Indonesia

Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia, located on the island of Java. It hosts the presidential palace, national parliament, and most ministries, making it the country’s political and economic hub. Under Dutch rule it was called Batavia, then renamed Jakarta after independence in 1945. Memory tip: J for Java and Jakarta—the jam-packed heart of Indonesia. Don’t confuse it with Bali (a popular island whose capital is Denpasar) or with Surabaya and Bandung, which are major Javanese cities but not the national capital. Indonesia plans to develop a future capital, Nusantara, on Borneo, but Jakarta remains the capital for now.