Indonesia to move capital from Jakarta

Indonesian president Joko Widodo has approved a long-term plan for the government to abandon overcrowded Jakarta and move to a new capital.

Planning minister Bambang Brodjonegoro said Mr Widodo decided at a special meeting yesterday to move the capital from Indonesia’s most populous island, Java.

The site for a new capital has not been announced but Palangkaraya on the island of Borneo has often been rumoured as the favoured location.

Mr Brodjonegoro said a new capital would require an area of 30,000 to 40,000 hectares and have a population of up to 1.5 million.