!!!Jakarta

by Stas Sedov and Sergey Shandin,
members of the [AirPano Team|Geography/About/Consortium/AirPano,_Team] that is a member of the [global-geography Consortium|Geography/About/Consortium]. \\

14 July 2016

with kind permission of [AirPano|http://www.AirPano.com]

Jakarta — the capital and the largest city of Indonesia — is located in
the northwest part of Java Island, on the coast of the Java Sea. This
settlement was first mentioned in the chronicles in the 4th century BC,
but officially Jakarta began its existence on June 22, 1527 when the
forces of the Sultanate of Demak defeated the Portuguese, who wanted to
use this strategically significant area as a place for a port. At that
time the city was named Jayakarta and can be translated as "the City of
Victory". And the date of June 22 is now celebrated as Jakarta's
Birthday.

[{Image src='01_Jakarta, Indonesia.jpg' caption='Jakarta, Indonesia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='432'}]

Practically one half of Jakarta lies below sea level. In addition to
that, thirteen rivers flow through the territory of the city. All these
factors, combined with high tides and precipitations, often result in
flooding. One of the most destructive floods occurred in Jakarta in
2007: certain areas of the city were flooded with water up to four
meters deep. At the same time, Jakarta is getting lower at about 10
centimetres each year. One more ecological issue of the city is air
pollution.

[{Image src='02_Jakarta, Indonesia.jpg' caption='Jakarta, Indonesia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='451'}]

In the relatively recent 1950s the suburbs of Jakarta were green. Some
districts still bear some "vegetative" names: Pineapple Garden, Lemon
District or Nut District. Jakarta is nicknamed the Big Durian as there
were a lot of fruit trees in this place. This plant is considered to
appear in this area, but now the durian fruit is more likely to be
associated with its strong unpleasant odour: the same one can be smelled
in the streets of the city.

[{Image src='03_Selamat Datang (Welcome) Monument.jpg' caption='Selamat Datang ("Welcome") Monument' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='660'}]

Vegetation covers less than 10% of Jakarta's area, at the same time the
number of cars in the city is increasing annually. In 2003 ecologists
estimated that only during 26 days per year the air quality in the city
can be considered as "good". Since then the situation did not improve at
all, and now smog covers the city all the time.

[{Image src='04_Jakarta, Indonesia.jpg' caption='Jakarta, Indonesia' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='342'}]

Considering all these factors, living conditions in Jakarta can not be
accepted as "favourable". Meanwhile, the number of citizens is always
growing. As of 2010, the population of the city was estimated to be
around 10 million people: those who were not afraid of thick smog,
continuous flooding, or slumping buildings. And a lot of people come
here for touristic purposes.

[{Image src='05_Interior of the Istiqlal Mosque.jpg' caption='Interior of the Istiqlal Mosque' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='588'}]

The main square of the city Medan Merdeka (Independence Square) with
almost 100 hectares in area is considered to be the largest square in
the world. For reference, it is five times larger than the size of
Tiananmen Square in China and twelve times over the size of Place de la
Concorde in Paris. Merdeka Square hosts the major sights of Jakarta: the
133-meter tall National Monument standing in the centre of the square
and surrounded by parks, fountains and memorials. The official residence
of the president, the Gambir Station, Istiqlal Mosque, Immanuel Church,
the National Museum of Indonesia and other significant cultural and
historical monuments can also be found there.

[{Image src='06_Above the Ciliwung River.jpg' caption='Above the Ciliwung River' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='451'}]

One of the brightest buildings of the present is the Gelora Bung Karno
Stadium located in Senayan District, which is also the biggest stadium
in Indonesia. It has the capacity of around 100,000 people and was
created in 1960 in order to host the Asian Games (the construction was
fulfilled with the help of the Soviet Union). One more significant and
recent building of the city is Wisma 46 — a high-rise office and
residential complex soaring to the height of 261.9 meters. It is the
tallest building in Indonesia, created in the modern and late-modern
styles. With concrete and glass dominating in the exterior, the main
colours of the building are white and blue.

[{Image src='07_Gelora Bung Karno Stadium.jpg' caption='Gelora Bung Karno Stadium' alt='' width='900' popup='false' height='519'}]

In East Jakarta there is a Taman Mini Indonesia Indah ("Beautiful
Indonesia Miniature Park"). It has an area of about one square kilometre
and features a culture-based exposition representing the culture of the
country, its architecture and nature. And our panoramas, which show the
sights-in-miniature in its own way will help you learn more about
Jakarta and get closer to the capital of Indonesia.

\\ \\
[17 Panoramas of Jakarta|Geography/Asia/Indonesia/Pictures/Panoramas_of_Jakarta]










[{SET customtitle='Jakarta (AP)'}]  

[{Metadata Suchbegriff=' ' Kontrolle='Nein'}]