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Indonesia Jakarta
Indonesia (  or ; Indonesian:), officially the Republic of Indonesia (), is a country in Southeast Asia. Situated between the Indian and Pacific oceans, it is the world's largest island country, with more than thirteen thousand islands.   It has an estimated population of over 258 million people and is the world's fourth most populous country as well as the most populous Muslim majority country. The world's most populous island of Java contains more than half of the country's population.

Indonesia's republican form of government includes an elected legislature and president. Indonesia has 34 provinces, of which five have Special Administrative status. Its capital and most populous city is Jakarta. The country shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, East Timor, and Malaysia. Other neighbouring countries include Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, Palau, and the Indian territory of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Indonesia is a founding member of ASEAN and a member of the G-20 major economies. The Indonesian economy is the world's 16th largest by nominal GDP and the 8th largest by GDP at PPP.

The Indonesian archipelago has been an important trade region since at least the 7th century, when Srivijaya and then later Majapahit traded with China and India. Local rulers gradually absorbed foreign cultural, religious and political models from the early centuries CE, and Hindu and Buddhist kingdoms flourished. Indonesian history has been influenced by foreign powers drawn to its natural resources. Muslim traders and Sufi scholars brought the now-dominant Islam,   while European powers brought Christianity and fought one another to monopolise trade in the Spice Islands of Maluku during the Age of Discovery. Following three and a half centuries of Dutch colonialism starting from Amboina and Batavia, and eventually all of the archipelago including Timor and West Papua, at times interrupted by Portuguese, French and British rule, Indonesia secured its independence after World War II. Indonesia's history has since been turbulent, with challenges posed by natural disasters, mass slaughter, corruption, separatism, a democratisation process, and periods of rapid economic change.

Indonesia consists of hundreds of distinct native ethnic and linguistic groups. The largest – and politically dominant – ethnic group are the Javanese. A shared identity has developed, defined by a national language, ethnic diversity, religious pluralism within a Muslim-majority population, and a history of colonialism and rebellion against it. Indonesia's national motto, "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" ("Unity in Diversity" literally, "many, yet one"), articulates the diversity that shapes the country. Despite its large population and densely populated regions, Indonesia has vast areas of wilderness that support the world's second highest level of biodiversity. The country has abundant natural resources like oil and natural gas, tin, copper and gold. Agriculture mainly produces rice, tea, coffee, spices and rubber. Indonesia's major trading partners are Japan, the United States and the surrounding nations of Singapore, Malaysia and Australia.

Etymology

The name Indonesia derives from the Greek translation of the Indus River and the word nèsos, meaning "Indian island". The name dates to the 18th century, far predating the formation of independent Indonesia. In 1850, George Windsor Earl, an English ethnologist, proposed the terms Indunesians—and, his preference, Malayunesians—for the inhabitants of the "Indian Archipelago or Malayan Archipelago".  In the same publication, a student of Earl's, James Richardson Logan, used Indonesia as a synonym for Indian Archipelago.   However, Dutch academics writing in East Indies publications were reluctant to use Indonesia. Instead, they used the terms Malay Archipelago (Maleische Archipel); the Netherlands East Indies (Nederlandsch Oost Indië), popularly Indië; the East (de Oost); and Insulinde.

After 1900, the name Indonesia became more common in academic circles outside the Netherlands, and Indonesian nationalist groups adopted it for political expression. Adolf Bastian, of the University of Berlin, popularised the name through his book Indonesien oder die Inseln des Malayischen Archipels, 1884–1894. The first Indonesian scholar to use the name was Suwardi Suryaningrat (Ki Hajar Dewantara), when he established a press bureau in the Netherlands with the name Indonesisch Pers-bureau in 1913.

History

Early history

Fossils and the remains of tools show that the Indonesian archipelago was inhabited by Homo erectus, popularly known as "Java Man", between 1.5 million years ago and 35,000 years ago.    Homo sapiens reached the region by around 45,000 years ago.  Austronesian peoples, who form the majority of the modern population, migrated to Southeast Asia from Taiwan. They arrived in Indonesia around 2000 BCE, and as they spread through the archipelago, confined the indigenous Melanesian peoples to the far eastern regions. 

Ideal agricultural conditions and the mastering of wet-field rice cultivation as early as the 8th century BCE,  allowed villages, towns, and small kingdoms to flourish by the 1st century CE. Indonesia's strategic sea-lane position fostered inter-island and international trade, including links with Indian kingdoms and China, which were established several centuries BCE.  Trade has since fundamentally shaped Indonesian history.  

From the 7th century CE, the powerful Srivijaya naval kingdom flourished as a result of trade and the influences of Hinduism and Buddhism that were imported with it.  Between the eighth and 10th centuries CE, the agricultural Buddhist Sailendra and Hindu Mataram dynasties thrived and declined in inland Java, leaving grand religious monuments such as Borobudur, Sewu and Prambanan. This period marked a renaissance of Hindu-Buddhist art in ancient Java. 

Around the first quarter of the 10th century, the centre of the kingdom was shifted from Mataram area in Central Java to Brantas River valley in East Java by Mpu Sindok, who established the Isyana Dynasty.  Subsequently, series of Javanese Hindu-Buddhist polities rise and fall, from Kahuripan kingdom ruled by Airlangga to Kadiri and Singhasari. In West Java, Sunda Kingdom was re-established circa 1030 according to Sanghyang Tapak inscription. In Bali, the Warmadewas established their rule on the Kingdom of Bali in the 10th century. The Hindu Majapahit kingdom was founded in eastern Java in the late 13th century, and under Gajah Mada, its influence stretched over much of Indonesia. 

Colonial era

Although Muslim traders first traveled through Southeast Asia early in the Islamic era, the earliest evidence of Islamized populations in Indonesia dates to the 13th century in northern Sumatra.  Other Indonesian areas gradually adopted Islam, and it was the dominant religion in Java and Sumatra by the end of the 16th century. For the most part, Islam overlaid and mixed with existing cultural and religious influences, which shaped the predominant form of Islam in Indonesia, particularly in Java. 

The first regular contact between Europeans and the peoples of Indonesia began in 1512, when Portuguese traders led by Francisco Serrão, sought to monopolize the sources of nutmeg, cloves, and cubeb pepper in Maluku.  Dutch and British traders followed. In 1602, the Dutch established the Dutch East India Company (VOC), and in following decades, the Dutch has gained foothold in Batavia and Amboina. Throughout 17th and 18th centuries, the Company became the dominant European power in the archipelago. 

Following bankruptcy, the VOC was formally dissolved in 1800, and the government of the Netherlands established the Dutch East Indies as a nationalised colony.  For most of the colonial period, Dutch control over the archipelago was tenuous outside of coastal strongholds; only in the early 20th century did Dutch dominance extend to what was to become Indonesia's current boundaries.  Despite major internal political, social and sectarian divisions during the National Revolution, Indonesians, on the whole, found unity in their fight for independence. Japanese occupation during World War II ended Dutch rule,  and encouraged the previously suppressed Indonesian independence movement. 

Modern era

A later UN report stated that four million people died in Indonesia as a result of famine and forced labor during the Japanese occupation.  Two days after the surrender of Japan in August 1945, Sukarno, an influential nationalist leader, declared independence and was appointed president.  The Netherlands tried to reestablish their rule, and an armed and diplomatic struggle ended in December 1949, when in the face of international pressure, the Dutch formally recognized Indonesian independence  (with the exception of the Dutch territory of West New Guinea, which was incorporated into Indonesia following the 1962 New York Agreement, and the UN-mandated Act of Free Choice of 1969). 

Sukarno moved Indonesia from democracy towards authoritarianism, and maintained his power base by balancing the opposing forces of the military and the Communist Party of Indonesia (Partai Komunis Indonesia, PKI).  An attempted coup on 30 September 1965 was countered by the army, who led a violent anti-communist purge, during which the PKI was blamed for the coup and effectively destroyed.    Large-scale killings took place which targeted communists, ethnic Chinese and alleged leftists. The most widely accepted estimates are that between 500,000 and one million people were killed, with some estimates as high as two to three million.   

The head of the military, General Suharto, outmaneuvered the politically weakened Sukarno and was formally appointed president in March 1968. His New Order administration  was supported by the US government,    and encouraged foreign direct investment in Indonesia, which was a major factor in the subsequent three decades of substantial economic growth. However, the authoritarian "New Order" was widely accused of corruption and suppression of political opposition.   

Indonesia was the country hardest hit by the late 1990s Asian financial crisis.  This increased popular discontent with the New Order and led to popular protest across the country. Suharto resigned on 21 May 1998.  In 1999, East Timor voted to secede from Indonesia, after a twenty-five-year military occupation that was marked by international condemnation of repression of the East Timorese. 

Since Suharto's resignation, a strengthening of democratic processes has included a regional autonomy program, and the first direct presidential election in 2004, which was won by Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who went on to win a second term in 2009. Political and economic instability, social unrest, corruption, and terrorism slowed progress; however, in the last five years the economy has performed strongly. Although relations among different religious and ethnic groups are largely harmonious, sectarian discontent and violence have persisted.  A political settlement to an armed separatist conflict in Aceh was achieved in 2005. 

Government and politics

Indonesia is a republic with a presidential system. As a unitary state, power is concentrated in the central government. Following the resignation of President Suharto in 1998, Indonesian political and governmental structures have undergone major reforms. Four amendments to the 1945 Constitution of Indonesia  have revamped the executive, judicial, and legislative branches. 

The president of Indonesia is the head of state and head of government, commander-in-chief of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, and the director of domestic governance, policy-making, and foreign affairs. The president appoints a council of ministers, who are not required to be elected members of the legislature. The 2004 presidential election was the first in which the people directly elected the president and vice-president.  The president may serve a maximum of two consecutive five-year terms. 

The highest representative body at national level is Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat (People's Consultative Assembly) or MPR. Its main functions are supporting and amending the constitution, inaugurating the president, and formalising broad outlines of state policy. It has the power to impeach the president.  The MPR comprises two houses; Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat (People's Representative Council) or DPR, with 560 members, and Dewan Perwakilan Daerah (Regional Representative Council) or DPD, with 132 members.  The DPR passes legislation and monitors the executive branch; party-aligned members are elected for five-year terms by proportional representation. Reforms since 1998 have markedly increased the DPR's role in national governance.  The DPD is a new chamber for matters of regional management. 

Most civil disputes appear before Pengadilan Negeri (State Court); appeals are heard before Pengadilan Tinggi  (High Court). Mahkamah Agung is the country's highest court, and hears final cessation appeals and conducts case reviews. Other courts include the Commercial Court, which handles bankruptcy and insolvency; Pengadilan Tata Negara (State Administrative Court) to hear administrative law cases against the government; Mahkamah Konstitusi (Constitutional Court) to hear disputes concerning legality of law, general elections, dissolution of political parties, and the scope of authority of state institutions; and Pengadilan Agama (Religious Court) to deal with codified Sharia Law cases. 

Politics

Since 1999 Indonesia has had a multi-party system. In the two legislative elections since the fall of the New Order regime, no political party has managed to win an overall majority of seats, resulting in coalition governments.

The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle is the party of Joko Widodo, the Indonesian President.  The Great Indonesia Movement Party is the third largest political party. 

Foreign relations

In contrast to Sukarno's anti-imperialistic antipathy to Western powers and tensions with Malaysia, Indonesia's foreign relations since the New Order era have been based on economic and political co-operation with the Western world.  Indonesia maintains close relationships with its neighbours in Asia, and is a founding member of ASEAN and the East Asia Summit. The country restored relations with the People's Republic of China in 1990 following a freeze in place since anti-communist purges early in the Suharto era.

Indonesia has been a member of the United Nations since 1950,  and was a founder of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC). Indonesia is signatory to the ASEAN Free Trade Area agreement, the Cairns Group, and the World Trade Organization (WTO), and a member of OPEC. Indonesia has received humanitarian and development aid since 1966, in particular from the United States, western Europe, Australia, and Japan.

The Indonesian government has worked with other countries to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of major bombings linked to militant Islamism and Al-Qaeda.  The deadliest bombing killed 202 people (including 164 international tourists) in the Bali resort town of Kuta in 2002.  The attacks, and subsequent travel warnings issued by other countries, severely damaged Indonesia's tourism industry and foreign investment prospects. 

Military

Indonesia's Armed Forces (TNI) include the Army (TNI–AD), Navy (TNI–AL, which includes Marine Corps), and Air Force (TNI–AU).  The army has about 400,000 active-duty personnel. Defense spending in the national budget was 4% of GDP in 2006, and is controversially supplemented by revenue from military commercial interests and foundations.  One of the reforms following the 1998 resignation of Suharto was the removal of formal TNI representation in parliament; nevertheless, its political influence remains extensive. 

Separatist movements in the provinces of Aceh and Papua have led to armed conflict, and subsequent allegations of human rights abuses and brutality from all sides.   Following a sporadic thirty-year guerrilla war between the Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) and the Indonesian military, a ceasefire agreement was reached in 2005.  In Papua, there has been a significant, albeit imperfect, implementation of regional autonomy laws, and a reported decline in the levels of violence and human rights abuses, since the presidency of Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. 

Administrative divisions

Administratively, Indonesia consists of 34 provinces, five of which have special status. Each province has its own legislature and governor. The provinces are subdivided into regencies (kabupaten) and cities (kota), which are further subdivided into districts (kecamatan or distrik in Papua and West Papua), and again into administrative villages (either desa, kelurahan, kampung, nagari in West Sumatra, or gampong in Aceh).

The village is the lowest level of government administration in Indonesia. Furthermore, a village is divided into several community groups (rukun warga (RW)) which are further divided into neighbourhood groups (rukun tetangga (RT)). In Java the desa (village) is divided further into smaller units called dusun or dukuh (hamlets), these units are the same as rukun warga. Following the implementation of regional autonomy measures in 2001, the regencies and cities have become the key administrative units, responsible for providing most government services. The village administration level is the most influential on a citizen's daily life and handles matters of a village or neighbourhood through an elected lurah or kepala desa (village chief).

The provinces of Aceh, Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Papua, and West Papua have greater legislative privileges and a higher degree of autonomy from the central government than the other provinces. The Acehnese government, for example, has the right to create certain elements of an independent legal system. In 2003, it instituted a form of sharia (Islamic law). 

Yogyakarta was granted the status of Special Region in recognition of its pivotal role in supporting Indonesian Republicans during the Indonesian Revolution and its willingness to join Indonesia as a republic.  Papua, formerly known as Irian Jaya, was granted special autonomy status in 2001 and was split into Papua and West Papua in February 2003.   Jakarta is the country's special capital region.

;Indonesian provinces and their capitals, listed by region
Indonesian name is in parentheses if different from English.* indicates provinces with special status

Sumatra
* Aceh (Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam) * – Banda Aceh
* North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) – Medan
* West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) – Padang
* Riau – Pekanbaru
* Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau) – Tanjung Pinang
* Jambi – Jambi City
* South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) – Palembang
* Bangka-Belitung Islands (Kepulauan Bangka-Belitung) – Pangkal Pinang
* Bengkulu – Bengkulu City
* Lampung – Bandar Lampung
Java
* Special Capital Region of Jakarta* (Daerah Khusus Ibu Kota Jakarta)  – Jakarta
* Banten – Serang
* West Java (Jawa Barat) – Bandung
* Central Java (Jawa Tengah) – Semarang
* Yogyakarta Special Region* (Daerah Istimewa Yogyakarta) – Yogyakarta (city)
* East Java (Jawa Timur) – Surabaya
Lesser Sunda Islands
* Bali – Denpasar
* West Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Barat) – Mataram
* East Nusa Tenggara (Nusa Tenggara Timur) – Kupang

Kalimantan
* West Kalimantan (Kalimantan Barat) – Pontianak
* Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah) – Palangkaraya
* South Kalimantan (Kalimantan Selatan) – Banjarmasin
* East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur) – Samarinda
* North Kalimantan (Kalimantan Utara) – Tanjung Selor

Sulawesi
* North Sulawesi (Sulawesi Utara) – Manado
* Gorontalo – Gorontalo City
* Central Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tengah) – Palu
* West Sulawesi (Sulawesi Barat) – Mamuju
* South Sulawesi (Sulawesi Selatan) – Makassar
* Southeast Sulawesi (Sulawesi Tenggara) – Kendari
Maluku Islands
* Maluku – Ambon
* North Maluku (Maluku Utara) – Sofifi
Western New Guinea
* West Papua* (Papua Barat) – Manokwari
* Papua* – Jayapura

Geography

Indonesia lies between latitudes 11°S and 6°N, and longitudes 95°E and 141°E. It is the largest archipelagic country in the world, extending 5120 km from east to west and 1760 km from north to south.  According to a geospatial survey conducted between 2007 and 2010 by National Coordinating Agency for Survey and Mapping (Bakosurtanal), Indonesia has 13,466 islands, about 6,000 of which are inhabited. These are scattered over both sides of the equator. The largest are Java, Sumatra, Borneo (shared with Brunei and Malaysia), New Guinea (shared with Papua New Guinea), and Sulawesi. Indonesia shares land borders with Malaysia on Borneo, Papua New Guinea on the island of New Guinea, and East Timor on the island of Timor. Indonesia shares maritime borders across narrow straits with Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Palau to the north, and with Australia to the south. The capital, Jakarta, is on Java and is the nation's largest city, followed by Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, and Semarang. 

At 1,919,440 square kilometres (741,050 sq mi), Indonesia is the world's 15th-largest country in terms of land area and world's 7th-largest country in terms of combined sea and land area.  Its average population density is 134 people per square kilometre (347 per sq mi), 79th in the world, although Java, the world's most populous island,  has a population density of 940 people per square kilometre (2,435 per sq mi).

At 4884 m, Puncak Jaya in Papua is Indonesia's highest peak, and Lake Toba in Sumatra its largest lake, with an area of 1,145 square kilometres (442 sq mi). Indonesia's largest rivers are in Kalimantan, and include the Mahakam and Barito; such rivers are communication and transport links between the island's river settlements. 

Indonesia's location on the edges of the Pacific, Eurasian, and Australian tectonic plates makes it the site of numerous volcanoes and frequent earthquakes. Indonesia has at least 150 active volcanoes,  including Krakatoa and Tambora, both famous for their devastating eruptions in the 19th century. The eruption of the Toba supervolcano, approximately 70,000 years ago, was one of the largest eruptions ever, and a global catastrophe. Recent disasters due to seismic activity include the 2004 tsunami that killed an estimated 167,736 in northern Sumatra,  and the Yogyakarta earthquake in 2006. However, volcanic ash is a major contributor to the high agricultural fertility that has historically sustained the high population densities of Java and Bali. 

Lying along the equator, Indonesia has a tropical climate, with two distinct monsoonal wet and dry seasons. Average annual rainfall in the lowlands varies from , and up to  in mountainous regions. Mountainous areas – particularly in the west coast of Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua – receive the highest rainfall. Humidity is generally high, averaging about 80%. Temperatures vary little throughout the year; the average daily temperature range of Jakarta is 26 –. 

Biodiversity

Indonesia's size, tropical climate, and archipelagic geography, support the world's second highest level of biodiversity after Brazil.  Its flora and fauna is a mixture of Asian and Australasian species.  The islands of the Sunda Shelf (Sumatra, Java, Borneo, and Bali) were once linked to the Asian mainland, and have a wealth of Asian fauna. Large species such as the tiger, rhinoceros, orangutan, elephant, and leopard, were once abundant as far east as Bali, but numbers and distribution have dwindled drastically. Forests cover approximately 60% of the country.  In Sumatra and Kalimantan, these are predominantly of Asian species. However, the forests of the smaller, and more densely populated Java, have largely been removed for human habitation and agriculture. Sulawesi, Nusa Tenggara, and Maluku – having been long separated from the continental landmasses—have developed their own unique flora and fauna.  Papua was part of the Australian landmass, and is home to a unique fauna and flora closely related to that of Australia, including over 600 bird species. 

Indonesia is second only to Australia in terms of total endemic species, with 36% of its 1,531 species of bird and 39% of its 515 species of mammal being endemic.  Indonesia's  of coastline are surrounded by tropical seas that contribute to the country's high level of biodiversity. Indonesia has a range of sea and coastal ecosystems, including beaches, sand dunes, estuaries, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds, coastal mudflats, tidal flats, algal beds, and small island ecosystems. Indonesia is one of Coral Triangle countries with the world's greatest diversity of coral reef fish with more than 1,650 species in eastern Indonesia only. 

The British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace described a dividing line between the distribution of Indonesia's Asian and Australasian species.  Known as the Wallace Line, it runs roughly north–south along the edge of the Sunda Shelf, between Kalimantan and Sulawesi, and along the deep Lombok Strait, between Lombok and Bali. West of the line the flora and fauna are more Asian - moving east from Lombok they are increasingly Australian. In his 1869 book, The Malay Archipelago, Wallace described numerous species unique to the area.  The region of islands between his line and New Guinea is now termed Wallacea.

Environment

Indonesia's high population and rapid industrialisation present serious environmental issues, which are often given a lower priority due to high poverty levels and weak, under-resourced governance.  Issues include large-scale deforestation (much of it illegal) and related wildfires causing heavy smog over parts of western Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore; over-exploitation of marine resources; and environmental problems associated with rapid urbanisation and economic development, including air pollution, traffic congestion, garbage management, and reliable water and waste water services.

Deforestation and the destruction of peatlands make Indonesia the world's third largest emitter of greenhouse gases.  Habitat destruction threatens the survival of indigenous and endemic species, including 140 species of mammals identified by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as threatened, and 15 identified as critically endangered, including the Bali starling,  Sumatran orangutan,  and Javan rhinoceros. 

Much of Indonesia's deforestation is caused by forest clearing for the palm oil industry, which has cleared 18 million hectares of forest for palm oil expansion. Palm oil expansion requires land reallocation as well as changes to the local and natural ecosystems. Palm oil expansion can generate wealth for local communities, but it can also degrade ecosystems and cause social problems. 

Economy

Indonesia has a mixed economy in which both the private sector and government play significant roles.  The country is the largest economy in Southeast Asia and a member of the G-20 major economies.  Indonesia's estimated gross domestic product (nominal), as of 2014, was US$887 billion while GDP in PPP terms is US$2.685 trillion.  It is the sixteenth largest economy in the world by nominal GDP and is the eighth largest in terms of GDP (PPP). As of 2014, per capita GDP in PPP was US$10,651 (international dollars) while Nominal per capita GDP was US$3,518.  

The debt ratio to GDP is 26%.    The industry sector is the economy's largest and accounts for 46.4% of GDP (2012), this is followed by services (38.6%) and agriculture (14.4%). Since 2012, the service sector has employed more people than other sectors, accounting for 47.9% of the total labour force, this has been followed by agriculture (38.9%) and industry (13.2%).  Agriculture, however, had been the country's largest employer for centuries.  

Indonesia was the 27th biggest exporting country in the world in 2010, moving up three places from the previous year.  Indonesia's main export markets (2009) are Japan (17.28%), Singapore (11.29%), the United States (10.81%), and China (7.62%). The major suppliers of imports to Indonesia are Singapore (24.96%), China (12.52%), and Japan (8.92%). In 2014, Indonesia ran a trade deficit with export revenues of US$176 billion and import expenditure of US$178.2 billion. 

Indonesia has extensive natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, tin, copper, and gold. Indonesia's major imports include machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels, and foodstuffs, and the country's major export commodities include oil and gas, electrical appliances, plywood, rubber, and textiles.  In an attempt to boost the domestic mineral processing industry and encourage exports of higher value-added mineral products, the Indonesian government implemented a ban on exports of unprocessed mineral ores in 2014.

Palm oil production is important to the economy of Indonesia as the country is the world's biggest producer and consumer of the commodity, providing about half the world supply. Oil palm plantations stretch across 6 million hectares (roughly twice the size of Belgium). Indonesia plans by 2015 to add 4 million additional hectares towards oil palm biofuel production. As of 2012, Indonesia produces 35 percent of the world's certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). 

The tourism sector contributes to around US$10.1 billion of foreign exchange in 2013, and ranked as the 4th largest among goods and services export sectors.  Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, China and Japan are the top five source of visitors to Indonesia.

Corruption has been a persistent problem. Transparency International, for example, has since ranked Indonesia below 100 in its Corruption Perceptions Index.   Since 2007, however, with the improvement in banking sector and domestic consumption, national economic growth has accelerated to over 6% annually    and this helped Indonesia weather the 2008–2009 Great Recession.  The Indonesian economy performed strongly during the financial crisis of 2007–08 and in 2012, its GDP grew by over 6%.  Indonesia regained its investment grade rating in late 2011 after losing it in 1997.  As of 2014, 11% of the population lived below the poverty line and the official open unemployment rate was 5.9%. 

Indonesia has a sizeable automotive industry, which produced almost 1.3 million motor vehicles in 2014, ranking as the 15th largest producer in the world.[http://www.oica.net/category/production-statistics/  OICA 2014 statistic] Nowadays, Indonesian automotive companies are able to produce cars with high ratio of local content (80% - 90%).  With production peaking at 14.5 billion packs in 2011, Indonesia is the second largest producer of instant noodle after China which produces 42.5 billion packs a year.  Indofood is the largest instant noodle producer in the world. Indomie brand by Indofood is one of the Indonesia's best known global brand. 

Of the world's 500 largest companies measured by revenue in 2014, the Fortune Global 500, two are headquartered in Indonesia i.e. Pertamina and Perusahaan Listrik Negara. 

Transportation

Road transport is predominant, with a total system length of 437,759 km in 2008. Many cities and towns have some form of transportation for hire available as well such as taxis. There are usually also bus services of various kinds such as the Kopaja buses and the more sophisticated TransJakarta bus rapid transit system in Jakarta. The TransJakarta is the largest bus rapid transit system in the world, boasts some 194 km and carriers more than 300,000 passengers daily.  In addition, BRT systems exist in Yogyakarta, Palembang, Bandung, Denpasar, Pekanbaru, Semarang, Makassar, and Padang without segregated lane. Many cities also have motorised auto rickshaws (bajaj) of various kinds. Cycle rickshaws, called becak in Indonesia, are a regular sight on city roads and provide inexpensive transportation.

The rail transport system has four unconnected networks in Java and Sumatra primarily dedicated to transport bulk commodities and long-distance passenger traffic. The inter-city rail network on Java is complemented by local commuter rail services in the Jakarta metropolitan area (KA Commuter Jabodetabek), Surabaya, Medan, and Bandung. In Jakarta, suburban rail services carry 700,000 passengers a day.  In addition, mass rapid transit and light rail transit systems are under construction in Jakarta and Palembang.

Sea transport is extremely important for economic integration and for domestic and foreign trade. It is well developed, with each of the major islands having at least one significant port city. Because Indonesia encompasses a sprawling archipelago, maritime shipping provides essential links between different parts of the country. Boats in common use include large container ships, a variety of ferries, passenger ships, sailing ships, and smaller motorised vessels. Traditional wooden vessel pinisi still widely used as the inter-island freight service within Indonesian archipelago. Port of Tanjung Priok is Indonesia's busiest port, and the 21st busiest port in the world in 2013, handling over 6.59 million TEUs.  To boost the port capacity, two-phase "New Tanjung Priok" extension project is currently ongoing. When fully operational in 2023, it will triple existing annual capacity.

Frequent ferry services cross the straits between nearby islands, especially in the chain of islands stretching from Sumatra through Java to the Lesser Sunda Islands. On the busy crossings between Sumatra, Java, and Bali, multiple car ferries run frequently twenty-four hours per day. There are also international ferry services between across the Strait of Malacca between Sumatra and Malaysia, and between Singapore and nearby Indonesian islands, such as Batam. A network of passenger ships makes longer connections to more remote islands, especially in the eastern part of the archipelago. The national shipping line, Pelni, provides passenger service to ports throughout the country on a two to four week schedule. These ships generally provide the least expensive way to cover long distances between islands. Still smaller privately run boats provide service between islands.

As of 2014, there were 237 airports in Indonesia,  including 17 international airports. Soekarno–Hatta International Airport is the 18th busiest airport in the world, serving 54,053,905 passengers, according to Airports Council International.  Today the airport is running over capacity. After T3 Soekarno-Hatta Airport expansion will be finished in August 2016, the total capacity of three terminals become 43 million passengers a year. T1 and T2 also will be revitalised, so all the three terminals finally will accommodate 67 million passengers a year.  When finished, Soekarno-Hatta airport will be an aerotropolis. 

Juanda Airport in Surabaya and Ngurah Rai in Bali are the country's 2nd and 3rd busiest airport.  Garuda Indonesia, flag carrier of Indonesia since 1949, was selected by Skytrax as "The World's Best Economy Class" in 2013. In December 2014, Garuda Indonesia was awarded as a "5-Star Airline" by Skytrax and the eight best airlines in the world.  As well as in June 2015, it also was awarded with "The World's Best Cabin Crew". 

Science and technology

Living in an agrarian and maritime culture the people in Indonesian's archipelago have been famous in some traditional technologies, particularly in agriculture and marine. In agriculture, for instance, the people in Indonesia, and also in many other Southeast Asian countries, are famous in paddy cultivation technique namely terasering. Bugis and Makassar people in Indonesia are also well-known with their technology in making wooden sailing vessel called pinisi boat. 

In aerospace technology, Indonesia has a long history in developing military and small commuter aircraft as the only country in Southeast Asia to produce and develop its own aircraft, also producing aircraft components for Boeing and Airbus, with its state-owned aircraft company (founded in 1976), the Indonesian Aerospace (Indonesian: PT. Dirgantara Indonesia), which, with EADS CASA of Spain developed the CN-235 aircraft, which has been exported to many countries. B. J. Habibie, a former Indonesian president played an important role in this achievement. While active as a professor in Germany, Habibie conducted many research assignments, producing theories on thermodynamics, construction, and aerodynamics, known as the Habibie Factor, Habibie Theorem, and Habibie Method respectively.  Indonesia also hopes to manufacture the South Korean KAI KF-X fighter. 

Indonesia has a well established railway industry, with its state-owned train manufacturer company, the Indonesian Railway Industry (Indonesian: PT. Industri Kereta Api), located in Madiun, East Java. Since 1982 the company has been producing passenger train wagons, freight wagons and other railway technologies and exported to many countries, such as Malaysia and Bangladesh.  In the 1980s an Indonesian engineer, Tjokorda Raka Sukawati invented a road construction technique named Sosrobahu which becomes famous afterwards and widely used by many countries. The technology has been exported to the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore and in 1995, a patent was granted to Indonesia. 

Demographics

According to the 2010 national census, the population of Indonesia is 237.6 million, with high population growth at 1.9%.  58% of the population lives in Java,  the world's most populous island. In 1961, the first post-colonial census gave a total population of 97 million. 

Indonesia currently possess a relatively young population, with a median age of 28.2 years (2011 estimate). 

The population is expected to grow to around 269 million by 2020 and 321 million by 2050.  An additional 8 million Indonesian live overseas, comprising one of the world's largest diasporas. Most of them settled in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Netherlands, United States, and Australia. 

Ethnic groups

Indonesia is a very ethnically and linguistically diverse country, with around 300 distinct native ethnic groups, and 742 different languages and dialects.   Most Indonesians are descended from Austronesian-speaking peoples whose languages can be traced to Proto-Austronesian, which possibly originated in Taiwan. Another major grouping are the Melanesians, who inhabit eastern Indonesia. 

The largest ethnic group are the Javanese, who comprise 42% of the population, and are politically and culturally dominant.  The Sundanese, ethnic Malays, and Madurese are the largest non-Javanese groups.  A sense of Indonesian nationhood exists alongside strong regional identities. 

Social, religious and ethnic tensions have triggered communal violence.    Chinese Indonesians are an influential ethnic minority comprising 3–4% of the population.  Much of the country's privately owned commerce and wealth is Chinese-Indonesian-controlled.   Chinese businesses in Indonesia are part of the larger bamboo network, a network of overseas Chinese businesses operating in the markets of Southeast Asia that share common family and cultural ties.  This has contributed to considerable resentment, and even anti-Chinese violence.   

Languages

More than 700 regional languages are spoken in Indonesia's numerous islands.  Most belong to the Austronesian language family, with a few Papuan languages also spoken. The official language is Indonesian (also known as Bahasa Indonesia) a variant of Malay,  which was used in the archipelago. It borrows heavily from local languages such as Javanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau, etc. Indonesian is primarily used in commerce, administration, education and the media, but most Indonesians speak other languages, such as Javanese, as their first language.

Indonesian is based on the prestige dialect of Malay, that of the Johor-Riau Sultanate, which for centuries had been the lingua franca of the archipelago. It is the official language of Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesian is universally taught in schools and consequently is spoken by nearly every Indonesian. It is the language of business, politics, national media, education, and academia.

Indonesian was promoted by Indonesian nationalists in the 1920s, and declared the official language under the name Bahasa Indonesia in the proclamation of independence in 1945. Most Indonesians speak at least one of several hundred local languages and dialects, often as their first language. In comparison, Papua has over 270 indigenous Papuan and Austronesian languages,  in a region of about 2.7 million people. Javanese is the most widely spoken local language, as it is the language of the largest ethnic group.

Urban centres

Religion

While religious freedom is stipulated in the Indonesian constitution,  the government officially recognises only six religions: Islam, Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism. Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim majority country, at 87.2% in 2010, with the majority being Sunni Muslims (99%).    The Shias and Ahmadis respectively constitute 0.5% and 0.2% of the Muslim population. 

In 2010, Christians made up almost 10% of the population (7% of the total population was Protestant, 2.9% Roman Catholic), 1.7% were Hindu, and 0.9% were Buddhist or other. Most Indonesian Hindus are Balinese,  and most Buddhists in modern-day Indonesia are ethnic Chinese. 

Though now minority religions, Hinduism and Buddhism remain defining influences in Indonesian culture. Islam was first adopted by Indonesians in northern Sumatra in the 13th century, through the influence of traders, and became the country's dominant religion by the 16th century. 

Roman Catholicism was brought to Indonesia by early Portuguese colonialists and missionaries,   and the Protestant denominations are largely a result of Dutch Reformed and Lutheran missionary efforts during the country's colonial period.    A large proportion of Indonesians—such as the Javanese abangan, Balinese Hindus, and Dayak Christians—practice a less orthodox, syncretic form of their religion, which draws on local customs and beliefs. 

Most of indigenous native Indonesian beliefs could be categorised as animism, shamanism as well ancestral worship. Examples of Indonesian native belief systems are Sundanese Sunda Wiwitan, Dayak's Kaharingan and Batak's Parmalim faith, and to some extent Javanese Kejawen belief. There are also a number of indigenous deities and ancestral worship in Kalimantan, Sulawesi, and Papua. 

Education

Education in Indonesia is compulsory for twelve years.   Parents can choose between state-run, non sectarian public schools supervised by Depdiknas (Department of National Education) or private or semi-private religious (usually Islamic) schools supervised and financed by the Department of Religious Affairs.  The enrolment rate is 94% for primary education (2011), 75% for secondary education, and 27% for tertiary education. The literacy rate is 93% (2011). 

By 2014, there were 118 state universities in Indonesia. Entry to higher education depends on the nationwide entrance examination (SNMPTN and SBMPTN). According to the 2015 Times Higher Education World University Rankings, the top university in Indonesia is University of Indonesia (rank 310, dropped from 201 in 2009), followed by Bandung Institute of Technology (in the 431-460 rank range) and Gadjah Mada University (in the 551–600 rank range). Five other Indonesian universities, including Airlangga University, Bogor Institute of Agriculture, Diponegoro University, Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology and Brawijaya University all huddled in the 701+ range.  All of educational institutions located in Java. Andalas University is pioneering the establishment of a leading university outside of Java. 

Tourism

Both nature and culture are major components of Indonesian tourism. The natural heritage can boast a unique combination of a tropical climate, vast archipelago and long stretch of beaches. These natural attractions are complemented by a rich cultural heritage that reflects Indonesia's dynamic history and ethnic diversity. The ancient Prambanan and Borobudur temples, Toraja and Bali, with its Hindu festivities, are some of the popular destinations for cultural tourism.

Indonesia has a well-preserved natural ecosystem with rainforests that stretch over about 57% of Indonesia's land (225 million acres). Forests on Sumatra and Kalimantan are examples of popular tourist destinations, such as Orang Utan wildlife reserve. Moreover, Indonesia has one of longest coastlines in the world, measuring 54,716 kilometres (33,999 mi).

With 20% of the world's coral reefs, over 3,000 different species of fish and 600 coral species, deep water trenches, volcanic sea mounts, World War II wrecks, and an endless variety of macro life, scuba diving in Indonesia is both excellent and inexpensive.  Bunaken National Marine Park, at the northern tip of Sulawesi has more than 70% of all the known fish species of the Indo-Western Pacific Ocean.  According to Conservation International, marine surveys suggest that the marine life diversity in the Raja Ampat Islands is the highest recorded on Earth.  Moreover, there are over 3,500 species living in Indonesian waters, including sharks, dolphins, manta rays, turtles, morays, cuttlefish, octopus and scorpaenidae, compared to 1,500 on the Great Barrier Reef.

Indonesia has 8 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, such as the Komodo National Park, Cultural Landscape of Bali, Ujung Kulon National Park, Lorentz National Park, Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra, comprises three national parks on the island of Sumatra: Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and the Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park;  and 18 World Heritage Sites in tentative list, such as the historic urban centres of Jakarta Old Town, Sawahlunto Old Coal Mining Town, Semarang Old Town, as well as Muara Takus Compound Site.

The heritage tourism is focussed on specific interest on Indonesian history, such as colonial architectural heritage of Dutch East Indies era. The activities among others are visiting museums, churches, forts and historical colonial buildings, as well as spend some nights in colonial heritage hotels. The popular heritage tourism attractions are Jakarta Old Town and the royal Javanese courts of Yogyakarta, Surakarta and the Mangkunegaran.

Bali island received the Best Island award from Travel and Leisure in 2010.  The island of Bali won because of its attractive surroundings (both mountain and coastal areas), diverse tourist attractions, excellent international and local restaurants, and the friendliness of the local people. According to BBC Travel released in 2011, Bali is one of the World's Best Islands, ranking second after Santorini, Greece.  Bali is a major world surfing destination, with popular breaks dotted across the southern coastline and around the offshore island of Nusa Lembongan.  As part of the Coral Triangle, Bali, including Nusa Penida, offers a wide range of dive sites with varying types of reefs.

Urban tourism activities includes shopping, sightseeing in big cities, or enjoying modern amusement parks, resorts, spas, nightlife and entertainment. Beautiful Indonesia Miniature Park as well as Ancol Dreamland with Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy World) theme park and Atlantis Water Adventure are Jakarta's answer to Disneyland-style amusement park and water park. The capital city, Jakarta, is a shopping hub in Southeast Asia. The city has numerous shopping malls and traditional markets. With a total of 550 hectares, Jakarta has the world's largest shopping mall floor area within a single city.  The annual "Jakarta Great Sale" is held every year in June and July to celebrate Jakarta's anniversary.  Bandung is a popular shopping destination for fashion products among Malaysians and Singaporeans. 

Since January 2011, Wonderful Indonesia has been the slogan of an international marketing campaign directed by the Indonesian Ministry of Culture and Tourism to promote tourism.  In year 2015, 10.4 million international visitors entered Indonesia, staying in hotels for an average of 8.5 nights and spending an average of US$1,190 per person during their visit, or US$140 per person per day. 

Culture

Indonesia has about 300 ethnic groups, each with cultural identities developed over centuries, and influenced by Indian, Arabic, Chinese, and European sources. Traditional Javanese and Balinese dances, for example, contain aspects of Hindu culture and mythology, as do wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performances.

Textiles such as batik, ikat, ulos and songket are created across Indonesia in styles that vary by region. In October 2009, Indonesian batik has been recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity,  and has become the national costume. Currently, Indonesia holds 6 items of UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage, which include wayang puppet theatre, Indonesian kris, batik and angklung.

Wood carving traditions exist in many parts of the country, with exceptional examples are in Jepara in Central Java, Bali, and Asmat. Traditional carpentry, masonry, stone and woodwork techniques and decorations are also thrived in Indonesian vernacular architecture, with numbers of traditional houses' styles has been developed. The traditional houses and settlements of the several hundreds ethnic groups of Indonesia are extremely varied and all have their own specific history. 

The Indonesian film industry's popularity peaked in the 1980s and dominated cinemas in Indonesia,  although it declined significantly in the early 1990s.  Between 2000 and 2005, the number of Indonesian films released each year has steadily increased.

Architecture

Architecture reflects the diversity of cultural that have shaped Indonesia as a whole. Invaders, colonisers, missionaries, merchants and traders brought cultural changes that had a profound effect on building styles and techniques. The most dominant influences on Indonesian architecture have traditionally been Indian; however, Chinese, Arab, and European architectural influences have been significant.

The Indonesia traditional houses are at the centre of a web of customs, social relations, traditional laws, taboos, myths and religions that bind the villagers together. The house provides the main focus for the family and its community, and is the point of departure for many activities of its residents. Traditional houses hold a prominent position in the society, relates to its social significance.

Example of Indonesian vernacular architecture including Toraja's Tongkonan, Minangkabau's Rumah Gadang and Rangkiang, Javanese style Pendopo pavilion with Joglo style roof, Dayak's longhouses, various Malay houses, Balinese houses and temples, and also various styles of lumbung (rice barns).

Music

The music of Indonesia predates historical records. Various native Indonesian tribes incorporate chants and songs accompanied with musical instruments in their rituals. Traditional Indonesian instruments include angklung, kacapi suling, siteran, gong, gamelan, degung, gong kebyar, bumbung, talempong, kulintang and sasando.

The diverse world of Indonesian music genres was the result of the musical creativity of its people, and subsequent cultural encounters with foreign musical influences into the archipelago. Next to distinctive native form of musics, several genres can trace their origins to foreign influences, such as gambus and qasidah from Middle Eastern Islamic music,  keroncong from Portuguese influences,  and dangdut—one of the most popular music genres in Indonesia—with notable Hindi music influence as well as Malay orchestras. 

Today, Indonesian music industry enjoys nationwide popularity. Thanks to common culture and intelligible languages between Indonesian and Malay, Indonesian music enjoyed regional popularity in neighbouring countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei. However, the overwhelming popularity of Indonesian music in Malaysia had alarmed the Malaysian music industry. In 2008, Malaysian music industry demanded the restriction of Indonesian songs on Malaysian radio broadcasts. 

Dance

Traditional dance of Indonesia reflect the rich diversity of Indonesian people. The dance traditions in Indonesia; such as Javanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau, Balinese, Malays, Acehnese and many other dances traditions are age old traditions, yet also a living and dynamic traditions. Several royal houses; the istanas and keratons still survived in some parts of Indonesia and become the haven of cultural conservation. The obvious difference between courtly dance and common folk dance traditions is the most evident in Javanese dance. The palace court traditions also evident in Balinese and Malay court which usually imposed refinement and prestige. Sumatran courtly culture such as the remnant of Aceh Sultanate and Palembang Sultanate, are more influenced by Islamic culture, while Java and Bali are more deeply rooted in their Hindu-Buddhist heritage.

Dances in Indonesia are believed by many scholars to have had their beginning in rituals and religious worship.  Such dances are usually based on rituals, like the war dances, the dance of witch doctors, and dance to call for rain or any agricultural related rituals such as Hudoq dance ritual of Dayak people. In Bali, dances has become the integral part of Hindu Balinese rituals. Sacred ritual dances performed only in Balinese temples such as sacred Sanghyang dedari and Barong dance.

The commoners folk dance is more concerned with social function and entertainment value than rituals. The Javanese Ronggeng and Sundanese Jaipongan is the fine example of this common folk dance traditions. Both are social dances that are more for entertainment purpose than rituals. Randai is a folk theatre tradition of the Minangkabau people which incorporates dance, music, singing, drama and the martial art of silat.  Certain traditional folk dances has been developed into mass dance with simple but structurised steps and movements, such as Poco-poco dance from Minahasa and Sajojo dance from Papua.

Sports

Sports in Indonesia are generally male-oriented and spectator sports are often associated with illegal gambling.  The most popular sports are badminton and football. Indonesian players have won the Thomas Cup (the world team championship of men's badminton) thirteen of the twenty-six times that it has been held since 1949, as well as numerous Olympic medals since the sport gained full Olympic status in 1992. Indonesian women have won the Uber Cup, the female equivalent of the Thomas Cup, 3 times, in 1975, 1994 and 1996. Liga Super Indonesia is the country's premier football club league.

On the international stage, Indonesia experienced limited success despite being the first Asian team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in 1938 as Dutch East Indies.  In 1956, the football team played in the Olympics and played a hard-fought draw against the Soviet Union. On the continent level, Indonesia won the bronze medal once in football in the 1958 Asian Games. Indonesia's first appearance in Asian Cup was back in 1996. The Indonesian national team qualified for the Asian Cup in 2000, 2004 and 2007 AFC Asian Cup, however unable to move through next stage.

Boxing is a popular combative sport spectacle in Indonesia. Some of famous Indonesian boxers are Ellyas Pical, three times IBF Super flyweight champion; Nico Thomas, Muhammad Rachman, and Chris John.  For racing sport, Indonesia has Rio Haryanto who become the first Indonesian to compete in Formula One.    

Traditional sports include sepak takraw, and bull racing in Madura. In areas of Indonesia with a history of tribal warfare, mock fighting contests are held, such as caci in Flores and pasola in Sumba. Pencak Silat is an Indonesian martial art and in 1987, became one of the sporting events in Southeast Asian Games, with Indonesia appearing as one of the leading forces in this sport. In Southeast Asia, Indonesia is one of the major sport powerhouses by winning the Southeast Asian Games 10 times since 1977.

Media

Media freedom in Indonesia increased considerably after the end of President Suharto's rule, during which the now-defunct Ministry of Information monitored and controlled domestic media, and restricted foreign media.  The TV market includes ten national commercial networks, and provincial networks that compete with public TVRI. Private radio stations carry their own news bulletins and foreign broadcasters supply programs. At a reported 25 million users in 2008,  Internet usage was estimated at 12.5% in September 2009.  More than 30 million cell phones are sold in Indonesia each year, and 27% of them are local brands. 

Cinema

The first domestically produced film in the Indies was in 1926: Loetoeng Kasaroeng, a silent film by Dutch director L. Heuveldorp. This adaptation of the Sundanese legend was made with local actors by the NV Java Film Company in Bandung.

After independence, the film industry expanded rapidly, with six films made in 1949 rising to 58 in 1955. Djamaluddin Malik's Persari often emulating American genre films and the working practices of the Hollywood studio system, as well as remaking popular Indian films.  The Sukarno government used cinema for nationalistic, anti-Western purposes. Foreign film imports were banned. After the overthrow of Sukarno by Suharto's New Order regime, films were regulated through a censorship code that aimed to maintain the social order.  Usmar Ismail, a director from West Sumatra made a major imprint in Indonesian film in the 1950s and 1960s. 

The industry reached its peak in the 1980s, with such successful films as Nagabonar (1987) and Catatan Si Boy (1989). Warkop's comedy films, directed by Arizal also proved to be successful. The industry has also found appeal among teens with such fare as Pintar-pintar Bodoh (1982), and Maju Kena Mundur Kena (1984). Actors during this era included Deddy Mizwar, Eva Arnaz, Meriam Bellina, and Rano Karno. 

Under the Reformasi movement, independent filmmaking was a rebirth of the filming industry in Indonesia, where film's started addressing topics which were previously banned such as; religion, race, love and other topics. Riri Riza and Mira Lesmana were the new generation of Indonesian film figures who co-directed of Kuldesak (1999), Petualangan Sherina (2000), Ada Apa dengan Cinta? (2002), Gie (2005), and Laskar Pelangi (2008).  Locally made film quality has gone up in 2012, this is attested by the international release of films such as The Raid: Redemption, Modus Anomali, Dilema, Lovely Man, and Java Heat.

Literature

The oldest evidence of writing in Indonesia is a series of Sanskrit inscriptions dated to the 5th century. Many of Indonesia's peoples have strongly rooted oral traditions, which help to define and preserve their cultural identities.  In written poetry and prose, a number of traditional forms dominate, mainly syair, pantun, gurindam, hikayat and babad. Some of these works are Syair Raja Siak, Syair Abdul Muluk, Hikayat Abdullah, Hikayat Bayan Budiman, Hikayat Hang Tuah, Sulalatus Salatin, and Babad Tanah Jawi. 

Early modern Indonesian literature originates in Sumatran tradition.  Balai Pustaka, the government bureau for popular literature, was instituted around 1920 to promote the development of indigenous literature, it adopted Malay as the preferred common medium for Indonesia. Important figures in modern Indonesian literature include: Dutch author Multatuli, who criticised treatment of the Indonesians under Dutch colonial rule; Sumatrans Mohammad Yamin and Hamka, who were influential pre-independence nationalist writers and politicians;  and proletarian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia's most famous novelist.   Pramoedya earned several accolades, and was frequently discussed as Indonesia's and Southeast Asia's best candidate for a Nobel Prize in Literature. 

Indonesian literature and poetry flourished even more in the first half of the 20th century. Chairil Anwar was considered as the greatest literary figure of Indonesia by American poet and translator, Burton Raffel.  He was among those youngsters who pioneered in changing the traditional Indonesian literature and modifying it on the lines of the newly independent country. Some of his popular poems include Krawang-Bekasi, Diponegoro and Aku. Other major authors include Marah Roesli (Sitti Nurbaya), Merari Siregar (Azab dan Sengsara), Abdul Muis (Salah Asuhan), Djamaluddin Adinegoro (Darah Muda), Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (Layar Terkembang), and Amir Hamzah (Nyanyi Sunyi) whose works are among the most well known in Maritime Southeast Asia. 

Cuisine

Indonesian cuisine is one of the most vibrant and colourful cuisines in the world, full of intense flavour.  It is diverse, in part because Indonesia is composed of approximately 6,000 populated islands of the total 18,000 in the world's largest archipelago,  with more than 300 ethnic groups calling Indonesia their home.  Many regional cuisines exist, often based upon indigenous culture and foreign influences such as Chinese, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian precedents.  Rice is the main staple food and is served with side dishes of meat and vegetables. Spices (notably chili), coconut milk, fish and chicken are fundamental ingredients. 

Some popular Indonesian dishes such as nasi goreng,  gado-gado,   sate,  and soto  are ubiquitous in the country and considered as national dishes. The official national dish of Indonesia however, is tumpeng, chosen in 2014 by Indonesian Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy as the dish that binds the diversity of Indonesia's various culinary traditions. Another popular Indonesian dishes like rendang which is one of many Minangkabau cuisine, beside of dendeng and gulai. Fermented food such as oncom, similar in some ways to tempeh but using a variety of bases (not only soy), created by different fungi, and particularly popular in West Java. Jakarta,Pronounced in Indonesian language:. officially known as the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (), is the capital and most populous city of the Republic of Indonesia.

Located on the northwest coast of the world's most populous island of Java, Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political center, with a population of 10,075,310 .   The official metropolitan area, known as Jabodetabek (a name formed by combining the initial syllables of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi), is the second largest in the world, yet the metropolis' suburbs still continue beyond it. Its unofficial built-up (metropolitan) area covers Bogor, Tangerang, Bekasi, Karawang, Serang, Purwakarta, Sukabumi and Subang regencies (123 districts), also including Tangerang, Bekasi, Tangerang Selatan, Depok, Serang and Cilegon Municipalities, which in total were home to 30,214,303 inhabitants  census. 

Established in the fourth century, the city became an important trading port for the Kingdom of Sunda. It was the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies (known as Batavia at that time). Today, the city has continued as the capital of Indonesia since the country's independence was declared in 1945. The city is currently the seat of the ASEAN Secretariat as well as important financial institutions such as the Bank of Indonesia, the Indonesia Stock Exchange, and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indonesian companies and multinational corporations. Jakarta's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over Indonesia, making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures. 

Jakarta is listed as an alpha-global city in the 2012 Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network (GaWC) research.  Based on survey by Brooking Institute, in 2011 economic growth in Jakarta ranked 17th among the world's 200 largest cities, a jump from its 2007 ranking of 171. Jakarta has grown more rapidly than Kuala Lumpur, Beijing, and Bangkok. 

Names and etymology

Jakarta has been home to multiple settlements along with their respective names: Sunda Kelapa (397–1527), Jayakarta (1527–1619), Batavia (1619–1942), Djakarta (1942–1972), and Jakarta (1972–present)

Its current name derives from the word "Jayakarta". The origins of this word can be traced to the Old Javanese and ultimately to the Sanskrit language. "Jayakarta" translates as "victorious deed", "complete act", or "complete victory".

Jakarta is nicknamed the Big Durian, the thorny strongly-odored fruit native to the region, as the city is seen as the Indonesian equivalent of New York City (the Big Apple).  In the colonial era, the city was also known as Koningin van het Oosten (Queen of the Orient), initially in the 17th century for the urban beauty of downtown Batavia's canals, mansions and ordered city layout.  After expanding to the south in the 19th century, this nickname came to be more associated with the suburbs (e.g. Menteng and the area around Merdeka Square), with their wide lanes, many green spaces and villas. 

History

Pre-colonial era

The area in and around modern Jakarta was part of the fourth century Sundanese kingdom of Tarumanagara, one of the oldest Hindu kingdoms in Indonesia.  Following the decline of Tarumanagara, its territories, including the Jakarta area, became part of the Kingdom of Sunda. From 7th to early 13th century port of Sunda was within the sphere of influence of the Srivijaya maritime empire. According to the Chinese source, Chu-fan-chi, written circa 1225, Chou Ju-kua reported in the early 13th century Srivijaya still ruled Sumatra, the Malay peninsula and western Java (Sunda). The source reports the port of Sunda as strategic and thriving, pepper from Sunda being among the best in quality. The people worked in agriculture and their houses were built on wooden piles.  The harbour area became known as Sunda Kelapa (Sundanese: ᮞᮥᮔ᮪ᮓ ᮊᮜᮕ) and by the fourteenth century, it was a major trading port for Sunda kingdom.

The first European fleet, four Portuguese ships from Malacca, arrived in 1513 when the Portuguese were looking for a route for spices.  The Kingdom of Sunda made an alliance treaty with Portugal by allowing the Portuguese to build a port in 1522 to defend against the rising power of the Sultanate of Demak from central Java.  In 1527, Fatahillah, a Javanese general from Demak attacked and conquered Sunda Kelapa, driving out the Portuguese. Sunda Kelapa was renamed Jayakarta, and became a fiefdom of the Sultanate of Banten which became a major Southeast Asia trading centre.

Through the relationship with Prince Jayawikarta from the Sultanate of Banten, Dutch ships arrived in Jayakarta in 1596. In 1602, the English East India Company's first voyage, commanded by Sir James Lancaster, arrived in Aceh and sailed on to Banten where they were allowed to build a trading post. This site became the centre of English trade in Indonesia until 1682. 

Jayawikarta is thought to have made trading connections with the English merchants, rivals of the Dutch, by allowing them to build houses directly across from the Dutch buildings in 1615.

Colonial era

When relations between Prince Jayawikarta and the Dutch deteriorated, Jayawikarta's soldiers attacked the Dutch fortress. Prince Jayawikarta's army and the English were defeated by the Dutch, in part owing to the timely arrival of Jan Pieterszoon Coen (J.P. Coen). The Dutch burned the English fort, and forced the English to retreat on their ships. The victory consolidated Dutch power and in 1619 they renamed the city Batavia.

Commercial opportunities in the capital of the Dutch colony attracted Indonesian and especially Chinese and Arab immigrants. This sudden population increase created burdens on the city. Tensions grew as the colonial government tried to restrict Chinese migration through deportations. Following a revolt, 5,000 Chinese were massacred by the Dutch and natives on 9 October 1740 and the following year, Chinese inhabitants were moved to Glodok outside the city walls.  At the beginning of the nineteenth century, around 400 Arabs and Moors lived in Batavia, a number which changed little during the following decades. Among the commodities traded, fabrics, especially imported cotton, batik and clothing occupied by Arab communities. 

The city began to expand further south as epidemics in 1835 and 1870 caused more people to move away from the port. The Koningsplein, now Merdeka Square was completed in 1818, the housing park of Menteng was started in 1913,  and Kebayoran Baru was the last Dutch-built residential area. By 1930 Batavia had more than 500,000 inhabitants,  including 37,067 Europeans. 

After World War II, the city of Batavia was renamed "Jakarta" (short form of Jayakarta) by the Indonesian nationalists after achieving independence from the Dutch in 1946. 

Independence era

Following World War II, Indonesian Republicans withdrew from Allied-occupied Jakarta during their fight for Indonesian independence and established their capital in Yogyakarta. In 1950, once independence was secured, Jakarta was once again made the national capital. Indonesia's founding president, Sukarno, envisaged Jakarta as a great international city, and instigated large government-funded projects with openly nationalistic and modernist architecture.   Projects included a clover-leaf highway, a major boulevard (Jalan MH Thamrin-Sudirman), monuments such as The National Monument, Hotel Indonesia, a shopping centre, and a new parliament building. In October 1965, Jakarta was the site of an abortive coup attempt in which 6 top generals were killed, precipitating a violent anti-communist purge in which half-a million people were killed, including many ethnic Chinese,  and the beginning of Suharto's New Order. A monument stands where the generals' bodies were dumped.

In 1966, Jakarta was declared a "special capital region" (daerah khusus ibukota), thus gaining a status approximately equivalent to that of a province.  Lieutenant General Ali Sadikin served as Governor from the mid-1960s commencement of the "New Order" through to 1977; he rehabilitated roads and bridges, encouraged the arts, built several hospitals, and a large number of new schools. He also cleared out slum dwellers for new development projects—some for the benefit of the Suharto family  —and tried to eliminate rickshaws and ban street vendors. He began control of migration to the city to stem overcrowding and poverty.  Foreign investment contributed to a real estate boom which changed the face of the city. 

The boom ended with the 1997/98 East Asian Economic crisis putting Jakarta at the centre of violence, protest, and political maneuvering. After 32 years in power, support for President Suharto began to wane. Tensions reached a peak in when four students were shot dead at Trisakti University by security forces; four days of riots and violence ensued that killed an estimated 1,200, and destroyed or damaged 6,000 buildings.  Much of the rioting targeted Chinese Indonesians.  Suharto resigned as president, and Jakarta has remained the focal point of democratic change in Indonesia.  Jemaah Islamiah-connected bombings occurred almost annually in the city between 2000 and 2005, with another bombing in 2009. 

Administration

Administrative Divisions of Jakarta

Jakarta is administratively equal to a province with special status as the capital of Indonesia. It has a governor (instead of a mayor). As a province, the official name of Jakarta is Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta ("Special Capital City District of Jakarta"), which in Indonesian is abbreviated to DKI Jakarta.

Jakarta consists of five kota administratif (administrative cities/municipalities), each headed by a mayor – and a kabupaten administratif (administrative regency) headed by a bupati (regent). Unlike other cities and regencies in Indonesia where the mayor or regent are elected by the people, Jakarta's mayors and regent are chosen by the Governor of Jakarta.

The administrative cities/municipalities of Jakarta are:

* Central Jakarta (Jakarta Pusat) is Jakarta's smallest city and home to most of Jakarta's administrative and political centre. It is characterised by large parks and Dutch colonial buildings. Landmarks include the National Monument (Monas), the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, the Jakarta Cathedral, and museums. 
* West Jakarta (Jakarta Barat) has the highest concentration of small-scale industries in Jakarta. The area includes Jakarta's Chinatown and Dutch colonial landmarks such as the Chinese Langgam building and Toko Merah. West Jakarta contains part of Jakarta Old Town. 
* South Jakarta (Jakarta Selatan), originally planned as a satellite city, is now the location of large upscale shopping centres and affluent residential areas. Jakarta Selatan functions as Jakarta's ground water buffer,  but recently the green belt areas are threatened by new developments. Much of the CBD area of Jakarta is concentrated in Setia Budi, South Jakarta, bordering the Tanah Abang/Sudirman area of Central Jakarta.
* East Jakarta (Jakarta Timur) territory is characterised by several industrial sectors erected in this city.  Also located in East Jakarta are Taman Mini Indonesia Indah and Halim Perdanakusuma International Airport.
* North Jakarta (Jakarta Utara) is the only city in Jakarta that is bounded by the sea (Java Sea). It is the location of the Tanjung Priok. Large-scale and medium-scale industries are concentrated in North Jakarta. North Jakarta contains part of Jakarta Old Town, formerly known as Batavia since the 17th century, and was a centre of VOC trade activity in Dutch East Indies. Also located in North Jakarta is Ancol Dreamland (Taman Impian Jaya Ancol), currently the largest integrated tourism area in South East Asia. 

The only administrative regency (kabupaten) of Jakarta is:

* Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu), formerly a district within the city of North Jakarta, is a collection of 105 small islands located on the Java Sea. It has a high conservation value because of its unique and special ecosystems. Marine tourism, such as diving, water bicycle, and wind surfing, is the most important touristic activity in this territory. The main mode of transportation between the islands are speed boats or small ferries. 

Government

In September 1945, the government of Jakarta City was changed from the Japanese  into the Jakarta National Administration. This first government was held by a mayor until the end of 1960, when the office was changed to that of a governor. The last mayor of Jakarta was Sudiro, until he was replaced by Dr Sumarno as governor of the province (as the city had now become).

In 1974, Based on the Act No. 5 of 1974 relating to the Fundamentals of Regional Government, Jakarta was confirmed as the capital of Indonesia and one of Indonesia's (then) 26 provinces. 

In August 2007, Jakarta held its first ever election to choose a governor, whereas previously the city's governors were appointed by the local house of representatives. The poll is part of a country-wide decentralisation drive, allowing for direct local elections in several areas. 

Municipal finances

The ability of the regional government to respond to the many problems of Jakarta is constrained by extremely limited finances. In 2013 the total budget available to the Jakarta regional government was approved at around Rp 50 trillion (about $US 5.2 billion), equivalent to around $US 380 per citizen. Priority areas of spending were listed as education, transport, flood control measures, environment programs, and various types of social spending (such as health and housing). 

The Jakarta provincial government, like all other provincial governments in Indonesia, relies on transfers from the central government for the bulk of budget income. Local (non-central government) sources of revenue are incomes from various taxes such as vehicle ownership and vehicle transfer fees and so on. 

In recent years, the Jakarta provincial government has consistently run a surplus of between 15–20% of total planned spending, largely because of delays in procurement procedures and other inefficiencies in the spending process.  Regular underspending is a matter of frequent public comment but the legal and administrative blockages that cause the underspending problem seem very difficult to overcome. 

Indonesian Statistics Bureau: Jakarta in Figures 

Geography and climate

Geography

Jakarta is located on the northwest coast of Java, at the mouth of the Ciliwung River on Jakarta Bay, which is an inlet of the Java Sea. Officially, the area of the Jakarta Special District is 662 km2 of land area and 6977 km2 of sea area.  The Thousand Islands, which are administratively a part of Jakarta, are located in Jakarta Bay, north of the city.
Jakarta lies in a low, flat basin, ranged from  with average elevation 8 m above sea level; 40% of Jakarta, particularly the northern areas, is below sea level,  while the southern parts are comparatively hilly. Rivers flow from the Puncak highlands to the south of the city, across the city northwards towards the Java Sea; the most important is the Ciliwung River, which divides the city into the western and eastern principalities. Other rivers include the Pesanggrahan, and Sunter.

All these rivers, combined with the wet season rains and insufficient drainage due to clogging, make Jakarta prone to flooding. Moreover, Jakarta is sinking about 5 to 10 centimetres each year, even up to 20 centimetres in the northern coastal areas. To help cope with the threat from the sea, the Netherlands will give $4 million for a feasibility study to build a dike around Jakarta Bay. The ring dike will be equipped with a pumping system and retention areas to defend against seawater. Additionally, the dike will function as a toll road. The project will be built by 2025.[http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/07/27/dutch-study-new-dike-jakarta-bay.html Dutch to study new dike for Jakarta Bay | The Jakarta Post] In January 2014, Central Government agreed to build 2 dams in Ciawi, Bogor and a 1.2 kilometres tunnel from Ciliwung River to Cisadane River to ease Jakarta floods. Construction costs will be paid by Central Government, but land acquisitions is responsibility of Jakarta Authority.  Nowadays, an 1.27 kilometre with capacity 60 cubic meters per second underground water tunnel between Ciliwung River and East Flood Canal is being worked to ease Ciliwung River overflows. 

Climate

Jakarta has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Despite being located relatively close to the equator, the city has distinct wet and dry seasons. The wet season in Jakarta covers the majority of the year, running from October through May. The remaining four months (June through September) constitute the city's dry season (each of these 4 months has an average monthly rainfall of less than 100 mm). Located in the western part of Java, Jakarta's wet season rainfall peak is January and February with average monthly rainfall of , and its dry season low point is August with a monthly average of .

Culture

As the economic and political capital of Indonesia, Jakarta attracts many domestic immigrants who bring their various languages, dialects, foods and customs.

The "Betawi" (Orang Betawi, or "people of Batavia") are the descendants of the people living in and around Batavia, and recognised as an ethnic group from around the 18th–19th 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 different parts of Indonesia.  The language and Betawi culture are distinct from those of the Sundanese or Javanese, forming itself as a language island in the surrounding area. The language is mostly based on the East Malay dialect and enriched by loan words from Dutch, Portuguese, Sundanese, Javanese, Minangkabau, Chinese, and Arabic. Nowadays, the Jakarta dialect (Bahasa Jakarta), used as a street language by people in Jakarta, is loosely based on the Betawi language.

Betawi arts have a low profile in Jakarta, and most Betawi have moved to the suburbs of Jakarta, displaced by new migrants. It is easier to find Java or Minang based wedding ceremonies rather than Betawi weddings in Jakarta. It is easier to find Javanese Gamelan instead of Tanjidor (a mixture between Betawi and Portuguese music), Marawis (a mixture between Betawi and Yemeni music) or Gambang Kromong (a mixture between Betawi and Chinese music). Chinese also had influenced Betawi culture, such as the popularity of Chinese cakes and sweets, firecrackers, to Betawi wedding attire that demonstrates Chinese and Arab influences.

However, some festivals such as the Jalan Jaksa Festival or Kemang Festival include efforts to preserve Betawi arts by inviting artists to give performances.  Jakarta has several performing art centres, such as the classical concert hall Aula Simfonia Jakarta in Kemayoran, Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) art centre in Cikini, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta near Pasar Baru, Balai Sarbini in Plaza Semanggi area, Bentara Budaya Jakarta in Palmerah area, Pasar Seni (Art Market) in Ancol, and traditional Indonesian art performances at the pavilions of some provinces in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah. Traditional music is often found at high-class hotels, including Wayang and Gamelan performances. Javanese Wayang Orang performances can be found at Wayang Orang Bharata theatre near Senen bus terminal. As the country's largest city and capital, Jakarta has lured much national and regional talent who hope to find a greater audience and more opportunities for success.

Jakarta hosts several prestigious art and culture festivals, and exhibitions, such as the annual Jakarta International Film Festival (JiFFest), Jakarta International Java Jazz Festival, Jakarta Fashion Week, Jakarta Fashion & Food Festival (JFFF), Jakarta Fair, Indonesia Creative Products and Jakarta Arts and Crafts exhibition. Flona Jakarta is a flora-and-fauna exhibition, held annually in August at Lapangan Banteng Park, featuring flowers, plant nurseries, and pets. The Jakarta Fair is held annually from mid-June to mid-July to celebrate the anniversary of the city and is largely centred around a trade fair. However, this month-long fair also features entertainment, including arts and music performances by local musicians.

Several foreign art and culture centres are also established in Jakarta, and mainly serve to promote culture and language through learning centres, libraries, and art galleries. Among these foreign art and cultural centres are China Confucius Institute, Netherlands Erasmus Huis, UK British Council, France Centre Culturel Français, Germany Goethe-Institut, Japan Foundation, and the Jawaharlal Nehru Indian Cultural Centre.

File:Ondel-Ondel Betawi.jpg||Ondel-Ondel
File:Keong Emas.jpg|The Golden Snail IMAX theatre at Taman Mini Indonesia Indah
File:Teater Jakarta Taman Ismail Marzuki.JPG|Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta
File:Gambir Expo Jakarta Fair.JPG|Jakarta Fair

Museums

The museums in Jakarta cluster around the Central Jakarta Merdeka Square area, Jakarta Old Town, and Taman Mini Indonesia Indah.

The Jakarta Old Town contains museums that are former institutional buildings of Colonial Batavia. Some of these museums are: Jakarta History Museum (former City Hall of Batavia), Wayang Museum (Puppet Museum) (former Church of Batavia), the Fine Art and Ceramic Museum (former Court House of Justice of Batavia), the Maritime Museum (former Sunda Kelapa warehouse), Bank Indonesia Museum (former Javasche Bank), and Bank Mandiri Museum (former Nederlandsche Handels Maatschappij).

Several museums clustered in central Jakarta around the Merdeka Square area include: National Museum of Indonesia which also known as Gedung Gajah (the Elephant Building), Monumen Nasional (National Monument), Istiqlal Islamic Museum in Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, and Jakarta Cathedral Museum on the second floor of Jakarta Cathedral. Also in the central Jakarta area is the Taman Prasasti Museum (former cemetery of Batavia), and Textile Museum in Tanah Abang area.

The recreational area of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah in East Jakarta contains fourteen museums, such as Indonesia Museum, Purna Bhakti Pertiwi Museum, Asmat Museum, Bayt al-Qur'an Islamic Museum, Pusaka (heirloom) Museum, and other science-based museum such as Research & Technology Information Centre, Komodo Indonesian Fauna Museum, Insect Museum, Petrol and Gas Museum, plus the Transportation Museum. Other museums are Satria Mandala Military Museum, Museum Sumpah Pemuda, and Lubang Buaya (Crocodile Well).

Cuisine

The local cuisine of Jakarta is the Betawi cuisine, which reflects various foreign culinary traditions that have influenced the inhabitants of Jakarta for centuries. Betawi cuisine is heavily influenced by Malay-Chinese Peranakan cuisine, neighbouring Sundanese and Javanese cuisine, but also includes Indian, Arabic and European colonial influences. One of the most popular local dishes in Jakarta is Soto Betawi which is made from chunks of beef meat and offals in rich and spicy cow's milk or coconut milk broth. Other popular Betawi dishes includes soto kaki, nasi uduk, kerak telor (spicy omelette), nasi ulam, asinan, ketoprak, rujak and gado-gado Betawi (salad in peanut sauce).

Jakarta has a vast range of food available at hundreds of eating venues and foodcourts located all over the city, from modest street-side warung foodstalls and travelling vendors to high-end fine dining restaurants. Since Jakarta is regarded as the 'melting-pot' and a miniature version of Indonesia, many traditional foods from far-flung regions in Indonesia can be found in Jakarta. For example, traditional Padang restaurants and low-budget Warteg (Warung Tegal) foodstalls are ubiquitous in the capital. Other popular street foods include nasi goreng (fried rice), sate (skewered meats), pecel lele (fried catfish), bakso (meatballs), bakpau (Chinese bun) and siomay (fish dumplings).

Next to a myriad of Indonesian food and regional specialties from all over Indonesia, foreign food is also represented: Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Indian, American, French, Italian, Vietnamese, Middle Eastern, and modern fusion food can all be found in Jakarta. 

Media

Jakarta has numerous newspaper publications, television and radio stations. Several newspapers, including daily, business, and digital papers, are based in Jakarta. Daily newspapers include Kompas, Koran Tempo, Media Indonesia, Republika, Suara Pembaruan, Seputar Indonesia, Suara Karya, Sinar Harapan, Indo Pos, Jurnal Nasional, and  Harian Pelita. English language newspapers are also published daily, for example The Jakarta Post and The Jakarta Globe. Chinese language newspapers are Indonesia Shang Bao (印尼商报), Harian Indonesia (印尼星洲日报), and Guo Ji Ri Bao (国际日报). The only Japanese language newspaper is The Daily Jakarta Shimbun (じゃかるた新聞). Jakarta has also the daily newspapers segment such as Pos Kota, Warta Kota, Koran Jakarta, Berita Kota for local readers; Bisnis Indonesia, Investor Daily, Kontan, Harian Neraca (business news) as well as Top Skor and Soccer (sport news).

Jakarta are the headquarters for Indonesia's state media public government stations, TVRI as well as private national television include RCTI, TV7, TV One, Metro TV, SCTV, Global TV, ANTV, Trans TV, Kompas TV, MNCTV, Indosiar, NET. and RTV. Jakarta has also the local television channels such as Jak TV, O Channel, Elshinta TV, and DAAI TV Indonesia. The city is home to the country's main pay television service. The wide range of cable channels available includes First Media and TelkomVision. Satellite television (DTH) has yet to gain mass acceptance in Jakarta. Prominent DTH entertainment services are Indovision, Okevision, Yes TV, Transvision, and Aora TV. Many TV stations are analogue PAL, but some are now converting to digital signals using DVB-T2 following a government plan to digital television migration.[http://www.tvdigital.kominfo.go.id/berita/2-siaran-tv-digital.html TV Digital Indonesia – Siaran TV Digital]

There are seventy five radio stations in Jakarta, with fifty two broadcasting on the FM band, and twenty three radio stations broadcasting on the AM band.

Economy

Jakarta generated about one-sixth of Indonesian GDP.  Jakarta's economy depends highly on service sectors, banking, trading, financial service, and manufacturing. Most of industries in Jakarta include electronics, automotive, chemicals, mechanical engineering and biomedical sciences manufacturing.

The economic growth of Jakarta in 2007 was 6.44% up from 5.95% the previous year, with the growth in the transportation and communication (15.25%), construction (7.81%) and trade, hotel and restaurant sectors (6.88%). In 2007, GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) was Rp. 566 trillion (around $US 56 billion). The largest contributions to GRDP were by finance, ownership and business services (29%); trade, hotel and restaurant sector (20%), and manufacturing industry sector (16%). In 2007, the increase in per capita GRDP of DKI Jakarta inhabitants was 11.6% compared to the previous year Both GRDP by at current market price and GRDP by at 2000 constant price in 2007 for the Municipality of Central Jakarta, which was Rp 146 million and Rp 81 million, was higher than other municipalities in Jakarta. Last data update was on 2014 by end of year Jakarta have a GRDP (Gross Regional Domestic Product) was Rp. 1,761.407 trillion (around USD 148.53 billion) with economic growth above 6% per year since 2009. In 2014, per capita GRDP of DKI Jakarta inhabitants was Rp 174.87 million or USD 14,727.

The cost of living in the city continues to rise. Land is expensive and rents are high. Industrial development and the construction of new housing are usually undertaken on the outskirts, while commerce and banking remain concentrated in the city centre. 

Jakarta has a bustling luxury property market. The investment in the property sector, including offices, commercial buildings, new town development, and highrise apartments and hotels grew substantially. Knight Frank, a global real estate consultancy based in London, reported in 2014 that Jakarta offered the highest return on high-end property investment in the world in 2013, citing supply shortage and a sharply depreciated currency as reasons. 

Shopping

Jakarta has numerous shopping malls and markets. With a total of 550 hectares, Jakarta has the world's largest shopping mall floor area within a single city.  The annual "Jakarta Great Sale" is held every year in June and July to celebrate Jakarta's anniversary, with about 73 participating shopping centres in 2012. 

Malls such as Plaza Indonesia, Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, Plaza Senayan, Senayan City and Pacific Place provide luxury brands, while Mall Taman Anggrek, Pondok Indah Mall, Mal Kelapa Gading, Central Park Jakarta and Ciputra World Jakarta have high-street brands such as Topshop, Uniqlo and Zara. 

Department stores in Senayan City, Supermall Karawaci and Lippo Mall Kemang Village use the Debenhams brand under licence,  while the Japanese Sogo department store has about seven stores in various shopping malls in the city.  Seibu flagship store is located in Grand Indonesia Shopping Town, and French luxury department store, Galeries Lafayette opened its doors for the first time in South East Asia in Pacific Place.

Internationally known luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Bulgari, Chanel, Gucci, Christian Louboutin, Balenciaga, and Giorgio Armani can be found in Jakarta's luxury shopping malls.

The Satrio-Casablanca corridor, 3.5-kilometre street is a new shopping belt in Jakarta.  Many multistorey shopping centres are located here, such as Kuningan City, Mal Ambassador, Kota Kasablanka, and Lotte Shopping Avenue.

Traditional markets include Blok M, Tanah Abang, Senen, Pasar Baru, Glodok, Mangga Dua, Cempaka Mas, and Jatinegara. In Jakarta there are also markets that sell specific collectable items, such as antique goods in Surabaya Street and gemstones in Rawabening Market.

Infrastructure

Road

A structured road network had been developed in the early 19th century as a part of the Java Great Post Road by former Governor-General Daendels, which connects most major cities throughout Java. During the following decades, the road network was expanded to a great extent, although it could not keep up with the rapidly increasing numbers of motorised vehicles, resulting in highly congested traffic.

A notable feature of Jakarta's present road system is the toll road network. Composed of an inner and outer ring road and five toll roads radiating outwards, the network provides inner as well as outer city connections. The last phase of outer ring road is under construction, but it is largely in use. Six elevated toll roads are in tender progress.

The five radiating toll roads are the:
*Prof. Dr. Sedyatmo Toll Road linking to Soekarno–Hatta International Airport
*Jakarta-Tangerang Toll Road linking to Tangerang and further to Merak in the west
*Jakarta-Serpong Toll Road linking to Serpong
*Jagorawi Toll Road linking to Bogor and Ciawi in the south
*Jakarta-Cikampek Toll Road linking to Bekasi and Cikampek in the east

Throughout the years, several attempts have been made to reduce traffic congestion on Jakarta's main arteries. Implemented solutions include a 'three-in-one' rush-hour law, during which cars with fewer than three passengers are prohibited from driving on the main avenues. Another example is the ban on trucks passing main avenues during the day. 

Water supply

Two private companies, PALYJA and Aetra, provide piped water supply in the western and eastern half of Jakarta respectively under 25-year concession contracts signed in 1998. A public asset holding company called PAM Jaya owns the infrastructure. 80% of the water distributed in Jakarta comes through the West Tarum Canal system from Jatiluhur reservoir on the Citarum River 70 km southeast of the city. Water supply had been privatised by government of then President Suharto in 1998 to the French company Suez Environnement and the British company Thames Water International. Both foreign companies subsequently sold their concessions to Indonesian companies. Customer growth in the 7 first years of the concessions had been lower than before, despite substantial inflation-adjusted tariff increases during this period. In 2005 tariffs were frozen, leading the private water companies to cut down on investments.

According to PALYJA in its western half of the concession the service coverage ratio increased substantially from 34% in 1998 to 59% in 2007 and 65% in 2010.  According to data by the Jakarta Water Supply Regulatory Body, access in the eastern half of the city served by PTJ increased from about 57% in 1998 to about 67% in 2004, but stagnated after that.  However, other sources cite much lower access figures for piped water supply to houses, excluding access provided through public hydrants: One study estimated access as low as 25% in 2005,  while another source estimates it to be as low as 18.5% in 2011.  Those without access to piped water supply get water mostly from wells that are often salty and polluted with bacteria.

Cityscape

Architecture

Jakarta has architecturally significant buildings in a wide range of styles spanning distinct historical and cultural periods. Architectural styles reflect Malay, Javanese, Arabic, Chinese and Dutch influences.  The external influence gives a role in forming the architecture of the Betawi house. The houses were built of nangka wood (Artocarpus integrifolia) and comprised three rooms. The shape of the roof is reminiscent of the traditional Javanese joglo.

Colonial buildings and structures in Jakarta include those that were constructed during the Dutch colonial period of Indonesia. The dominant styles of the Dutch colonial period can be divided into three periods: the Dutch Golden Age (17th to late 18th century), the transitional style period (late 18th century – 19th century), and Dutch modernism (20th century). Dutch colonial architecture in Jakarta is apparent in buildings such as houses or villas, churches, civic buildings, and offices, mostly concentrated in the Jakarta Old Town and Central Jakarta. Architects such as J.C. Schultze and Eduard Cuypers designed some significant buildings in Jakarta. Works of Schultze includes Jakarta Art Building, the Indonesia Supreme Court Building and Ministry of Finance Building, while Cuypers designed Bank Indonesia Museum and Bank Mandiri Museum.

At the early 20th century, most of the buildings in the Jakarta were built in Neo Renaissance style of Europe. By the 1920s, the architectural taste have begun to shift in favor of rationalism and modernist movement, particularly there was increasing art deco architecture. The elite suburbs Menteng, developed during the 1910s, was the city's first attempt at creating an ideal and healthy housing area for the middle class. The original houses had a longitudinal organization of space, as well as overhanging eaves, large windows and open ventilation, all practical features for a tropical climate with a hint of modern art deco.  It was developed by the private real estate company N.V. de Bouwploeg, established by P.A.J. Moojen.

After independence, the process of nation building in Indonesia and demolishing the memory of Dutch colonialism was as important as the symbolic building of arterials, monuments, government buildings during the Sukarno era. The National Monument in Jakarta, designed by Sukarno, is Indonesia's beacon nationalism. In the early 1960s, Jakarta with Soviet Union funding providing infrastructure development for highways and super-scale cultural monuments as well as Senayan Sports Stadium. The parliament building features a hyperbolic shaped roof reminiscent of German rationalist and Corbusian design concepts.  In 1996, Wisma 46 soars to height of 262 metres with forty eight stories and its nib shaped top celebrates technology and symbolizes stereoscopy.

The urban construction booms have continued in the 21st century and are shaping skylines in Jakarta. According to CTBUH and Emporis, there are 88 skyscrapers that reaches or exceeds the height of 150 metres in Jakarta, which puts the city at the top 10 of world rankings.  It has more buildings taller than 500 feet (150 m) than any other Southeast Asia's cities as well as southern hemisphere.

Population

Since 1950, Jakarta has attracted people from all parts of Java and other Indonesian islands. The flood of migrants came to Jakarta for economic reasons as Jakarta offered the hope of employment. The 1961 census showed only 51% of the city's population was actually born in Jakarta.  Between 1961 and 1980, the population of Jakarta doubled and during the period 1980-1990, the city's population grew annually by 3.7%. 

The 2010 census counted some 9.58 million people, well above all government estimates.  According to the Government's Jakarta in Figures document, the population stood at 10,187,595 in 2011 and 9,761,407 in 2012.  As per 2014, the population stood at 10,075,310 people. The area of DKI Jakarta is 664 km2, suggesting a population density of 15,174 people/km2 as the ninth largest urban population density in the world.  Inwards immigration tended to negate the effect of family planning programs. The population has risen from 4.5 million in 1970 doubled to 9.5 million in 2010, counting only its legal residents. While the population of Greater Jakarta (Jabodetabek Region) has risen from 8.2 million in 1970 jump to 28.5 million in 2010.  As per 2014, the population of Greater Jakarta was 30,326,103, accounts for 11% of Indonesia's population.  The sex ratio was 102.8 (males per 100 females) in 2010  and 101.3 in 2014.

Ethnic groups and religion

Jakarta is pluralistic and religiously diverse. The city's population in 2000 was 35.16% Javanese, 27.65% Betawi, and 15.27% Sundanese. Betawi people are a creole ethnic group that came from various parts of Indonesia and intermarriage with Chinese, Arabs, and Europeans.  Nowadays, most Betawi live in the fringe area of Jakarta and there is hardly any Betawi dominated area in central Jakarta.  There has been a significant Chinese community in Jakarta for many centuries. Jakarta is home to the largest population of Chinese on Java island. The Chinese in Jakarta traditionally reside around old urban areas, such as Pinangsia, Pluit and Glodok (Jakarta Chinatown) areas. They also can be found in old chinatowns of Senen and Jatinegara. Officially, they make up 5.53% of the Jakarta population, although this number may be under-reported.

The Sumatran people of the city is very diverse. According to 2010 Census, there were roughly 346,000 Batak, 305,000 Minangkabau and 155,000 Malays. The Batak and Minangkabau living spread throughout the city. The Batak ethnic group has increased in ranking, from eighth in 1930 to fifth in 2000. Toba Batak is the largest sub-ethnic Batak in Jakarta.  Beside Chinese, Minangkabau people also as merchants, peddlers, and artisans, in addition to as white collar, doctor, teacher, and journalist.  

 Census the population of Jakarta was 85.36% Muslim, 7.53% Protestant, 3.30% Buddhist, 3.15% Catholic, 0.21% Hindu, and 0.06% Confucianist. The majority of Jakartan are Sunni Muslims. Most of pesantren in Jakarta are affiliated with the traditionalist Nahdlatul Ulama organizations.  The modernist organizations mostly catered to a socioeconomic class of educated urban elites and merchant traders. They gave priority to education, social welfare programs and religious propagation activities.  Many of Islamic organizations headquarter in Jakarta, such as Nahdlatul Ulama, Indonesian Ulema Council, Muhammadiyah, Jaringan Islam Liberal, and Front Pembela Islam.

There are significant religious minorities, notably Christian and Buddhist. Catholics have a Metropolitan see there, for the Archdiocese of Jakarta, whose province including two suffragans covers Western Java.

Transportation

With 28 million people in the metropolitan area, nearly 10 million vehicles in daily use, and limited rapid transit system  Jakarta is strained by transportation problems.  The city suffers a lack of urban public transport services due to prioritised development of road networks, which were mostly designed to accommodate private vehicles. 

Most trips, however, are undertaken by non-motorized transportation (particularly walking) and numerous modes of public or demand-responsive transportation services. 

 

Rail

Long-distance railways and local tram services were first introduced during the Dutch colonial era. While the trams were replaced with buses in the post-colonial era, long-distance railways continued to connect the city to its neighbouring regions as well as cities throughout Java. The surrounding cities of Jakarta are served by KRL Jabodetabek, a commuter rail system which serves commuters both in and around Jakarta. The major rail stations are Gambir, Jakarta Kota, Jatinegara, Pasar Senen, Manggarai, and Tanah Abang. During rush hours, the number of passengers greatly exceeds the system's capacity, and crowding is common.

Air

Soekarno–Hatta International Airport (CGK) is the main airport serving the Greater Jakarta area. The airport is named after the first President of Indonesia, Soekarno, and the first vice-president, Mohammad Hatta. The airport is often called Cengkareng airport or Soetta by Indonesians. The airport's IATA code, CGK, originates from the name of the Cengkareng locality, Tangerang, Banten, although the location of this airport is located outside of the city, it is used as a gate out by the Jakartans and citizen of the surrounding areas, therefore at the main gate of the airport, there is an inscription "Jakarta Airports".  Soekarno–Hatta International Airport is the 18th busiest airport in the world, serving 12,314,667 passengers, according to Airports Council International.  Today the airport is running over capacity. After T3 Soekarno-Hatta Airport expansion will be finished in May 2016, the total capacity of three terminals become 43 million passengers a year. T1 and T2 also will be revitalised, so all the three terminals finally will accommodate 67 million passengers a year. 

A second airport, Halim Perdanakusuma Airport (HLP) serves domestic flight of low cost airline, private and VIP/presidential flights. Other airports in the Jakarta metropolitan area include Pondok Cabe Airport and an airfield on Pulau Panjang, part of the Thousand Island archipelago (Kepulauan Seribu).

Electronic Road Pricing

Due to the city's acute gridlock, the Jakarta administration will implement Electronic Road Pricing (ERP) in 10 districts: Tanah Abang, Menteng, Setiabudi, Tebet, Matraman, Senen, Gambir, Tambora, Sawah Besar and Taman Sari. The projects will initiate once approved by the Finance Ministry.  The ERP will be implemented in the three-in-one zone and along Jl. Rasuna Said in Kuningan by the first quarter of 2014. Vehicles passing through the ERP areas will be charged Rp 21,072. 

Public road transport

Conventional buses

The Kopaja and MetroMini economy minibus systems also provide important services for Jakarta commuters with numerous routes throughout the city. Since January 2013, Jakarta Government allow some Kopaja AC bus to enter TransJakarta bus lanes. For the future, Metromini AC bus it is also possible to enter TransJakarta bus lanes to enhance integrated bus rapid transit system.

Traditional transports

In 1966, an estimated 160 thousand pedicabs (becak) operated in the city; as much as 15% of Jakarta's total workforce was engaged in becak driving. In 1971, becak were banned from major roads, and shortly thereafter the government attempted a total ban, which substantially reduced their numbers but did not eliminate them. A campaign to eliminate them succeeded in 1990 and 1991, but during the economic crisis of 1998, some returned amid less effective government attempts to control them. 

"Auto rickshaws", called bajaj, provide local transportation in 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.

Motorcycle taxi/ojek

Although ojeks are not an official form of public transport, they can be found throughout Indonesia and in Jakarta. They are especially useful when navigating crowded urban roads, narrow alleyways, heavy traffic and cramped locations that larger vehicles cannot reach.

Public transit

Bus rapid transit

The TransJakarta bus rapid transit service (known as Busway) was developed in the context of development reforms (or reformasi) and used Bogota's TransMilenio system as a model.  Jakarta's first busway line, from Blok M to Jakarta Kota opened in January 2004 and as of 14 February 2013, twelve out of fifteen corridors are in use. TransJakarta has the world's longest bus rapid transit routes (172 km in length) and has more than 669 buses in operation.

Electrified rail system

KRL Jabodetabek or commonly known as Commuterline is a commuter rail system which serves commuters in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, South Tangerang, and Bekasi. The commuter system was started in 2000.  The number of passengers in 2014 reached 208 million, rising from 158 million in the previous year.  KRL Jabotabek serves all municipalities in Jakarta excluding the Thousand Islands, as well as all neighboring cities and regencies. Currently KRL Jabotabek is the only rail-based transit system in Jakarta, as the mass rapid transit and light rail transit are still under construction.

Mass rapid transit

After a long term efforts and attempts made by the government regarding the development of Mass Rapid Transit system in Indonesia's capital, Jakarta Mass Rapid Transit is currently under construction, with a north–south line between Kota and Lebak Bulus; and an east–west line, which will connect to the north–south line at Sawah Besar Station. Jakarta MRT will be a combination of both subways and elevated rails. Preparation works started in April 2012,[http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/04/28/preparation-work-mrt-begins.html Preparation work for MRT begins | The Jakarta Post] and groundbreaking was done in October 2013, with the first, 15.2 km-long line between Hotel Indonesia and Lebak Bulus scheduled to be operational by 2018, and the north–south line MRT network is scheduled to be operational by 2020.  The Jakarta Capital City Government had decided to build rail-based mass transits because of its capability of carrying passengers in large quantities quickly and cheaply.   plans were underway to invest $4 billion in mass transit over the next few years including commencement of a subway.

Light rail transit

Previously there had been plans to build a monorail system and part of it was already under construction, but the project stalled in 2004 due to lack of funding. The monorail project was relaunched in 2013 and the groundbreaking was done in October 2013.  However the project cancelled in January 2015, due to disagreements between the Jakarta administration and PT Jakarta Monorail over the monorail's route.  By mid 2015, this project is finally abandoned by Jakarta Government and being replaced by light rail transit system.

The light rail transit (LRT) project was launched to replace the previously abandoned monorail project.  Jakarta Light Rail Transit groundbreaking ceremony was held on 9 September 2015, with the first phase of the construction will connect Cibubur in East Jakarta with Dukuh Atas in downtown Central Jakarta, passing through Cawang intersection. This phase will be 42.1 kilometres long, which include 18 stations, and expected to be operated by the first half of 2018, prior to the 2018 Asian Games. 

Waterway

On 6 June 2007, the city administration introduced the Waterway (officially Angkutan Sungai), a new river boat service along the Ciliwung River.  However, because of the large amount of floating garbage which kept jamming the propeller, it is no longer in service. The varying water levels during the dry and wet seasons were also a contributing factor to the close-down.

Sea

Jakarta's main seaport Tanjung Priok serves many ferry connections to different parts of Indonesia. Port of Tanjung Priok is Indonesia's busiest port, and the 21st busiest port in the world in 2013, handling over 6.59 million TEUs.  To boost the port capacity, two-phase "New Tanjung Priok" extension project is currently ongoing. When fully operational in 2023, it will triple existing annual capacity.

The port is also an important employer in the area, with more than 18,000 employees who provide services to more than 18,000 ships every year. The Port of Tanjung Priok has 20 terminals: general cargo, multipurpose terminal, scraps terminal, passenger terminal, dry bulk terminal, liquid bulk terminal, oil terminal, chemicals terminal and three container terminals, 76 berths, a quay length of 16,853 metres, a total storage area of 661,822 m2 and a storage capacity of 401,468 tonnes. 

In December 2011, Muara Angke Port was renovated for Rp 130 billion ($14.4 million) in a 3 hectare area. Muara Angke Port would then be used as a public port to Thousand Islands (Indonesia), while Marina Ancol Port would be used as a tourist port. 

Tourism

Most of the visitors attracted to Jakarta are domestic tourists from all over Indonesia. As the gateway of Indonesia, Jakarta often serves as the stop-over for foreign visitors on their way to Indonesian popular tourist destinations such as Bali and Yogyakarta.
Other than attracted to monuments, landmarks, and museums around Merdeka square and Jakarta Old Town, tourist attractions include Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Ragunan Zoo, Sunda Kelapa old port and the Ancol Dreamland complex on Jakarta Bay, including Dunia Fantasi (Fantasy World) theme park, Sea World, Atlantis Water Adventure, and Gelanggang Samudra.

Tourism is contributing a growing amount of income to the city. In 2012, the tourism sector contributed 2.6 trillion rupiah (US$268.5 million) to the city's total direct income of 17.83 trillion rupiah, a 17.9 per cent increase over 2011. Tourism stakeholders are expecting greater marketing of the Jakarta as a tourism destination. 

In February 2014, the Jakarta Government started providing double-decker bus tours that offers sightseeing in Central Jakarta. The buses' route covers tourist attractions, such as Monas, Istiqlal Mosque, the Cathedral, National Museum, Sarinah, and Plaza Indonesia, as well as Grand Indonesia shopping centres. 

Landmarks

Most of Jakarta's landmarks, monuments and statues were built during the Sukarno era beginning in the 1960s, then completed in the Suharto era, while some originated in the colonial Dutch East Indies period. The most famous Jakarta's landmark that become the symbol of the city is the 132 m (433 ft) tall obelisk of National Monument (Monumen Nasional or Monas) right in the centre of Merdeka Square, Jakarta's Central Park. On its southwest corner stands a Mahabharata themed Arjuna Wijaya chariot statue and fountain. Further south through Jalan Thamrin, the main avenue of Jakarta, the Selamat Datang monument stands on the fountain in the centre of Hotel Indonesia roundabout. Other landmarks include the Istiqlal Mosque, the Jakarta Cathedral and Immanuel Church. The former Batavia Stadhuis in Jakarta Old Town is also the city's landmark. The Wisma 46 building in Central Jakarta is currently the second tallest building in Indonesia.

Some of statues and monuments in Jakarta are nationalist, such as the West Irian Liberation monument and Dirgantara statue. Several Indonesian national heroes are commemorated in statues, such as Diponegoro and Kartini statues in Merdeka Square, Sudirman and Thamrin statues located in each respectable avenues, also Sukarno and Hatta statues in Proclamation Monument also on the entrance of Soekarno–Hatta International Airport.

Parks

In June 2011, Jakarta had only 10.5% green open space (Ruang Terbuka Hijau) and will be added to 13.94% public green open space. Public parks are included in public green open space. By 2030, the administration also hope there are 16% private green open space.[http://www.poskota.co.id/berita-terkini/2011/06/25/ruang-terbuka-hijau-terus-ditambah Ruang Terbuka Hijau Terus Ditambah | Poskotanews.com]
*Merdeka Square () is an almost 1 km2 field housing the symbol of Jakarta, Monas or Monumen Nasional (National Monument). The square was created by Dutch Governor-General Herman Willem Daendels (1810) and was originally named Koningsplein (King's Square). On 10 January 1993, President Soeharto started the beautification of the square. Several features include a deer park and 33 trees that represent the 33 provinces of Indonesia. 
*Lapangan Banteng (Buffalo Field) is located in Central Jakarta near the Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, Jakarta Cathedral, and the Jakarta Central Post Office. It is about 4.5 hectares. Initially it was called Waterlooplein and functioned as the ceremonial square during the Netherlands East Indies colonial period. A number of colonial monuments and memorials erected on the square during the colonial period were demolished during the Sukarno era. The most notable monument in the square is the Monumen Pembebasan Irian Barat (Monument of the Liberation of West Irian). During the 1970s and 1980s the park was used as a bus terminal. In 1993 the park was turned into a public space again. It has become a recreation place for people and is occasionally also used as an exhibition place or for other events.  The Jakarta Flona (Flora dan Fauna), the flower and decoration plants and pet exhibition, is held in this park around August annually.

*Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (Miniature Park of Indonesia), in East Jakarta, has 10 mini parks.
*Suropati Park () is located in Menteng, Central Jakarta. The park is surrounded by several Dutch colonial buildings. Taman Suropati was known as Burgemeester Bisschopplein during the Dutch colonial time. The park is circular shaped with a surface area of 16,322 m2. There are several modern statues in the park made by artists of the ASEAN countries, which contributes to the nickname of the park "Taman persahabatan seniman ASEAN" ("Park of the ASEAN artists friendship").  
*Also located in Menteng are Menteng Park () and the Situ Lembang pond. Menteng Park was built on the site of the former Persija football stadium.

Sports

Jakarta was host of the 1962 Asian Games  and will host the upcoming 2018 Asian Games, co-hosted by Palembang.  Jakarta also hosted the regional-scale Southeast Asian Games in 1979, 1987, 1997, and 2011 where it serves as supporting city for Palembang. Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, located in Central Jakarta, hosted the group stage, quarterfinal and final of 2007 AFC Asian Cup along with Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. 

Jakarta's most popular home football club is Persija, which plays its matches in their home stadium at Bung Karno Stadium. The home match of Persija often draws its large fanbase - The Jak, usually clad in Persija's typical orange kit – to watch the match in the main stadium. The large number of spectators flocking to the main stadium usually worsen the traffic congestion in Jakarta. Another football team in Jakarta is Persitara who compete in Liga Indonesia Premier Division and play its games in Kamal Muara Stadium. Kamal, North Jakarta.

The biggest stadium in Jakarta is Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, with a capacity of 88,083 seats.  The Senayan sports complex has several sport venues, including the Bung Karno football stadium, Madya Stadium, Istora Senayan, aquatic arena, baseball field, basketball court, badminton court, a shooting range, several indoor and outdoor tennis court and a golf driving range. The Senayan complex was built in 1959 to accommodate the Asian Games in 1962. 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 Indonesian national basketball team.

The Jakarta Car-free Days are held weekly on Sunday on the main avenues of the city, Jalan Sudirman and Jalan Thamrin, from 6 am to 11 am. The briefer Car-Free Day which lasts from only 6 am to 9 am is held on every other Sunday. The event invites local pedestrians to do sports and exercise and have their activities on the streets that are normally full of cars and traffic. Along the road from the Senayan traffic circle on Jalan Sudirman, South Jakarta, to the "Selamat Datang" Monument at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle on Jalan Thamrin, all the way north to the National Monument in Central Jakarta, cars are cleared out for pedestrians. Morning gymnastics, calisthenics and aerobic exercises, futsal games, jogging, bicycling, skateboarding, badminton, karate, on-street library, and musical performances take over the roads and the main parks in Jakarta. 

Jakarta Marathon is said to be the "biggest running event of Indonesia". It is recognised by AIMS and IAAF. First established in 2013 to promote Jakarta as sports tourism city. In 2015 edition of marathon, more than 15,000 runners from 53 countries were participated.     

Education

Jakarta is home to a number of universities, of which the University of Indonesia (UI) is the largest and oldest tertiary-level educational institution in Indonesia. It is a public institution with campuses in Salemba (central Jakarta) and in Depok to the south of Jakarta.  Aside from the University of Indonesia, the three other public universities in Jakarta are: Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta, the State University of Jakarta (UNJ) and the University of Pembangunan Nasional "Veteran" Jakarta (UPN "Veteran" Jakarta). Some major private universities in Jakarta are: Trisakti University, Mercu Buana University, Tarumanagara University, Atma Jaya University, Pelita Harapan University, Bina Nusantara University, and Pancasila University.

STOVIA (School tot Opleiding van Indische Artsen) was the first high school in Jakarta, established in 1851.  As the largest city and the capital, Jakarta houses many students from around Indonesia, many of whom reside in dormitories or home-stay residences. For basic education, there are a variety of primary and secondary schools, tagged with public (national), private (national and bi-lingual national plus) and international schools. Four of the major international schools located in Jakarta are the Gandhi Memorial International School, IPEKA International Christian School, Jakarta Intercultural School and the British School Jakarta. Other international schools include the Jakarta International Korean School, Bina Bangsa School, Jakarta International Multicultural School,  Australian International School,  New Zealand International School,  Singapore International School, and Sekolah Pelita Harapan. 

International relations

As the capital city of Indonesia, Jakarta host numbers of embassies of foreign countries that has established diplomatic relations with Indonesia. Jakarta is also serves as the seat of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat; numbers of foreign countries has appointed their embassies also serving as the representative and mission for ASEAN, thus making Jakarta as the diplomatic capital of ASEAN. 

Jakarta is also a member of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21 and the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

Twin towns – Sister cities

Jakarta signed sister city agreements with other cities, one of them is Casablanca, Morocco's largest city, that have signed sister city agreement on 21 September 1990. To promote friendship between two cities, Jalan Casablanca, a main avenue famous for its shopping and business centres in South Jakarta, was named after Jakarta's Moroccan sister city. Currently there is no street in Casablanca named after Jakarta, however on the other hand in Rabat, Morocco's capital city, an avenue was named after Sukarno, Indonesia's first president, to commemorate his visit in 1960 also as a token of friendship. 

Also within sister cities cooperation, Jakarta has established partnership with Rotterdam of the Netherlands, especially on integrated urban water management, including capacity building and knowledge exchange.  This cooperation is mainly because Jakarta and Rotterdam are dealing with similar problems; both cities lies in low-lying flat plain prone of flooding. Plus some of their areas lies below sea level, making an urban drainage system involving canals, dams and pumps is vital for both city. Jakarta seeks to learn from Rotterdam's expertise and experiences on water management.
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