Jakarta

The capital city of the Republic of Indonesia is a huge and sprawling metropolis city that is coextensive with the metropolitan district of Greater Jakarta or Jakarta Raya. Known as the Daerah Khusus Ibukota (special capital district), Jakarta is home to over 10 million people with diverse ethnic group backgrounds from all over Indonesia. This city is located on the northwest coast of Java at the mouth of the Ciliwung River and on an embayment of the Java Sea.

The capital city attracts people from all across the archipelago—making Jakarta not only the melting pot of diverse cultures of all ethnic groups but also the centre of the economy, business and politics of Indonesia. Today, the province of Jakarta has rapidly expanded through the years, absorbing many villages and newly-built infrastructure in the process. Jakarta is a commingling of villages known as kampung, which now has crossed by main roads and highways.

Living in Jakarta means that you will find yourself living in a  busy, densely populated, and crowded city, but it certainly is not boring. Being one of the modern cities in Indonesia, living in Jakarta means that you will spend time embracing its cutting edge side of the city for its renowned malls, restaurants, and bars as well as the wide range of attractions to enjoy, from museums to national monuments to learn about the intricate history of Indonesia.

As a busy metropolitan area where people are commuting on a daily basis, there are a variety of ways to travel in the city. The transportation game in Jakarta has drastically changed in the few years as the city prioritized the development of new infrastructure. From TransJakarta, MRT, a commuter line that connects neighbourhoods within the city limit, Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train that takes you from the city centre to the airport in less than one hour, and LRT that is expected to be operational in the next few years.

The only administrative regency (kabupaten) of Jakarta is the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu), which formerly was a district within North Jakarta—Kepulauan Seribu holds a collection of 105 small islands located on the Java Sea. The unique ecosystem is the main reason for high conservation value.