2 DESCRIPTION OF CITY

2.1 Jakarta

Jakarta which is the capital of the Republic of Indonesia, lies on the coastal plain of the Java Sea (to the North) and is bordered by West Java Province in the south, west, and east.

The surface area of Greater Jakarta is about 652 km². Its population which was about 800,000 at independence (1945) has increased to 8.2 million in 1990 according to a recent census. The annual increase during the period 1980 - 1990 has been 2.4%. In the year 2005, the population of Greater Jakarta is estimated to be 12 million. Unlike other region over 75% of this population is in an urban setting.

Actual land use in Greater Jakarta is mostly occupied by housing, industry and commerce whilst some agriculture is practiced in the urban fringe areas.

Greater Jakarta has a humid tropical climate; annual rainfall is high between 1500 - 2500 mm due to influence of monsoon.

2.2 Bandung

Bandung is the capital of West Java Province and had a population of about 2.5 million in 1995. The city is surrounded by several medium sized towns which form Greater Bandung, with a total population of about 3.5 million. Greater Bandung lies in the catchment area of the upper Citarum river and is surrounded by a range of hills and volcanoes, some of which are still active. As an inland city, unlike Jakarta, Greater Bandung lies within an inter-montane basin which has an area of about 2250 km². The central part of the basin, where most of the urban and industrial areas are located, is a plain measuring 40 km east-west and 30 km north-south. The mean annual precipitation within the basin, is dependent upon the altitude, but is typically between 1900 - 2200 mm.

The traditional economic basis of Greater Bandung is agriculture. Intensive irrigated rice is growing in the floodplain whilst rain-fed vegetables are cultivated in the hills. However, due to rapid urbanisation and associated population increase, Bandung like Jakarta, has become increasingly dependent upon manufacturing and service industries. This has changed land use of the area from open land or rain-fed and irrigated paddy field to housing complexes, business districts, and industrial areas.

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