a climate crisis
One Of The World's Biggest Cities Is Sinking, So Officials Are Spending $35 Billion To Build A New Capital. Take A Look At Nusantara
Jakarta, on the northwest coast of Java at the mouth of the Ciliwung river, is Indonesia's capital and its biggest city.
It's home to some 10.6 million people and about 30 million in the metropolitan area. It's also sinking, with about 40% of the area now below sea level.
The Indonesian government plans to move the capital to Nusantara, a new city being built on the eastern coast of Borneo, about 870 miles north of Jakarta.
In recent years, rising sea levels have made Jakarta the world's fastest-sinking megacity, which sparked the Indonesian government's decision to move the capital. Take a closer look at Nusantara.
[Indonesian President Joko Widodo. Getty Images]
In August 2019, Indonesia's president, Joko Widodo, approved a plan to move the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara.
The site in East Kalimantan was chosen because it's close to the sea and there's a relatively low risk of earthquakes, tsunamis, or volcanic eruptions.
[An abandoned mosque in Jakarta. Donal Husni/NurPhoto/Getty Images]
This mosque in Jakarta has been affected by rising sea levels. Excessive groundwater withdrawals have contributed to subsidence rates of up to six inches a year, and 40% of the city is now below sea level.
Environmental experts warn that a third of Jakarta could be submerged by 2050 if subsidence continues at the current rate.
Indonesia's government is also spending tens of billions of dollars on measures to try to stop flooding in Jakarta.
[An aerial image shows a mangrove forest in Balikpapan. AFP via Getty Images]
Nusantara is on Borneo, one of the world’s largest islands. Borneo is known for its 140 million-year-old rainforests, home to endangered native species including the Bornean orangutan.
About three-quarters of the island is Indonesian territory, while the remainder is split between Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo has a total population of about 23 million people.
[Construction is underway on Nusantara. Firdaus Wajidi/Anadolu/Getty Images]
Construction began in July 2022. Widodo sent some 100,000 workers to start building Nusantara, and the number of workers rose to between 150,000 and 200,000 as construction ramped up.
[The future site of Indonesia’s new capital saw rapid change between 2022 and 2024. Earth Observatory/NASA]
A network of roads has been carved into the forest since 2022 so that the construction of government facilities and other dwellings can begin. The initial population is expected to be about 500,000, according to the project website.
To learn more about Indonesia's new capital city, head to Business Insider.
