Jakarta - geography.

« than half the households use piped water for drinking.

Fewer still use piped water for bathing and washing.

Only a small part of Jakarta is served by piped sewers and manyhomes lack septic tanks. III ECONOMY Jakarta developed as a center of trade under the Europeans and it continues to play an important role in international and domestic commerce.

The metropolitan region isIndonesia's largest economic center; it attracts most of Indonesia's domestic and foreign investment and, as the administrative capital, government expenditures are alsosignificant.

A major positive development is the strong growth of tourism and Jakarta's role as a gateway to other areas of Indonesia. Manufacturing is notable, and products include textiles, footwear, apparel, foods, chemicals, plastics, and metal products.

Near Jakarta's port is an export processing zone,an industrial area where manufacturers may produce goods for export without incurring Indonesian taxes.

In addition, a large industrial area developed by the governmentwith the help of a World Bank loan is located at Pulo Gadung, south of the port area. Jakarta's need for renewal and modern facilities has fueled an ongoing construction boom since the early 1970s.

Demand for office blocks, hotels, and housing attractsprivate funds.

Public funds are used to address the city's electricity and water resources, among other needs.

Real estate, financial services such as banking and insurance,and business services such as advertising employ relatively few people but produce high income. The number of private automobiles, used mainly by people with middle and upper incomes, has increased faster than any other form of transportation in Jakarta and thishas created a demand for the expansion of roads and parking.

Traffic congestion is a serious problem despite costly efforts to create new and improved roads.

Traffic controlmeasures, such as restricted lanes for high-occupancy vehicles, have helped somewhat.

The majority of people must rely on public transportation.

Although the fleet is oldand breakdowns are frequent, buses are the most common form of mass transit.

In addition, a variety of smaller vehicles, including the motorized three-wheeled bajaj , are important.

To ease congestion, the government banned the use of becaks (three-wheeled pedicabs).

However, they are still widely used in the city's neighborhoods as an inexpensive and accessible mode of transportation.

The modernization and expansion of Jakarta's urban rail system has been an important planning issue since the 1970s; amajor upgrading of the electrical rail network is now in progress. In response to increased tourism and business traffic, Sukarno-Hatta International Airport opened in 1985 at Cengkareng, west of the city center.

Port facilities are locatedjust north of the city center at Tanjung Priok, one of the chief ports in Indonesia. Jakarta's telephone system has improved greatly, but the number of houses with phones is still relatively low and a waiting list exists for connection.

The city's newspapersare mostly published and read by middle- and upper-class residents.

Kompas and Berita Harian, published in Bahasa Indonesia, Indonesia's official language, are among the major daily newspapers available in Jakarta.

The Jakarta Post is the major English language daily.

Radio communication is dominated by Radio of the Republic of Indonesia (RRI), but radio broadcast stations are numerous.

Jakarta also receives several television channels, including one government-operated and -controlled station (TVRI). IV POPULATION Istiqlal Mosque, Jakarta, IndonesiaWith space to accommodate tens of thousands of worshipers, this mosque in Jakarta, Indonesia, is one of Southeast Asia’s largest.Most Jakartans are Muslims and more than 200,000 people congregate at the Istiqlal Mosque on Islamic holy days.Christine Osborne Pictures At the 1990 census, DKI Jakarta had a population of 8,259,266.

The 1997 population was 9,341,400.

These figures do not include seasonal residents who may numbermore than 1 million.

Population growth is high: In 1986 the Jabotabek region had an estimated population of 14.6 million; the projected population for 2000 is 25 million.Reducing the rate of Jakarta's population growth is a national priority.

In the 1970s efforts failed to control growth by prohibiting the entry of unemployed migrants.

Thecurrent strategy emphasizes family planning, dispersing the population throughout the greater Jabotabek region, and promoting transmigration (the voluntary movement offamilies to Indonesia's less populated islands). Jakarta is a magnet for migrants from other areas of Indonesia; during the late 1980s an estimated 250 migrants arrived daily.

Most were between the ages of 15 and 39years, many with six years of education or less.

There is also a significant number of commuters and seasonal migrants who work in government, manufacturing, andservices.

In addition, many of these temporary residents are engaged in informal employment as drivers, vendors, street sweepers, or in other similar occupations. The population of Jakarta includes people of many ethnic groups.

Sundanese from West Java and Javanese dominate, but Sumatrans, Minangkabau, Balinese and others arewell represented.

There is also a significant Chinese population that is usually divided into two groups: Peranakans, who are Indonesian-born Chinese with some Indonesian ancestry; and Totoks, who have only Chinese ancestry and are usually foreign born.

Most people in Jakarta are Muslims.

However, Buddhism, Hinduism, and a variety of Christian faiths are also represented. V EDUCATION AND CULTURE Jakarta has more than 100 private and public institutions of higher learning, including the University of Indonesia, founded in 1950, the nation's oldest university.

Despitethe large number of institutions, there are more students than these schools can accommodate.

There is also an insufficient number of vocational institutions to meet thedemand for training. Jakarta's cultural institutions showcase a variety of Indonesian art, including textiles, batik cloth (cloth that is dyed by a technique using wax), wayang orang (traditional theater with human actors), and wayang kulit (traditional puppet theater), painting, and Javanese and Balinese gamelan (drum-and-gong ensemble) music.

See Indonesian Music; Indonesian Dance. Important museums include the Jakarta History Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, and the National Museum.. »