History of Jakarta

Jakarta developed from settlements around a strategic harbor into a colonial port city and, after Indonesian independence, the country’s capital and largest urban center.

Connect

Sunda Kelapa: A historic harbor on Jakarta Bay that served the Sunda Kingdom and later became part of the city of Jakarta. This harbor anchored the region’s early importance as a trading port.
Batavia: The Dutch colonial city founded in 1619 on the site of Jayakarta, renamed Jakarta after Indonesian independence. It was the colonial city that became the core of modern Jakarta.
Indonesian National Revolution: The armed and diplomatic struggle from 1945 to 1949 that secured Indonesia’s independence from the Netherlands. The revolution ended Dutch rule and made Jakarta the capital of an independent state.
Trisakti University shootings: The killing of four student protesters by security forces in Jakarta on 12 May 1998. The shootings intensified demonstrations that brought down Suharto’s government.
Tarumanagara: An early Hindu kingdom in western Java, known from inscriptions dating mainly to the fifth century. Its territory included parts of the region around present-day Jakarta.
Jakarta Old Town: The historic central district of Jakarta containing many surviving buildings from the Dutch colonial period. Its canals, warehouses, and civic buildings preserve Batavia’s urban form.
Proclamation of Indonesian Independence: The declaration of Indonesian independence read by Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta in Jakarta on 17 August 1945. The proclamation gave the city a new national role.
May 1998 riots of Indonesia: Violent riots in several Indonesian cities, especially Jakarta, during the political crisis of May 1998. The riots exposed the social costs of the crisis centered on the capital.
Sunda Kingdom: A West Javanese kingdom that controlled the port of Sunda Kelapa before the sixteenth-century conquest by Demak. Its port and eventual defeat mark the transition to a new political era.
VOC trade network: The Dutch East India Company’s system of maritime routes, trading posts, and commercial agreements across Asia. Batavia grew as the network’s central Asian headquarters and entrepôt.