What You Need To Know
Jakarta 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 as of 2014. 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 as of 2010 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 houses 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.[9]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.
Area: 661.5 km2
Population: estimated population of over 10 million people
Currency
Currency of Jakarta. Indonesia’s official currency is the rupiah (Rp). Notes come in denominations of Rp100,000, 50,000, 20,000, 10,000, 5,000, 1,000 and 500. Coins come in denominations of Rp1,000, 500, 100, 50 and 25.
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. Thelanguage and Betawi culture are distinct from those of theSundanese or Javanese, forming itself as a language island in the surrounding area. The language is mostly based on the East Malaydialect 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) orGambang 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 orKemang 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, includingWayang 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 centered 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.
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{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43} up from 5.95{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43} the previous year, with the growth in the transportation and communication (15.25{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43}), construction (7.81{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43}) and trade, hotel and restaurant sectors (6.88{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43}). 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{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43}); trade, hotel and restaurant sector (20{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43}), and manufacturing industry sector (16{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43}).In 2007, the increase in per capita GRDP of DKI Jakarta inhabitants was 11.6{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43} 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. 1,761.87 trillion (around $US 148.53 billion). with economic growth above 6{5c78aa336a9111816d8acbacee20f2277ec8d2195f14794aebc110858dbfbd43} per year since 2009, now per capital GRDP of DKI Jakarta inhabitants was Rp 174.87 million or $14,742 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.
Government
In September 1945, the government of Jakarta City was changed from the Japanese Jakarta Special City 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.
Language
Although Bahasa Indonesia is the official language in Jakarta, the older generations speak Dutch as a second language. With some 583 regional dialects and languages spoken across Indonesia, it’s likely you’ll hear plenty of unusual conversations.
Health
The Jakarta Declaration on Leading Health Promotion into the 21st Century is the name of an international agreement that was signed at the World Health Organization’s 1997 Fourth International Conference on Health Promotion held in Jakarta.
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.
Tourism
Transport
There are many ways to get in and around Jakarta by Rail, Air, Conventional buses, Traditional transports, Motorcycle taxi/ojek, Waterway.
Weather
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 millimetres (3.9 in). Located in the western part of Java, Jakarta’s wet season rainfall peak is January and February with average monthly rainfall of 299.7 millimetres (11.80 in), and its dry season low point is August with a monthly average of 43.2 mm (1.70 in).
