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 Jakarta, the capital
city of Indonesia, has been called a study in
contrasts: traditional and modern, rich and
poor, spiritual and wordly stand side by side in
this bustling metropolis. This hot and smoggy
city feels like nothing more than a waiting
lounge for the millions residents queuing up to
make their fortune where dreams are made, deals
are won and lost and political alliances are
forged and broken and among the twelve
million people who call Jakarta home, you will
find representatives of the many diverse ethnic
and cultural groups Photo:
Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta
which shape Indonesia,
a reminder of the nation's motto: 'Unity and
Diversity'. Jakarta as Indonesia's ibukota
(mother city) is home to representatives of
all of Indonesia's children and the tourist
attractions in Jakarta are definitely not to be
missed.
 You may have to
search high and low in this multi-cultural
collage to find one of the proud ethnic
Jakartans, also known as 'orang Betawi'. Their
language, the Betawi Malay, has two variation,
conventional Betawi Malay, spoken by older
people born and bred in Jakarta, and the modern
Jakarta Malay, a slang form spoken by the
younger generation and migrants.
Jakarta is the port
of entry for many tourists and business people.
It is home to a dynamic contrast between
Western-style skyscrapers, modern urban
lifestyles and traditional Indonesian culture.
Its rapid growth into a metropolitan city
reflects the economic, political, social and
industrial development of the nation. In recent
years, Jakarta has expanded its facilities for
visitor with luxury hotel, outstanding
restaurants, lively nightlife, over 30 golf
courses and modern shopping Photo: National
Monument centers.
From the steamy streets of Chinatown to the
city's decadent nightclubs, Jakarta is a
Pandora's box, filled with all the good and bad
of Indonesian life whereby all the famous places
of interest in Jakarta make this famous city in
Indonesia a tourists' haven.
Although Jakarta is
primarily a city of government and business, it
has many tourist attractions such as Taman Mini
Indonesia Indah (Beautiful 'Indonesia in
Miniature' Park), restored colonial period
buildings, island resort in the Pulau Seribu
(Thousand Islands) and an extension beach
recreation complex called Ancol. The famous
central landmark of Soekarno's national monument
(Monas) in Lapangan Merdeka (Freedom Square)
will surely be a good tourist area in Jakarta to
take a photo or two.
 As the country's
capital, Jakarta has a remarkable history as a
trading center started as a small harbor town
called Sunda Kelapa, but its actual founding
dates back to the year 1527, when it was named
Jayakarta by Fatahilah of the neighboring
Sultanate of Banten. The name Jayakarta means
City of Great Victory. During the 17th century
it served as the capital of Dutch East Indies
with the name Batavia. Reminders of this period
can still be seen today in the architecture of
some of the northern parts of the city. When
Indonesian independence was finally secured it
was renamed Jakarta, and served today as the
centre of government, business and industry,
spreading over an area of more than 650 square
Photo: Jakarta Museum of History
kilometers
(410 square miles).
Jakarta's
architecture reflects the history of outside
influences which came and left their mark on
this vital seaport city. The Taman Fatahillah
Restoration Project, begun in the early 1970's,
has restored one of the oldest section of
Jakarta, known as Old Batavia or Kota, to one of
the most picturesque areas of the entire city.
An old Portuguese Church and warehouse have been
reincarnated as living museum. The old Supreme
Court building is now the National Museum of
fine Arts and houses part of superb Chinese
porcelain collection of former Vice-President
Adam Malik. The old Town Hall has become the
Jakarta Museum, displaying such rare items as
old Indonesia in historical documents and Dutch
period furniture. Even the city's tower clock
was returned to England to be repaired under its
life time guarantee, a lifetime which has now
stretched over hundred of years.
As Indonesia's main
gateway, Jakarta Soekarno Hatta International
Airport is the central transportation hub of
Indonesia. It serves a growing number of
international airlines and is the nexus point
for domestic flights across the vast expanse of
the archipelago. Local transport of all form
within the city is readily available. When in Jakarta,
another place to visit is the main north-south
street of the new city with wide boulevard along
Jalan (Jl) Thamrin which has Jakarta's big
hotels, banks and the Sarinah department store and
making Jakarta your holiday destination can be a
richly rewarding experience.
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