Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Formerly known as Sunda Kelapa (397–1527), Jayakarta (1527–1619), Batavia (1619–1942), and Djakarta (1942–1972), jakarta has a greater population than any other city in Southeast Asia. Jakarta is located on the northwest coast of Java. It has an area of 661.52 square kilometres (255.41 sq mi) and a population of 8,489,910. Jakarta is the country’s economic, cultural and political center.
First established in the fourth century, the city became an important trading port for the Kingdom of Sunda. As Batavia, it grew greatly as the capital of the colonial Dutch East Indies. Renamed Jakarta in 1942 during Japan’s occupation of the Java, it was made the capital city of Indonesia when the country became independent after World War II.
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