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Founding
Founding of Bogor
city in West Java Province, Indonesia
- 3 June 1482
- Southeast Asia
Founding
city in West Java Province, Indonesia
Fetching the article from Wikipedia…
Bogor (Sundanese: ᮘᮧᮌᮧᮁ; Dutch: Buitenzorg) is a landlocked city in West Java, Indonesia. Located around 53 kilometers (33 mi) south of the national capital of Jakarta, it is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.
The city covers an area of 111.39 km2, and it had a population of 950,334 at the 2010 Census and 1,043,070 at the 2020 Census. The official population estimate as at 2025 was 1,281,010.
Bogor is an important center of economy, science, cultural heritage and tourism in Indonesia because this city is a mountainous area that used to be a resting place for Dutch nobles during the Dutch colonial period because of its cool climate and the many classical European-style buildings in the city. During the Middle Ages, the city served as the capital of the Sunda Kingdom (Sundanese: Karajaan Sunda) and was called Pakuan Pajajaran or Dayeuh Pakuan. During the Dutch colonial era, it was named Buitenzorg ("without worries" in Dutch) and served as the summer residence of the Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies.
With several hundred thousand people living in an area of about 20 km2 (7.7 sq mi), the central part of Bogor is one of the world's most densely populated areas. The city has a presidential palace and a botanical garden (Indonesian: Kebun Raya Bogor) – one of the oldest and largest in the world. It bears the nickname "Rainy City" (Kota Hujan), because of frequent rain showers, even during the dry season.
In the 1990s–2000s, the city regularly hosted various international events, such as ministry-level meetings of the Asia-Pacific institutions and the APEC summit of 15 November 1994.
The first mention of a settlement at present Bogor dates to the 5th century when the area was part of Tarumanagara, one of the earliest states in Indonesian history. After a series of defeats by the neighboring Srivijaya, Tarumanagara was transformed into the Sunda Kingdom, and in 669, the capital of Sunda was built between two parallel rivers, the Ciliwung and Cisadane. It was named Pakuan Pajajaran, in old Sundanese meaning "a place between the parallel [rivers]", and became the predecessor of the modern Bogor.
Over the next several centuries, Pakuan Pajajaran became one of the largest cities in medieval Indonesia with a population reaching 48,000. The name Pajajaran was then used from the 16th century for the entire kingdom, and the capital was simply called Pakuan. The chronicles of that time were written in Sanskrit, which was the language used for official and religious purposes, using the Pallava script, on rock steles called prasasti. The prasasti found in and around Bogor differ in shape and text style from other Indonesian prasasti and are among the main attractions of the city.
From the 9th–15th centuries, the capital moved between Pakuan and other cities of the kingdom, and finally returned to Pakuan by King Siliwangi (Sri Baduga Maharaja) on 3 June 1482 – the day of his coronation. Since 1973, this date is celebrated in Bogor as an official city holiday.
In 1579, Pakuan was captured and almost completely destroyed by the army of the Sultanate of Banten, causing the existence of the State of Sunda to cease. The city was abandoned and remained uninhabited for decades.
In the second half of the 17th century, the abandoned Pakuan as with most of West Java, while formally remaining under the Sultanate of Banten, gradually passed under the control of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). The formal transition occurred on 17 April 1684 with a signed agreement between the Crown Prince of Banten and the VOC.
The first, and temporal, colonial settlement at Pakuan was a camp of lieutenant Tanoejiwa, a Sundanese employed by the VOC who was sent in 1687 to develop the area. It was seriously damaged by the eruption on 4–5 January 1699 of the Mount Salak volcano (Indonesian: Gunung Salak). However, the concomitant forest fires removed much forest, leaving much area for the planned rice and coffee plantations. In a short time, several agricultural settlements appeared around Pakuan, the largest being Kampung Baru (lit. "new village"). In 1701, they were combined into an administrative district; Tanoejiwa was chosen as the head of the district and is regarded as the founder of the modern Bogor Regency.
The district was further developed during the 1703 Dutch mission headed by the Inspector General of the VOC Abraham van Riebeeck (the son of the founder of Cape Town Jan van Riebeeck and later Governor of Dutch East Indies). The expedition of van Riebeeck performed a detailed study of the Pakuan ruins, discovered and described many archaeological artifacts, including prasasti, and erected buildings for the VOC employees. The area attracted the Dutch by a favorable geographical position and mild climate, preferred over the hot Batavia which was then the administrative center of the Dutch East Indies. In 1744–1745, the residence of the Governor-General was built in Pakuan which was hosting the government during the summer.
In 1746, by the order of the Governor-General Gustaaf Willem van Imhoff, the Palace, a nearby Dutch settlement and nine native settlements were merged into an administrative division named Buitenzorg (Dutch for "beyond (or outside) concerns", meaning "without worries" or "carefree", cf. Frederick the Great of Prussia's summer palace outside Potsdam, Sanssouci, with the same meaning in French). Around the same time, the first reference to Bogor as the local name of the city was documented; it was mentioned in the administration report from 7 April 1752 with respect to the part of Buitenzorg adjacent to the Palace. Later this name became used for the whole city as the local alternative to Buitenzorg. This name is believed to originate from the Javanese word bogor meaning sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) or bokor (a large bowl made from metal), which is still used in the Indonesian language. Alternative origins are the old-Javanese word bhagar (meaning cow), or simply the misspelling of "Buitenzorg" by the local residents.
The city grew rapidly in the late 18th – early 19th centuries. This growth was partly stimulated by the temporary occupation of the Dutch East Indies by the United Kingdom in 1811–1815 – the British landed on Java and other Sunda Islands to prevent their capture by Napoleonic France which then conquered the Netherlands. The head of the British administration Stamford Raffles moved the administrative center from Batavia to Buitenzorg and implemented new and more efficient management techniques.
After Buitenzorg was returned to the Dutch, it fell under the rule of the Kingdom of the Netherlands rather than VOC. The Buitenzorg Palace was reinstated as the summer residence of the Governor-General. The surrounding territory was also organized into a new Residency, the Buitenzorg Residency. A botanical garden was set up nearby in 1817, which was one of the world's largest gardens in the 19th century.
On 10 October 1834, Buitenzorg was seriously damaged by another eruption of the Salak volcanoes caused by an earthquake. Taking into account the seismic activity of the region, the governor's palace and office buildings constructed in 1840–1850 were built shorter but sturdier than those built prior to the eruption. The Governor's decree of 1845 prescribed separate settlements of European, Chinese and Arab migrants within the city.
In 1860–1880, the largest agricultural school in the colony was established in Buitenzorg. Other scientific institutions including a city library, natural science museum, biology, chemistry, and veterinary medicine laboratories were also constructed during this period. During this time, in 1867, the Buitenzorg Residency was downgraded from a full Residency to an Assistant Residency. By the end of the 19th century, Buitenzorg became one of the most developed and westernized cities in Indonesia.
In 1904, Buitenzorg formally became the administrative center of the Dutch East Indies. However, real management remained in Batavia, which hosted most of the administrative offices and the main office of the governor. This status was revoked in the administrative reform of 1924, which divided the colony into provinces and made Buitenzorg seat of the new Buitenzorg Residency and center of West Java Province.
During World War II, Buitenzorg and the entire territory of the Dutch East Indies were occupied by Japanese forces; the occupation lasted from 6 March 1942 until the summer of 1945. As part of the efforts by the Japanese to promote nationalist (and thus anti-Dutch) sentiments among the local population the city was given the Indonesian name Bogor. The city had one of the major training centres of the Indonesian militia PETA (Pembela Tanah Air – "Defenders of the Motherland").
On 17 August 1945, Sukarno and Hatta proclaimed independence, but the Dutch regained control of the town and adjoining areas. In February 1948, Buitenzorg was included in the quasi-independent state of West Java,(Indonesian: Negara Jawa Barat) which was renamed Pasundan in April 1948 (Indonesian: Negara Pasundan). This state was established by the Netherlands as a step to transform their former colonial possessions in the East Indies into a dependent federation. In December 1949, Pasundan joined the Republic of the United States of Indonesia (Indonesian: Republik Indonesia Serikat, RIS) established at the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference of 23 August – 2 November 1949. In February 1950, as a result of defeat of Pasundan in a quick military conflict with the Republic of Indonesia, the city became part of Indonesia, as formalized in August 1950, and its name was officially declared as Bogor.
As part of independent modern Indonesia, Bogor has a significant role in the cultural, scientific, and economic development of the country and West Java in particular – in part due to the legacy of infrastructure built during the colonial period. Its special position was further reinforced by the transformation of the former summer residence of the governor-general into the summer palace of the President of Indonesia.
The city is situated in the western part of Java island, about 53 km south of the metropolis of Jakarta and 85 km northwest of the city of Bandung, the administrative center of West Java Province. Bogor spreads over a basin near the volcanoes of Salak (which peaks at about 12 km south) and Mount Gede (whose top is 22–25 km south-east of the city). The average elevation is 265 meters, maximum 330 m, and minimum 190 meters above sea level. The terrain is rather uneven: 17.64 km2 of its area has slopes of 0–2°, 80.9 km2 from 2° to 15°, 11 km2 between 15° and 25°, 7.65 km2 from 25° to 40° and 1.20 km2 over 40°; the northern part is relatively flat and the southern part is more hilly.
The soils are dominated by volcanic sedimentary rocks. Given the proximity of large active volcanoes, the area is considered highly seismic. The total area of green space is 205,000 m2, of which 87,000 m2 are Bogor Botanical Gardens, 19,400 m2 are taken by 35 parks, 17,200 m2 by 24 groves and 81,400 m2 are covered with grass.
Several rivers flow through the city toward the Java Sea. The largest ones, Ciliwung and Cisadane, flank the historic city center. Smaller rivers, Cipakancilan, Cidepit, Ciparigi and Cibalok, are guided by cement tubes in many places. It is worth noting that "ci" in the river names merely means "river" in Sundanese, and the actual name begins after it, but the "ci" is nevertheless included in national and international maps. There are several small lakes within the city, including Situ Burung (lit. Bird Lake; "Situ" meaning "Lake") and Situ Gede (lit. Great Lake), each with an area of several hectares. Rivers and lakes occupy 2.89% of the city area.
Bogor has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) according to the Köppen climate classification. It is even more humid and rainy than many other areas of West Java – the average relative humidity is 70%, the average annual rainfall is more than 3,500 millimetres or 140 inches in some areas. The greatest rainfall occurs between December and February. Because of this weather, Bogor has the nickname "Rain City" (Indonesian: Kota hujan). Temperatures are lower than in coastal Java: the average maximum is 25.9 °C or 78.6 °F (cf. 32.2 °C or 90.0 °F in Jakarta). Daily fluctuations (9–10 °C or 16.2–18.0 °F) are rather high for Indonesia. The absolute maximum temperature was recorded at 38 °C (100.4 °F) and the minimum at 3 °C (37.4 °F).
The New American Cyclopaedia of 1867 reported Buitenzorg's population as being 320,756, including 9,530 Chinese, 650 Europeans, and 23 Arabs.
According to the national census held in May–August 2010, 949,066 people were registered in Bogor. The average population density was about 8,000 people per km2; it reached 12,571 persons per km2 in the centre and drops to 5,866 people per km2 in the southern part. Based on official figures from Badan Pusat Statistik, the city's population as at mid 2024 was 1,078,351 people, giving a population density of 9,681 people per km2.
Text from the Wikipedia article “Bogor”, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.