Capital of Indonesia

The capital of Indonesia, officially the capital of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (Indonesian: Ibukota Negara Kesatuan Republik Indonesia), is Jakarta,^[1] one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia. Jakarta, previously known as Batavia, was the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies. In the early 20th century, the Dutch East Indies government attempted to relocate the capital from Batavia to Bandung.^[2] During Indonesia's struggle for independence, the Indonesian government moved the capital to Yogyakarta and then to Bukittinggi, where it remained for a short time until the restoration of control to Jakarta.^[3] In 2019, during his annual state of the union address at the parliament, President Joko Widodo announced a plan to relocate the capital to Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.^[4] As part of the plan, part of Kutai Kartanegara Regency and Penajam North Paser Regency in East Kalimantan will be carved out to create a new province-level planned city, and the capital will be relocated to a more central location within Indonesia. On 17 January 2022, the name was revealed to be Nusantara.^[5]

The plan is part of a strategy to reduce developmental inequality between Java and other islands in the Indonesian archipelago and to reduce Jakarta's burden as Indonesia's primary hub.^[6][7][8] In August 2019, the government announced that while the capital will be moved, $40 billion will be spent on saving Jakarta from sinking in the next decade.^[9]

On 5 June 2024, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said construction of the first phase of Nusantara was 80% complete, and he would have an office there once clean water became available. The new capital is planned to be about twice the size of New York City. Officials say it will be a futuristic green city centered around forests and parks that utilize renewable energy sources and smart waste management.^[10]