Batavia to Jakarta
The Dutch razed a town called Jayakerta in 1619 and built Batavia, named after an old tribe of the Netherlands, on its ruins. It stayed Batavia for over 300 years. The Japanese occupiers and then Indonesian nationalists renamed it Djakarta, which became official at independence in 1949, and a spelling reform in 1972 made it Jakarta.
Written from cited sourcesLast checked 30 September 2026Suggest a correction
- Jayakerta1527–1619
- Batavia1619–1942 (internationally until 1949)
- Djakarta1942–1972
- Jakarta1972–
Jayakerta and Batavia
People settled at the mouth of the Ciliwung river perhaps as early as the 5th century. The city’s official history starts in 1527, when the sultan of Bantam defeated the Portuguese there and called the place Jayakerta, Sundanese for “Glorious Fortress”.[1]
In 1619 the Dutch, led by Jan Pieterszoon Coen, captured and razed the town, and built a walled township on the site as the capital of the Dutch East Indies. They named it Batavia.[1] The name comes from the Batavi, an ancient Germanic tribe that lived at the mouth of the Rhine, and “Batavia” was a poetic name for the Netherlands itself.[2] Its canals made the early city look much like a Dutch town.[1]
Djakarta, then Jakarta
Colonial rule ended when Japan occupied Indonesia in the Second World War. During the occupation, and again after nationalists declared independence on 17 August 1945, the city was renamed Djakarta.[1] Batavia stayed the internationally recognised name until full independence: on 27 December 1949 Djakarta was proclaimed the national capital and its name was recognised.[1]
The spelling changed once more in 1972. A new spelling for Indonesian, worked on since 1966 partly to bring it in line with Malaysian, was declared official by the president on 17 August 1972; it writes the old “dj” as “j”, so Djakarta became Jakarta.[3] The old centre is still known as Kota Tua, the Old City, or Old Batavia.[4]
Timeline
1527
Jayakerta
The sultan of Bantam takes the port and names it “Glorious Fortress”.[1]
1619
Batavia
The Dutch raze the town and build their capital on the site.[1]
1942–45
Djakarta
The city is renamed under Japanese occupation and after independence is declared.[1]
194927 December 1949
Name recognised
Djakarta is proclaimed Indonesia’s capital.[1]
197217 August 1972
New spelling
The spelling reform turns Djakarta into Jakarta.[3]
Sources
- [1]Jakarta: History · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- [2]Batavi · Encyclopaedia Britannica
- [3]Spelling Reform 1972: A Stage in the Process of Standardisation of Bahasa Indonesia · Harimurti Kridalaksana, Pacific Linguistics C-47 (Australian National University) · 1978
- [4]Jakarta · Encyclopaedia Britannica
Map geometry from Natural Earth via world-atlas. See credits.