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JAKARTA
Jakarta mirrors a remarkable urban success story. It started as a small harbour town called Sunda Kelapa, but came into prominence in the year 1527 when Fatahillah of the neighbouring Sultanate of Banten named it Jayakarta. Jayakarta means victory and prosperity that the city sustained over centuries and still displays in its perimeters. It was christened as Batavia for a brief period under the Dutch rule. Situated on the North West side of island of Java, Jakarta is the capital city and the main gateway to Indonesia. The city limits sprawl over an area of 661.52 sq km and houses a teeming population of 8,792,000. This sky rocketing human count makes Jakarta the city with highest population density in the world. It is the centre of Indonesian government, business, commerce and industry. The city enjoys the same status of a province and is administered by a governor rather than a mayor.
Jakarta is a contrast of modern western architecture and traditional Asian culture that blend together to offer you an out of the world experience. Leaving aside the national political turmoil and devastation of ethnic fighting in 1998, the city has trudged ahead to bolster tourism. Jakarta has expanded its facilities for visitors with multi-star luxury hotels, fine restaurants, and cosy bed and breakfasts. The city is also a hub of exciting nightlife and modern shopping centres that attracts the youth crowd. Traditional Indonesian music performances of wayang and gamelan are great crowd puller. Modern yet affordable accommodations have come up surrounding the tourist spots like Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Ragunan Zoo and Taman Impian Jaya Ancol. Many restored colonial period buildings are often let as apartments for rent and offers great interiors. Jakarta also offers youth hostels along side plush marine resorts in the Bay of Jakarta. There are many entertainment opportunities in the city like mega malls, parks and entertainment centres.
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