Jakarta

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia, located on the north-west coast of the island of Java. With a population exceeding ten-million people in the city proper and more than 30-million in the greater metropolitan area, it is one of the most populous urban centres in the world. Jakarta serves as the country's political, economic and cultural hub, hosting the seat of government, major financial institutions and the headquarters of numerous domestic and multinational corporations. The city is a key centre for trade, finance, manufacturing and services, with significant activity in sectors including banking, telecommunications, retail and logistics. Its port, Tanjung Priok, is one of the busiest in South-East Asia, handling substantial volumes of containerised cargo and supporting Indonesia's role as a major exporter of commodities and manufactured goods. Jakarta is also home to the Indonesia Stock Exchange, the principal securities market in the country. The city's infrastructure includes an international airport, an expanding metro system and a network of toll roads, though it faces challenges related to congestion, flooding and subsidence. Jakarta was formally established as the capital of the Dutch East Indies in the seventeenth century and has remained the administrative centre through independence in 1945 and subsequent decades of rapid urbanisation and economic development.