Out with Jakarta, in with new capital Nusantara

Indonesia plans to name its new capital Nusantara, which translates as “archipelago”, when government offices are relocated to the province of East Kalimantan from Jakarta, on the island of Java.

President Joko Widodo first announced the plan to move Indonesia’s capital in 2019, in an effort to relieve the huge environmental challenges facing Jakarta, and to redistribute wealth. The move has been delayed due to the pandemic.

The government hopes it will reduce the burden on Jakarta, a city of 10 million, which is notoriously congested and suffers regular flooding. Parts of it are also sinking due to the over extraction of groundwater, with areas in north Jakarta dropping at an estimated 25cm a year.