History and culture: Jakarta

Jakarta is well known as a capital city of Indonesia. It is the centre of economic, cultural and political as well as the country’s largest city with 661 square kilometers (225 square miles) area covered. Over 9 million people population come from diverse tribes, culture and traditions, blend into a metropolitan city. Therefore, those reasons make Jakarta as a 10^th largest city in the world and the most populous town in Southeast Asia.

Jakarta as Capital and Metropolitan city

 Pre colonial Period: As a city, Jakarta was founded back in Padjajaran dynasty, to be precise the last Hinduism Kingdom in west Java. At that time, Jakarta was called as Sunda Kelapa. It was a trading town nationally as well as international trading centre. Afterwards, Portugal armada came into Sunda kelapa as a delegate from Malaka kingdom and made a castle nearby Ciliwung River.

Sunda Kelapa

Portugal small armada visited Sunda kelapa once again without knowing that The city had fallen into King Fatahillah, thus a war was unavoidable around Sunda Kelapa Gulf which was then finished with a won in Fatahillah side. And by his idea, on June 22, 1527 Sunda Kelapa's name was changed into Jayakarta, which means perfect victory. Later this day is remembered as a jakarta’s born day as a city and Jakarta citizens celebrate it every year. Dutch and English was attracted by the famous of Sunda kelapa as trading harbor. They came not only for trading mission but also to taking chance from every conflict showed up between local authorities with the purpose of gaining profit.

Colonial period: Cornelis de Houtman led Dutch armada for the first time to visited Jakarta in 1596 represent Veerenigde Oost-indische Campagnie (VOC).  the beginning of the 16th Century, the Dutch merchants establishes trading office in Jayakarta. Late 1618, British armada took over the winning of local inhabitants sympathy. Furthermore, under the order of Jan Pieterzoon Coen, the Dutch trading company or VOC erased away Jayakarta and changed the city’s name into Batavia in 1619. At that moment, VOC begun their colonialism in Indonesia for not less than 3.5 centuries until the arrival of Japanese armies in 1942 and colonized Indonesia for 3.5 years.

Jan Pieterzoon Coen

 Independence period: After falling into Japan's hands in 1942, Batavia changed its name again into Jakarta. When Japan surrendered to the Allied Force in 1945, Indonesia people through their representative which are Soekarno (1^st President of Indonesia) and M. hatta (1^st Vice president of Indonesia) proclaimed its Independence Day on 17^th August 1945.

Indonesia Independence Day Proclamation in Jakarta

Soekarno and M. Hatta on The Proclamation of Indonesia Independence Day 1945