|
Depok is a city in West Java province, Indonesia
on the western border of DKI Jakarta in the
Jabodetabek metropolitan region. The "de" in
Jabodetabek refers to Depok, while the word "depok"
itself comes from Sundanese language meaning
hermitage or abode of one living in seclusion.
It has an area of 200.29 km2 and 1,374,903 people in
2005, with a density of 6,865 people/km2. For
2007,the population was 1,412,772 and in 2010, the
population in Depok become 1,751,696.
History
In 18 May 1696, a former VOC officer Cornelis
Chastelein bought the land with an area of
12,44 km2, 6.2% of area of today's Depok. Besides
cultivating the area with industrial plants with the
help of the locals, Mr Chastelein was also active in
Zending mission to preach the teachings of
Christianity to the indigenous Indonesians. To this
end, he established a local congregation named De
Eerste Protestante Organisatie van Christenen
(DEPOC). Although the name Depok, meaning hermitage
or abode of one living in seclusion, was already in
existence before the establishment of the
congregation, some insist the acronym might have
been the origin of the city's name. Prior to his
death, Mr Chastelein had allegedly written a will
that freed the slaves of Depok and gave them pieces
of his land, therefore converting slaves into
landlords.
In 1871, the Dutch government allowed Depok to form
its own government and president. The ruling was no
longer stood after 1952, where the Depok presidency
ceded its control of Depok to the Indonesian
government except for a few areas.
During the Bersiap period of 1945 much of Depok was
destroyed and many of its' inhabitants killed by
'Pemuda'. Many of the original Depok families have
fled from Indonesia during the Indonesian revolution
and now live in the Netherlands as part of the Indo
community there.
In March 1982 Depok was reclassified as an
administrative city, and in 1999, as a city headed
by a mayor.
In 20 April 1999, the City of Depok was unified with
some districts of Bogor Regency to form Depok city
with an area of 200,29 km2. This date is
commemorated as a date of the establishment of Depok
city.
Administrative
Subdistricts
Depok is divided into 6 subdistricts: Beji,
Cimanggis, Limo, Pancoran Mas, Sawangan, and
Sukmajaya.
Mayors
List of Mayors of Depok:
Moch. Rukasah Suradimadja (19821984)
I. Tamdjid (19841988)
Abdul Wachyan (19881991)
Moch Masduki (19911992)
Sofyan Safari Hamim (19921996)
Badrul Kamal (19972005)
Nur Mahmudi Ismail (20052010)
Nur Mahmudi Ismail (2010present)
Commerce
Depok has a growing eclectic collection of malls and
traditional markets. Older malls or other notable
shopping centers in Depok include Mall Depok, Depok
Plaza, and SixtyOne Building, and Depok ITC.
As for food, Depok has many local restaurants, but
also is home to international chains such as
McDonalds, A&W, Kentucky Fried Chicken, and
Starbucks.
Modern day landmarks that were once known as Depok's
primary shopping centers include Ramanda (now an
autoshop plus education centre), Hero Supermarket
(now Index Home Furnishings), Agung Shop (now
defunct and burned during the riot), and Target (now
defunct).
There are several new shopping centers in Depok: ITC
Depok (anchor tenant: Carrefour), Depok Town Square
-commonly referred to as DeTos (anchor tenant:
Matahari), and the latest mall which is Margo City
(anchor tenants: Centro, Giant, Electronic City),
all located on the street 'Margonda Raya.'
Traditional markets include Pasar Depok Baru, Pasar
Depok Lama (short: Pasar Lama), Pasar Kemiri
(originally expanded to facilitate the move of Pasar
Lama traders), Pasar PAL, Pasar Agung, Pasar Musi,
Pasar Majapahit
Depok has several major bookstores including a
Gramedia and Toko Gunung Agung and a large
collection of small roadside bookstores.
Education
The following universities are in Depok:
University of Indonesia
Universitas Gunadarma
Politeknik Tugu
Politeknik Negeri Jakarta
Depok also has several private language schools,
namely thefuture, EF English First, ILP, and several
other smaller establishments. These are all located
along Margonda Raya and Cinere Raya, the main road
through Depok.
Transportation
Public car transportation (angkot) is the major
means of transportation in Depok. The other mean of
transport is train that connects Depok to Jakarta to
the north and Bogor to the south. In Depok there are
two major Train Stations. The Depok or Depok Lama
(Old Depok) Station which is older and has many more
tracks, is located to the south. The Depok Baru (New
Depok) Station is located closer to Jakarta. There
are also smaller train stations: University of
Indonesia and Pondok Cina. The train is the fastest
and most-used way to travel to central Jakarta, and
is usually extremely crowded during peak times.
Depok is also served by the Pondok Cabe Airport.
Sister cities
Putrajaya, Malaysia
|
