A jungle-covered area on the east of Borneo island is set to be transformed into Indonesia'snew capital city.
印度尼西亚新首都将落址在婆罗洲岛东部一片丛林覆盖的地区。
Concerns over the sustainability of the congested and rapidly sinking political center of Jakartaprompted the need for a new capital. The relocation was announced Monday by President JokoWidodo.
The proposed location, near the relatively underdeveloped cities of Balikpapan and Samarinda, is a far cry from the crowded powerhouse which has served as Indonesia's financial heart since1949 -- and Widodo acknowledged that moving the country's capital to the island will be amammoth and expensive undertaking.
But Jakarta's rapid expansion in recent years has presented myriad environmental, economicand safety concerns, prompting the government to look elsewhere and ease the strain on themassive metropolis.
"As a large nation that has been independent for 74 years, Indonesia has never chosen itsown capital," Widodo said in a televised speech, AFP reported. "The burden Jakarta is holdingright now is too heavy as the center of governance, business, finance, trade and services."
The ambitious project to move the capital will likely cost around 486 trillion rupiah ($34 billion), CNN Indonesia reported, and officials have previously said the relocation could takearound 10 years.
Jakarta is home to more than 10 million people, according to the United Nations, with anestimated 30 million in the greater metropolitan area -- making it one of the world's mostoverpopulated urban regions.
It's also one of the fastest-sinking cities on Earth, according to the World Economic Forum, dropping into the Java Sea at an alarming rate due to over-extraction of groundwater.
The city sits on swampy ground and hugs the sea to the north, making it especially prone toflooding.
雅加达坐落在沼泽地,北面紧靠大海,极易发生洪水。
A worsening air pollution crisis, exacerbated by near-constant traffic congestion on its roads, has grown so dire that some residents sued the Indonesian government in July.
道路上常年的交通堵塞使不断恶化的空气污染危机变得非常可怕,一些居民在7月份起诉了印尼政府。
No name has been given for the new site, but the government originally announced plans torelocate the capital in April. The move requires parliamentary approval to be given the go-ahead.
Indonesia owns the majority of Borneo, the world's third-largest island, with Malaysia andBrunei each holding parts of its northern region. The island is covered in vast rainforests, but ithas been hit by rampant deforestation in recent years.