Thread Rating:
  • 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Indonesia names new capital, approving shift from Jakarta
#1
[Image: jakarta-indonesia-dezeen-hero-852x479.jpg]

(CNN) — Indonesia has named its new capital Nusantara, as lawmakers approve the shift from Jakarta to Kalimantan -- a jungle-covered area on the east of Borneo island.

The new name translates to "archipelago" in the Indonesian language.

Concerns over the sustainability of the congested and rapidly sinking political center of Jakarta prompted the need for a new capital, and the nation's House of Representatives officially passed a bill on Tuesday regarding the relocation.

"The relocation of the capital city to Kalimantan is based on several considerations, regional advantages, and welfare. With the vision of the birth of a new economic center of gravity in the middle of the archipelago," said Suharso Monoarfa, the country's Minister of National Development Planning, according to Indonesia Parliament TV.

President Joko Widodo first announced the capital would be relocated in 2019, citing concerns over Jakarta's environmental and economic sustainability.

Jakarta sits on swampy ground near the sea -- making it especially prone to flooding -- and is one of the fastest-sinking cities on Earth, according to the World Economic Forum. The former capital has been dropping into the Java Sea at an alarming rate due to over-extraction of groundwater.

- More -
Reply


Forum Jump:


Users browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)