Insular Southeast Asia - Dragons and Tigers: A Geography of South, East and Southeast Asia - page 473

transportation systems, advances in education, changes
in the role of women, and greater industrial development.
Jakarta is Indonesia' is mega-city , a sprawling metrop-
olis of 10 million situated on the north coast of Java.
Jakarta originated as a fortified port town called Sunda
Kelapa. As with many primate cities in Southeast Asia,
urban growth has spread into the hinterland. In recogni-
tion of this sprawl, the government began to refer to the
entire urban region as JABOTABEK in the mid-1970s.
JABOT ABEK stands for Ja karta and the contiguous ad-
ministrative units of Bo gor, Ta ngerang, and Bek asi. With
a combined population of 23 million, JABOT ABEK is the
largest urban agglomeration in Southeast Asia.

and Kalimantan. People with farming experience
were usually selected for the program, but it was
rife with problems.
Lack of funds to prepare areas and assist set-
tlers was one problem. Another was the unsuitabil-
ity of the land to be developed. For instance,
attempts were made to grow wet rice on sandy soil.
Some migrants to Sumatra ended up in mangrove
swamps. In many cases there were cultural clashes
between the immigrants and the original settlers.
For example, pig farmers from Bali insulted the sen-
sitivities of Muslims—who regard pigs as unclean—
in parts of Sulawesi.
From 1997, there were violent outbreaks be-
tween tribal groups and settlers who were cutting
down forests for palm oil plantings. More problems
arose as illegal loggers and miners chopped down
more sections of rain forest. Many migrants tried to
move back to their place of origin but no longer
had homes or land to return to.
In the 1930s, thousands of Madurese (from the
island of Madura) moved to central Kalimantan,
which is a Dayak region. Over the years, the
Madurese have taken control of mining, logging,
and other industries in Dayak territory . In 2001 vio-
lence broke out in a town called Sempit and 500
Madurese were killed. Many were decapitated by
the former head-hunters. Some 100,000 Madurese
were displaced from their homes.
The transmigrasi program is blamed for in-
ternecine strife and environmental degredation.
Coming under much criticism, the government has
scaled down the program and currently relocates
only about 15,000 families a year.

JABOTABEK

This is the fastest growing area in Indonesia and is
becoming a single, integrated urban region with
Bandung. JABOT ABEK and Bandung consist of nine
administrative units. In 2010 the combined popula-
tion of this region was nearly 30 million people.
JABOT ABEK is home to over 10 percent of Indone-
sia' s entire population and 25 percent of its urban
population. Increased spatial unification is ex-
pressed in socioeconomic corridors of activities in-
cluding agriculture, residences, and retail trade.
An important part of this mega-urban region is
housing development. New housing developments
have been stimulated by the high cost of city-center
land; the lack of affordable housing for middle-
income families in the main cities; increasing employ-
ment opportunities in urban fringe areas; improved
transportation facilities; and an increase in the so-
cial and economic-facilities provided by real estate
developments outside the main cities.
Housing development is in the form of large-
scale subdivisions. T Towns associated with industrial
developments are also on the drawing board. Much
of this development is associated with foreign in-
vestment. Both government and private enterprises
are participating in development. However, the gov-
ernment is losing control to private enterprises,
which dominate construction projects. The result is
the emergence of numerous problems.
Prime agricultural land has been lost to develop-
ers. Farmers are reluctant not to sell as demand in-
creases and prices rise. Water supply has become

URBANIZATION
The dominant population movement in Indonesia today
is rural-to-urban migration. The proportion of Indone-
sians living in urban areas has doubled during the last 25
years. Indonesia was 43 percent urban in 2009. Moreover,
many people living in rural areas actually work in urban
areas. Improved transportation has fostered commuting
on a daily basis. Other people spend part of the year
working in the city while maintaining a family in a rural
community . These are circular migrants . Both commut-
ing and circular migration have increased with expanded