Claim: Indonesia has regions with people in them.

Jakarta -LSB- dʒəˈkɑrtə -RSB- Pronounced in Indonesian language : -LSB- dʒaˈkarta -RSB- . -LRB- formerly named Sunda Kelapa , Jayakarta and Batavia ; officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta -RRB- is the capital and most populous city of Indonesia . Located on the northwest coast of the world 's most populous island of Java , Jakarta is the country 's economic , cultural and political centre , with a population of 10,075,310 . The Greater Jakarta metropolitan area , known as Jabodetabek -LRB- a name formed by combining the initial syllables of Jakarta , Bogor , Depok , Tangerang and Bekasi -RRB- , is the second largest in the world , with population of 30,214,303 inhabitants census .   Established in the fourth century , the city became an important trading port for the Kingdom of Sunda . It was the de facto capital of the Dutch East Indies -LRB- known as Batavia at that time -RRB- . The city is currently the seat of the ASEAN Secretariat as well as important financial institutions such as the Bank of Indonesia , the Indonesia Stock Exchange , and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indonesian companies and multinational corporations . As of 2017 , six of Forbes Global 2000 companies have headquarter in the city . The city is also home for two of Fortune 500 companies in 2016 . Jakarta 's business opportunities , as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living , attract migrants from all over Indonesia , making the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures .   Jakarta is listed as an Alpha Global City in the 2016 Globalization and World Cities Study Group and Network -LRB- GaWC -RRB- research . Based on the global metro monitor by the Brookings Institution , in 2014 , economic growth in Jakarta ranked 34th among the world 's 200 largest cities . Jakarta has grown more rapidly than Kuala Lumpur , Beijing , and Bangkok .