Major Cities in Indonesia

By | July 9, 2022

Jakarta, Java island (Indonesia)

According to ITYPEMBA, Jakarta is the capital of Indonesia. The city was founded in 1527 on the northwest coast of Java. Its name is translated as “city of great victory”. During the time of the Dutch conquerors, Jakarta was renamed Batavia, but since 1949 it has acquired its former name.

Now luxury hotels, numerous restaurants, fashionable shops and well-equipped beaches have been built here. The architecture of the city traces the imprint of European culture, which was brought to the islands by the colonizers. Since 1970 in Jakarta began the restoration of the old city, which is called Kota. In its center is the stone-paved Taman Fatahila Square. Nearby is the old Portuguese church, which has now turned into a museum, the Museum of Art with a collection of Chinese porcelain is open in the Supreme Court building, the Jakarta History Museum is located in the City Hall, where you can see old Indonesian documents and a collection of Dutch furniture. The Chinese region of Glodak is famous for the Jine Yuan Temple, which is considered the oldest temple in the city, and there is also a huge market.

The center of the new city is Freedom Square (Medan Merdeka). On it rises the monument “Monas”. This 137-meter marble obelisk symbolizes the struggle of the local people for independence. At its top is an imitation of eternal fire, covered with 35 kg of gold. At the base of the monument is the National Museum, and an internal elevator will take you to its top, which also serves as an observation deck.

The Central Museum of the city, which was founded in 1778, has an extensive collection of finds dating back to the Stone Age. There are also products of ancient masters made of bronze and ceramics. The museum will tell about the life and traditions of the peoples inhabiting the archipelago.

It is worth visiting the Ragunan Zoo in the south of the city, where you will see a variety of animals, among which you can see the Komodo monitor lizard, Javan tiger, tapir, and numerous birds. Orchid gardens are very beautiful, one of them is located in the Taman Mini park.

There are many large shopping centers in the city, which sell both locally produced products and souvenirs, as well as products of well-known brands at low prices.

Jayapura, New Guinea island (Indonesia)

Jayapura is the capital of Indonesia ‘s West Irian province on the island of New Guinea. The city is located on the shore of the bay at the foot of the hill. Jayapura is the starting point for traveling in New Guinea, since this is where most flights arrive.

The building of the University with the Anthropological Museum is interesting in the city. In the exposition of the museum, the collection of objects of material culture of the Asmat tribe is of the greatest value. This is a wonderful example of primitivist art. Jayapura

has beaches where you can sunbathe and swim. Tanjung Ria is the most popular beach and is located 3.5 km from the city. The beach is made up of white sand and is crowded with locals on weekends. Around Jayapura you can go to Sentani Lake. It is located to the east of the city at an altitude of 73 m. This is a fairly large lake with small green hillocks-islands inside it. This area is considered the center of primitivist creativity, the Sepik tribes live here, who paint tree bark and make carved wooden figures.

Ketapang, West Kalimantan (Indonesia)

Lost on the southwest coast of Kalimantan, Ketapang is considered an isolated city even by Kalimantan standards. There are no good roads that would connect the city with the rest of the island. You can get here only by plane or by ship from Pontianak (Pontianak), or from Semarang (Semarang) on the island of Java.

Ketapang is the starting point to visit Gunung Palung National Park, Kalimantan’s most isolated national park, where you can watch orangutans in the wild.

Makassar (Ujungpandang), Sulawesi island (Indonesia)

Makassar is a major port and transport hub in the south of Sulawesi. Between 1970 and 1999, the city was called Ujungpandang, but President Habibie restored the city to its old name, Makassar, at the end of his reign. Both names are used today, but Makassar is the more common one.

From the period of Dutch rule, buildings of colonial architecture remain in the city and the imposing Fort Rotterdam, guarding the bay of Makassar, is one of the best preserved examples of Dutch architecture in Indonesia. There is a museum inside the fort.

In the vicinity of Makassar there is a palace and a tomb of the Govan kings, beautiful waterfalls and rock paintings left by the first inhabitants of the island of Sulawesi.

Samarinda, East Kalimantan (Indonesia)

Samarinda is a port in the east of the island of Kalimantan, it is located in the delta of the Mahakam River. From here it is convenient to start the journey up the river to the places where the Dayaks live, because many travel agencies in the city do this.

Samarinda, East Kalimantan (Indonesia)