Jakarta, Indonesia's massive capital, sits on the northwest coast of the island of Java. A historic mix of cultures – Javanese, Malay, Chinese, Arab, Indian and European – has influenced its architecture, language and cuisine. The old town, Kota Tua, is home to Dutch colonial buildings, Glodok (Jakarta’s Chinatown) and the old port of Sunda Kelapa, where traditional wooden schooners dock.
FEATURED ARTICLE
Something that is not very well known, even among the Jakarta locals, is how many museums the city ACTUALLY has! There are over 74 dotted around the city. At Kota Tua, there are at least 9, and in the “theme park” of Taman Mini Indonesia there are 16. If you are interested in museums, then Jakarta is certain to please!
FEATURED ARTICLE
Despite being founded in 1527, and used by the Dutch East India Company for most of its history as their main trading port, it only recently saw a population explosion. Indeed, only as recently as 100 years ago the population of Jakarta was less than 150k people! These were mostly confined to the “old town” area, now known at Kota Tua, and the ports. In recent years the population as exploded, and now Jakarta ranks as one of the most populous cities in the world with over 28 million calling it home! Only Tokyo is larger than it on the world population index.