#8: Fast Facts about Jakarta
This week I thought I’d do something a bit different. Jakarta (and Indonesia generally) tends to fly under the radar, especially considering both are far larger and important than many people might realise. I wanted to share some facts about the current capital city of the fourth most populated country in the world to counteract my own ignorance, so let’s dive in!
The city was known as Batavia until 1949; in 1619 the Dutch East India Company built a new trading hub over the ruins of “Jayakarta”, and named it after the Batavi - the Germanic tribe recognised by the Dutch as their ancestors.
The first city built in the spot we now call Jakarta was established in 397; it was called Sunda Kelapa, it became the prime port of the Sunda Kingdom.
It is the current capital + largest city in Indonesia; there are approximately 31,000,000 people living in metro area of Jakarta, representing 11% of Indonesia’s total population. The city rests on the island of Java.
Jakarta has the second largest urban area of any city in the world, with only Tokyo’s area being larger when inspected on a map.
The word “Jakarta” in Sanskrit is translated to “complete victory”; a variation of this name (Jayakarta) was first used in the 1500s after Muslim troops under the command of Fatahillah conquered the city and forced the Portuguese out.
On the last Sunday of each month, the city holds a Car-Free Sunday in the city centre; this allows the major avenues of Thamrin & Sudirman to be used for pedestrian use, mainly in the form of exercise through walking, running, and cycling. Only rapid transit buses in dedicated lanes are allowed access to these roads on Car-Free Sunday.
The city is equivalent to a province with special status, it is represented by an elected Governor.
Jakarta has sister city relationships with 21 cities across the globe, such as Istanbul, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Islamabad, and Maputo.
Jakarta has 550 hectares dedicated to shopping centres; this is more than of any other city on Earth.
The Golden Triangle of Jakarta comprises the CBD with shopping areas and skyscrapers, it is bordered by the main avenues of Jakarta and the points of this triangle are signified by statues: the Youth Statue, the Arjuna Statue, and the Dirgantara Statue.
Thirteen rivers flow through Jakarta; the most prominent is the Ciliwung River which divides the city. “Ci Liwung” is the proper form; with “Ci” meaning river and “Liwung” probably meaning either “distressed” from Sundanese or “to meander” from Malay.
Jakarta is the city with the largest population of Muslims living in the world, just as Indonesia is home to more Muslims than any other nation.
It is the most polluted city in the world, due to infamous traffic congestion.
The main monument of Jakarta and indeed of Indonesia is the National Monument; it signifies the struggle for Indonesian independence. Independence Day in Indonesia falls on August 17th.
While Jakarta is currently the nation’s capital, this is set to change on Independence Day this year. It will be succeeded by the planned city of Nusantara, situated on Borneo, a large island which Indonesia shares with Malaysia and Brunei.