Jakarta is the capital city of Indonesia and the country's most populous city. It’s situated on the northwest coast of the world’s most populous island, Java. Jakarta is among the oldest of the world’s great cities and one of the most multicultural. It is the country’s economic, transportation, and cultural centre. Since the Middle Ages, Jakarta is renowned for influencing other cities around the world. It is famous for its astounding colonial-era landmarks and modern structures that stand side by side to complement each other. Some of the places that it makes it famous include the amazing ancient buildings, National Monument, Merdeka Square, Art Galleries, Istiqlal Mosque, Ancol Dreamland and the Thousand Islands.

Census in Indonesia is done after every 10 years and 2010 was the last time that it was conducted. The next census is scheduled for 2020 in Indonesia. According to the 2010 census, Jakarta had a population of 9,607,787. Compared to other cities in Indonesia, Jakarta is considered to be more diverse. According to the 2010 census, 85.5% of the population is Javanese based in Jakarta while across Indonesia, it amounted to 40.2%. This is due to many people moving to the city for work opportunities. When it comes to religious beliefs, Jakarta is known to be diverse as most people identify themselves as Muslim, Christian, Hindu and Buddhist. According to the data collected during the 2010 census, 85.1% people in Jakarta identified themselves as Muslim, 8.96% as Christian, 3% Hindu, 1.72% Buddhist, and 1.2% Other religions. On the other hand, 0.02% of respondents declared that they followed no religion. The National Monument, a 132m tower in the centre of Merdeka Square, symbolises the fight for Indonesia’s independence.

There are two tiers under local government in Jakarta. They are citywide and local tier. Citywide administration is coordinated by the Jakarta Provincial Government, while local administration is carried out by the City Administration of Jakarta and its municipalities. The Governor of Jakarta, who has executive powers, and the Jakarta Regional Representative Council, who scrutinize the Governor's decisions and can accept or reject his budget proposals each year. The Jakarta Provincial Government is responsible for strategic planning, policing, the fire service, most aspects of transport and economic development. On the other hand, the City Administration of Jakarta and its municipalities are responsible for local services not overseen by the Jakarta Provincial Government, such as local planning, schools, social services, local roads and refuse collection.

Jakarta has always been a commercial city and today enjoys the status of having one of the largest city economies in the world. The city thrives in trade and commerce and has a vibrant culture seeped in commerce. It has a GDP of over $321.3 billion, which is about 17 percent of Indonesia's total GDP. The size of its economy is larger than that of several Asian nations. The Port of Jakarta handles millions of tons of cargo every year.

The Jakarta Provincial Government took positive steps with its draft Jakarta infrastructure plan 2045. The Governor of Jakarta took a big step forward in planning for growth with the publication of the Jakarta Infrastructure Plan 2045. It identifies a range of infrastructure priorities for Jakarta, from new energy, water and sewerage infrastructure, to enhanced digital connectivity and new road and rail schemes. Some of the investment is provided by the private sector, through the privatised utilities. This has generally worked well in Jakarta, although business is particularly concerned at the lack of capacity in digital infrastructure. The take-up of high speed broadband by business is low compared to other world cities; and just over 10% of premises cannot access superfast broadband in the first place, with these “not spots” particularly prevalent in the City of Jakarta.