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Alternate use: Jakarta Project
Jakarta, also Djakarta, is the capital city of Indonesia, located on the island of Java. It has an area of 650 km² and a population of 8.3 million (As of 2000).
Jakarta, founded in the 15th century, began as a small harbor city located near the mouth of the Ciliwung river. Prior to this, several European writers reported a settlement called Kalapa. It was a major port for the Hindish kingdom of Sunda, with its capital Kalapa, about 40km to the south of Kalapa, near the modern city of Bogor. The Portuguese were reported to be the first Europeans to visit the port of Kalapa. The port is still called Sunda Kelapa today.
The city was attacked by a young warrior Fatahillah (or Faletehan) from a nearby kingdom. Fatahillah changed the name Kalapa into Jayakarta on 22 June 1527. This particular date is regarded as the official birth date of Jakarta. The Dutch came to Jayakarta at the end of the 16th century. In 1619 the forces of the Dutch East India Company, led by Jan Pieterszoon Coen, conquered the city and renamed Jayakarta as Batavia, the Roman name for Holland.
When the Japanese arrived in 1942, to gain local favor, they renamed the city as Jakarta. The city adopted its new name officially when Indonesia became independent in 1949.
Unlike other cities in Indonesia, Jakarta has a special province status. The city is headed by a governor, not by a mayor. Jakarta is divided into five districts of kotamadya headed by Seribu (Kepulauan Seribu) to the north of Jakarta is also part of Jakarta. It has the status of a regency and headed by a regent.
Like many big cities in developing countries, Jakarta suffers from major urbanization problems. The population has exploded from 2.7 million in 1960 to 8.3 million in 2000. The rapid population growth has outgrown the ability of the government to provide basic needs for the city's residents. Jakarta also attracts a large number of workers from its neighboring area. The population during work hours is almost double the population at night.
Because of the inability to provide adequate transportation for its large population, Jakarta also suffers from severe traffic jams that occur almost every work day.
Sometimes Jakarta suffers from floods in the rainy season. This is primarily caused by the clearing of rainforests south of Jakarta near Bogor and Depok. It is also caused by inadequate efforts of the local government to prevent floods.
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, and 2003, the government formed Busway; it serves the route from Jakarta Kota all the way to Blok M. Normally, it takes more than one hour from Jakarta Kota to Blok M during peak hours. Taking the busway, it now takes less than half an hour. The second phase of the busway will be constructed in 2005, serving the route from Pulogadung to Tanjungpriuk-Cawang-Grogol-Tanjungpriuk. The outer ring road is now being constructed and is partly operational from Cilincing-Cakung-Pasar Rebo-Pondok Pinang-Daan Mogot-Cengkareng. The tollroads also connect Jakarta to the International airport of Soekarno-Hatta to the northwest, to the port of Merak and Tangerang to the west, to Serpong to the southwest, to Depok and Bogor to the south, and to Bekasi, Cibitung and Karawang, Purwakarta and eventually to Bandung to the east.
Two monorail tracks are being constructed: the green track serving Semanggi-Casablanca-Kuningan-Semanggi and the blue track serving Kampung Melayu-Casablanca-Tanah Abang-Universitas Indonesia, although a big part of it is now relocated to Depok
Jakarta is the home of popular soccer team Persija Jakarta, which regularly plays its matches in the stadium of Lebak Bulus. The biggest stadium is Gelora Bung Karno. With a capacity of more than 100,000 seats, it is one of the biggest stadiums in the world.
The Gelora Bung Karno soccer stadium, Stadion Madya athletic stadium, Provinces of Indonesia || |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Sumatra (Sumatera): DI Aceh | North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) | West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) | Bengkulu | Riau | Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau) | Jambi | South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) | Lampung | Bangka-Belitung |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Java (Jawa): DKI Jaya | West Java (Jawa Barat) | Banten | Central Java (Jawa Tengah) | DI Yogyakarta | East Java (Jawa Timur) |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Kalimantan: West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat) | Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah) | South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan) | East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur) |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | The Lesser Sunda Islands (Nusa Tenggara): Bali | West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat) | East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur) |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | Sulawesi: North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara) | Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah) | South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan) | South East Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tenggara) | Gorontalo |- | align="center" style="font-size: 90%;" colspan="2" | The Maluku Islands and New Guinea (Irian): Maluku | North Maluku (Maluku Utara) | West Irian Jaya (Irian Jaya Barat) | Papua |}
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