Located on the northwest coast of the island of Java, it has an area of
   661.52 km² and a population of 8,792,000 ( 2004). Jakarta has been
   developed for more than 490 years and currently is the ninth most
   densely populated city in the world with 44,283 people per sq mile. Its
   metropolitan area is called Jabotabek and contains more than 23 million
   people, and it comprises an even larger Jakarta- Bandung megalopolis.

   Jakarta is served by the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. Since
   2004, Jakarta, under the governance of Sutiyoso, has developed its new
   transportation system, which is known as " TransJakarta" or "Busway"
   and in 2007, Jakarta will establish its newest transportation system,
   the Jakarta Monorail. Jakarta also is the location of the Jakarta Stock
   Exchange and the National Monument.

History

   The first recorded statement of what is now Jakarta was the port of
   origin that can be traced to a Hindu settlement as early as the 4th
   century. By the 14th century, it had been a major port for the Hindu
   kingdom of Sunda.

   The first European fleet arrived in 1513, which were four Portuguese
   ships from Malacca. Malacca had been conquered by Alfonso d'Albuquerque
   in 1511, when the Portuguese were looking for spices and especially
   pepper. The relationship between the Kingdom of Sunda and Portugal
   intensified when another Portuguese named Enrique Leme, visited Sunda
   with the intention to give a present. He was well-welcomed in 1522, and
   because of that the Portuguese received the rights to build a warehouse
   and expand the fort in Kalapa (the name of the location). This was
   regarded by the Sundanese as a consolidation of their position against
   the raging Muslim troops from the rising power of the Sultanate of
   Demak in Central Java.

   In 1527, the Muslim troops coming from Cirebon and Demak under the
   leadership of Fatahillah attacked the Sunda Kingdom. The king was
   expecting the Portuguese to come and help them hold Fatahillah's army,
   as an agreement had been in place between Sunda and the Portuguese.
   However, Fatahillah's army succeeded and conquered the city on June 22,
   1557, and Fatahillah deciced to change the name "Sunda Kelapa" into
   "Jayakarta" ("Great Deed" or "Complete Victory").

   The followers of the Sultan of Banten (the location of Jayakarta),
   Prince Jayawikarta, was also majorly involved in the history of
   Jakarta. In 1596, many Dutch ships arrived in Jayakarta with the
   intention of trading spices, more or less the same as that of the
   Portuguese. In this case, the Prince took the Dutch arrival seriously
   as the Dutch had constructed many military buildings. Prince
   Jayawikarta apparently also had a connection with the English and
   allowed them to build houses directly across from the Dutch buildings
   in 1615. When relations between Prince Jayawikarta and the Dutch later
   deteriorated, his soldiers attacked the Dutch fortress which covered
   two main buildings, Nassau and Mauritus. With the help of 15 ships from
   the English, Prince Jayakarta's army was able to defeat the Dutch,
   which was under the governance of Jan Pieterszoon Coen (J.P. Coen) in
   1618. From that time on, the Prince had a friendship agreement with the
   English.

   Things then changed for the Prince, when the Sultan of Banten sent his
   soldiers and summoned Prince Jayawikarta to establish a close
   relationship with the English without an approval of the Banten
   authorities. The relationships between both Prince Jayawikarta and the
   English with the Banten government then became worse and resulted in
   the Prince's decision to move to Tanara, a small place in Banten, until
   his death. This assisted the Dutch in their efforts to establish a
   close relationship with Banten. In addition, the Dutch also had hired
   many soldiers from Japan, Germany, Scotia, Denmark and Belgium. The
   Dutch were finally able to conquer the city with a calm approach and
   changed the name to "Batavia", which remained until 1942.

Administration

   Officially, Jakarta is not a city but a province with special status as
   the capital of Indonesia and is hence headed by a governor instead of a
   mayor. Jakarta, as a province, is divided into five cities ( kota)
   (formerly municipality ( kotamadya)) each headed by a mayor and one
   regency (kabupaten) headed by a regent.

   List of cities of Jakarta:
     * Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat)
     * East Jakarta (Jakarta Timur)
     * North Jakarta (Jakarta Utara)
     * South Jakarta (Jakarta Selatan)
     * West Jakarta (Jakarta Barat)

   The only regency of Jakarta is:
     * Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu), formerly a subdistrict of
       North Jakarta.

Culture

   As the economic and political capital of Indonesia, Jakarta attracts
   many foreign as well as domestic immigrants. As a result, Jakarta has a
   decidedly cosmopolitan flavor and a diverse culture. Many of the
   immigrants are from the other parts of Java, bringing along a mixture
   of dialects of the Javanese and Sundanese languages, as well as their
   traditional foods and customs. The Betawi (Orang Betawi, or "people of
   Batavia") is a term used to describe the descendants of the people
   living around Batavia from around the 18th century. The Betawi people
   are mostly descended from various Southeast Asian ethnic groups brought
   or attracted to Batavia to meet labour needs, and include people from
   various parts of Indonesia. The language and culture of these
   immigrants are distinct from those of the Sundanese or Javanese.

   There has also been a Chinese community in Jakarta for centuries.
   Officially they make up 6% of the Jakarta population, though this
   number may be under reported.

   Jakarta has several performance centers, such as the Senayan centre.
   Traditional music is often found at high-class hotels, including wayang
   and gamelan performances. As the largest Indonesian city, Jakarta has
   lured much regional talent to relocate in hope of finding a greater
   audience and more opportunities for success.

   The concentration of wealth and political influence in the city means
   that it has much more noticeable foreign influence on its landscape and
   culture, an effect illustrated by the presence in the city of many
   major international fast-food chains, for example.

Transportation

   Central Jakarta
   Enlarge
   Central Jakarta

   There are railways throughout Jakarta; however, they are inadequate in
   providing transportation for the citizens of Jakarta. In peak hours,
   the number of passengers simply overloads the capacity provided. The
   railroad tracks connect Jakarta to its neighboring cities: Depok and
   Bogor to the south, Tangerang and Serpong to the west, and Bekasi,
   Karawang, and Cikampek to the east. The major rail stations are Gambir,
   Jatinegara, Manggarai, Tanah Abang and Jakarta Kota.

   The busway takes less than half an hour to traverse a route which would
   normally take more than an hour during peak hours. Construction of the
   2nd and 3rd corridor routes of the busway was completed in 2006,
   serving the route from Pulogadung to Kalideres. The busway serving the
   route from Blok M to Kota has been operational since January 2004.

   Despite the presence of many large, wide roads Jakarta suffers from
   congestion due to heavy traffic, especially in the central business
   district. To reduce traffic jams, some major roads in Jakarta have a
   'three in one' rule during rush hours, first introduced in 1992,
   prohibiting passengers on certain roads. In 2005, this rule covered the
   Gatot Subroto Road.

   Jakarta's roads are notorious for the behaviour of the traffic; the
   rules of the road are broken with impunity as bribery is commonplace.
   Furthermore, in recent years the number of motorcycles on the streets
   has being growing almost exponentially, ensuring many a problem due to
   ill-disciplined motorcyclists.

   Jakarta's transportation also depends on Priok. The outer ring road is
   now being constructed and is partly operational from Cilincing- Cakung-
   Pasar Rebo- Pondok Pinang- Daan Mogot- Cengkareng. A toll road connects
   Jakarta to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in the north of
   Jakarta. Also connected via toll road is the port of Merak and
   Tangerang to the west and Bekasi, Cibitung and Karawang, Purwakarta and
   eventually to Bandung to the east.

   Two lines of the Jakarta Monorail are under construction: the green
   line serving Semanggi-Casablanca- Kuningan- Semanggi and the blue line
   serving Kampung Melayu-Casablanca- Tanah Abang- Roxy. In addition,
   there are plans for a two-line subway (MRT) system, with a north-south
   line between Kota and Fatmawati, with connections to both monorail
   lines; and an east-west line, which will connect with the north-south
   line at the Sawah Besar station.

   The government is also considering waterbus ferries as a cheaper means
   of transportation along the canals in Jakarta.

   The primary airport for Jakarta is Soekarno-Hatta International
   Airport, one of Indonesia's two major international air gateways. Other
   airport is Halim Perdana Kusuma.

   Cycle rickshaws, called becak, provide local transportation on the back
   streets of some parts of the city. From the early 1940s to 1991 they
   were a common form of local transportation in the city. In 1966, an
   estimated 160,000 rickshaws were operating in the city; as much as
   fifteen percent of Jakarta's total workforce were engaged in rickshaw
   driving. In 1971, rickshaws were banned from major roads, and shortly
   thereafter the government attempted a total ban, which substantially
   reduced their numbers but did not eliminate the rickshaws. An
   especially aggressive campaign to eliminate them finally succeeded in
   1990 and 1991, but during the economic crisis of 1998, some returned
   amid less effective government attempts to control them.

Education

   Jakarta is the home of many universities, the oldest of which is the
   University of Indonesia (UI), much of which has now relocated to Depok.
   Jakarta International School, Australian International School, The
   Gandhi Memorial International School and British International School
   are some of the international schools that provide education from
   primary school up to high school levels for Jakarta's small
   international community.

   As the largest city and the capital, Jakarta houses a large number of
   students from various parts of Indonesia, many of whom reside in
   dormitories or in a home-stay residence. Similarly to other large
   cities in developing Asian countries, there is a large number of
   professional schools teaching everything such as Mandarin and computer
   skills.
   Jakarta National Monument
   Enlarge
   Jakarta National Monument
     * Monas (National Monument)
     * Ragunan Zoo
     * Taman Impian Jaya Ancol (Ancol Dreamland)
     * Taman Ismail Marzuki (Indonesian Arts Centre)
     * Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
     * Thousand Islands
     * Taman Ria Senayan
     * Sea World

Tourist areas

   The centre of Jakarta, Central Jakarta, offers some of the more
   convenient places for tourists to stay whilst visiting Jakarta. With an
   abundance of hotels in the area to suit all budgets, it also has a wide
   selection of restaurants, bars and brothels and shopping malls.

   Public transport is reasonably well-catered for with the main Gambir
   railway station and north to south busway running along Thamrin Road,
   for journeys not covered by the busway taxis are cheap and plentiful.

   The area is also home to Jalan Jaksa, the main backpacker street in
   Jakarta.

Shopping malls

   Jakarta has more shopping venues than other cities of Indonesia. The
   biggest mall is located in North Jakarta in the centre of the financial
   district. While these malls are relatively expensive to be accessible
   to many Jakartans, they dominate the high-end retail industry. Recent
   development of satellite cities in the surrounding areas, usually built
   around their own mega malls, parks, entertainment centers, and in some
   instances hospitals, has significantly expanded what is considered to
   be the practical border of Jakarta. Some popular shopping malls
   includes Pondok Indah Mall, Mall Taman Anggrek, Plaza Indonesia, Mal
   Kelapa Gading, Megamall Pluit, Mangga Dua Square, Kelapa Gading Square,
   Plaza Senayan, Mal Artha Gading, Entertainment X'nter, Citos and
   Senayan City.

Sports

   Jakarta is home of several football clubs. The most popular of them is
   Persija, which regularly plays its matches in the Lebak Bulus Stadium.
   The biggest stadium in Jakarta is the Bung Karno Stadium. With a
   capacity of more than 100,000 seats, it is one of the biggest stadiums
   in the world.

   For basketball, the Kelapa Gading Sport Mall in Kelapa Gading, North
   Jakarta, with a capacity of 7,000 seats, is the home arena of the
   national basketball team of Indonesia. Many international basketball
   matches are played in this stadium.

   The Senayan sports complex is comprised of several sport venues, which
   include Bung Karno soccer stadium, Madya Stadium, Istora Senayan, a
   shooting range, a tennis court and a golf driving range. The Senayan
   complex was built in 1959 to accommodate the Asian Games in 1962.

Problems

   A trash dump in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi
   Enlarge
   A trash dump in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi

   Like many big cities in developing countries, Jakarta suffers from
   major urbanization problems. The population has risen sharply from 1.2
   million in 1960 to 5.8 million in 2000, counting only its legal
   residents. The rapid population growth has outgrown the government's
   ability to provide basic needs for its residents. As the third biggest
   economy in Indonesia, Jakarta has attracted a large number of visitors.
   The population during weekends is almost double that of weekdays, due
   to the influx of residents residing in other areas of Jabotabek.
   Because of government's inability to provide adequate transportation
   for its large population, Jakarta also suffers from severe traffic jams
   that occur almost every day. Air pollution and garbage management is
   also a severe problem.

   During the wet season, Jakarta suffers from flooding due to clogged
   sewage pipes and waterways. Rainforest depletion due to rapid
   urbanization on the highland areas south of Jakarta near Bogor and
   Depok has also contributed to the floods.

Sister relationships

   Jakarta has sister relationships with a number of towns and regions
   worldwide:
     * People's Republic of China Beijing, China
     * Germany Berlin, Germany
     * Turkey Istanbul, Turkey
     * United States Los Angeles, United States
     * Australia state of New South Wales, Australia
     * France Paris, France
     * Netherlands Rotterdam, the Netherlands
     * South Korea Seoul, South Korea
     * Japan Tokyo, Japan

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakarta"
   This reference article is mainly selected from the English Wikipedia
   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
   of authors and sources) and is available under the GNU Free
   Documentation License. See also our Disclaimer.
