What the $35 billion capital built from scratch in the jungle looks like

Indonesia plans to move its capital from Jakarta to the new city of Nusantara. It will cost $35 billion to build, and the new capital should be ready by 2045. The climate crisis prompted the decision, with Jakarta at risk of sinking due to rising sea levels, according to Insider.

Jakarta, on the northwest coast of the island of Java, at the mouth of the Ciliwung River, is Indonesia’s capital and largest city. It is home to about 10.6 million people and about 30 million in the metropolitan area. It is also sinking, with about 40% of the surface now below sea level.

The Indonesian government plans to move the capital to Nusantara, a newly built city on the east coast of the island of Borneo. It will cost about $35 billion and won’t be finished until 2045. However, about 6,000 government workers are expected to move there in time for the inauguration of the next president in October.

The decision is not without precedent. Brazil moved its capital from Rio de Janeiro to Brasilia in 1960, while Abuja replaced Lagos as Nigeria’s capital in 1991.

But this is the first time the climate crisis has played a role in the process. In recent years, rising sea levels have made Jakarta the fastest-sinking megacity in the world, leading to the Indonesian government’s decision to relocate the capital.

The capital sinks. A new beginning

In August 2019, Indonesian President Joko Widodo approved a plan to move the capital from Jakarta to Nusantara. Environmental experts warn that a third of Jakarta could sink by 2050.

The site in East Kalimantan was chosen because it is close to the sea and there is a relatively low risk of earthquakes, tsunamis or volcanic eruptions.

Nusantara is located on the island of Borneo, one of the largest islands in the world.

The site was chosen to reflect Widodo’s geopolitical vision and to reflect Indonesia’s unity as an archipelagic state. The country’s 276 million inhabitants are spread over more than 17,000 islands.

Borneo is known for its 140-million-year-old rainforests, which are home to endangered indigenous species, including the Bornean orangutan.

About three-quarters of the island is Indonesian territory, while the rest is shared between Malaysia and Brunei. Borneo has a total population of about 23 million people.

Construction began in July 2022 and should be ready in 2045.

Widodo sent about 100,000 workers to start building Nusantara, and the number of workers increased to 150,000 and then to 200,000 as construction progressed.

A road network has been built into the forest since 2022 so that construction of government facilities and other housing can begin.

The initial population of the new capital is expected to be around 500,000. The Indonesian government is committed to making the city 100% green.

Policymakers have claimed that Nusantara will be a “green, walkable” metropolis powered entirely by renewable energy by 2045.

Construction includes a plan to build a 50-megawatt solar plant and aims to allow only electric vehicles by the end of this decade.

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