Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city in Indonesia. Situated on the island Java, Jakarta has been an important harbour in Southeast Asia since the 4th century AD, when it was called Sunda Kelapa.

In the early 14th century, Sunda Kelapa was controlled by Pajajaran Kingdom, which capital was located in Bogor city (60km from Jakarta). In 1527, Falatehan, an Ulama from Demak Moslem Kingdom occupied the Sunda Kelapa. On June 22, 1527, he changed the name of Sunda Kelapa to Jayakarta, which means "The Last Victory". And later, the name was shortened to Jakarta. So historically Jakarta was established on June 22, 1527.

Later, Jayakarta was occupied by the Dutch, and was named Batavia. The Dutch constructed a fortification near Jakarta bay, which was completed on March 20, 1602.

On March 5, 1942, Batavia was occupied by the Japanese troops. Under the authority of Japan, the city was renamed Jakarta.

Today, Jakarta has an area of 661.52 km². Based on the National Socio-Economic Survey in the middle of 2006, the population was about 8.96 million.