WELCOME TO JAKARTA

Jakarta is a dynamic capital city of the republic of Indonesia , a country composed of more than 17,000 islands with a population of over 200 millions. Comprising of over 300 ethnic groups speaking 200 distinct languages and dialects , the Indonesian population exhibit incredible diversity in its linguistic , cultural and religious traditions. As the nation capital, Jakarta is truly “meeting point “ of representatives from troughout of the archipelago.

Jakarta is the lively social , cultural , economic , and political hub of nation, carriying a legacy of more thsn 30 years of largely uninterrupted economic expansion. It is home to many of the country’s finest research institution , educational facilities and cultural organizations, and uniquely serves both as the seats of national as well as regional government.
Strategically positioned on the west side of the island of Java ,the Capital City is the principal gateway to the rest of Indonesia. From Jakarta , sophisticated land, air and sea transport is available to the rest of country.
Over the last several decades , Jakarta has proudly developed into one Asia’s most prominent metropolitan centers. With a current population of over nine million people , Jakarta has undergone dramatic growth.

HISTORY

The history of Jakarta dates back to at least the 14th century with the development of a small port of Hindu Pajajaran Kingdom at the mouth of Ciliwung River. Searching for the fabled “Spice Island”, the Portuguese were the first Europeans to arrive and establish a fortress on the site in the early 16th century. The old port was attacked by a neighboring sultanate under leadership of Prince Fatahillah. After the assault , the Portuguese navy fleet was destroyed. Fatahillah changed the name of the Sunda Kelapa port to Jayakarta , meaning “Great victory”, commemorating the defeat of the local Hindu Kingdom and their European allies. According to some historians , this event took place on June 22,1527, a date which later was officially recognized as the birth of the city of Jakarta.
It was to this town that Dutch spice merchants came in the late 16th Century and began a trading association with Europe that was to dictate the history of Jakarta , and Indonesia as a nation, for nearly 350 years. Under the aggressive leadership of Jan Pieterzoon Coen, the Dutch East Indies Company ( VOC ) proceeded forcibly to take possession of the town of Jayakarta , renaming it Batavia in 1919; from here they ruled Indonesia for more than three centuries. Following the Japanese invasion and the ruled of the country from 1942-45, on August 17, 1945, Indonesia’s first President Soekarno proclaimed Indonesia Independence and Jakarta became the accepted nation’s capital.

GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION

Jakarta is located on a wide, flat alluvial plain on the north coast western Java. It covers 650 square kilometers of land which rises from five to 50 meters sea level .Thirteen major waterways flow through it and empty into Jakarta Bay. Time is GMT plus 7 hours.
The city is bound to the north by the Java sea, to the east by Bekasi district, to the south by Bogor district ( these district lie within the province of west Java ) and to the West by Tangerang district ( lie by province of Banten ). The city boundaries blend imperceptible into the neighboring district , when much of the city’s industry is being developed and large numbers of the workforce are located . These greater Jakarta conurbation is known by the acronym Jabodetabek ( Jakarta-Bogor-Depok-Tangerang-Bekasi ).

CLIMATE

Lying near the equator , Jakarta is hot and humid year-round. The long rainy season falls between late October and early May though rain occurs throughout the year ,averaging 1,791 mm. Rain tends to come in short heavy burst , but even during the rainy season it doesn’t rain every day. It rains on only a handful of days during the dry season from July to September .
Afternoon humidity averages around 70%, but is higher during the morning. Temperatures are fairly even throughout the year, averaging nearly 34o C maximum and 25o C minimum. Jakarta gets a steady supply of 12 hours daylight throughout the year, in the dry season the skies are clearer. Morning are sunnier than the afternoons.

PEOPLE AND CULTURE

The city’s dominant population come from the surrounding areas of Java, many parts of Sumatra ,Bali, and Sulawesi. Also making themselves known are those hailing from Papua, Indonesia’s most easthern province, and Kalimantan , home of the Dayaks and one of the largest rainforest in the world. Over the centures , these groups have kept their cultural roots , yet some have also inter-mixed, including with non- Indonesians , to form a special group of their own known as Orang Betawi.
Jakarta has its own special Betawi culture , which suggests the string of influences that reached the city’s shores over the centuries. A long processs of selectively borrowing and uniquely blending Chinese , Arab , Portuguese, and elements with native ingenuity has produces the colorful, composite Betawi Culture. The word “Betawi” is derived from Batavia , the old name of the capital during the Dutch administration. Pocket of Betawi life still culturally alive throughout Jakarta with celebrations of wedding and the rhythms of a distinctive style of music. From the Betawi wedding dress alone one gets a glimpse of the many influences that passed through the gateway of the nation. The Betawi bride wears a gown inspired by the Chinese ceremonial dress. Although there are many variations of the wedding costume, all feature tassels covering the face and a red dress. The bridegroom – in striking contrast – dons a costume derived from Arab and Indian sources.

GOVERNMENT

Due to its very extensive size and population, Jakarta has been given the status of province, similar to the other 33 provinces throughout Indonesia. As a province, Jakarta is headed by Governor who is directly responsible to the President of the Republic of Indonesia via the minister of the Home affair. Holding the dual position of city province and capital city, Jakarta is considered a special region ( Daerah Khusus Ibukota – DKI )
Jakarta is further broken into five municipalities (Kotamadya ): Jakrta Pusat ( Central Jakarta ), Jakarta Utara (North Jakarta ), Jakarta Timur ( East Jakarta ),Jakarta Selatan (South Jakarta), and Jakarta Barat ( West Jakarta ).Each of these is headed by a Mayor (Walikota ). Each Municipality is comprised of a number of Kecamatan is divided into Kelurahan or ‘village’ level. In many ways Jakarta is still just a collection of villages, with neigbourhoods providing the basic services such as garbage collection and security . This is organized by the Rukun Tetangga ( RT- Neighborhood Head ), who is unpaid, elected official and carries out a number of duties . A neighborhood usually consist of around 20 household, and the RT is the head of this neighborhood watch system, carrying out registrations for residents and visitors, and keeping records of births,deaths and marriages for the government. A group of RT neighborhoods form a Rukun Warga (RW), which is the next level below Kelurahan.

BUSINESS HOURS
Government offices are open from 8 am to 4 pm Monday to Thursday; from 8 am to 2 pm on Friday and close on Saturday, Mondays and Holiday. Business offices are usually open from 9 am to 5 pm, and are generally closed on Saturdays. Bank are usually open from 8:30 am to 4 pm and close on Saturdays. Moneychangers are open longer hours.
Shops open around 9 am and shopping complexes, supermarkets and department stores stay open until 9 pm, though smaller shops may close at 5 pm. Sunday is a public holiday but many shops and airline offices open for east part of the day.

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