Bogor City is a city in West Java Province, Indonesia. The city is located 59 km south of Jakarta, and its territory is in the middle of the Bogor Regency. Previously, its area was 21.56 km², but now it has grown to 118.50 km² and its population is 1,030,720 people (2014). Bogor is known as the rainy city, because it has very high rainfall. Bogor City consists of 6 districts which are further divided into a total of 68 villages. During the Dutch colonial period, Bogor was known as Buitenzorg (pronounced: boit’n-zôrkh”, bœit’-) which means “without anxiety” or “safe and peaceful”.
The anniversary of Bogor Regency and Bogor City is celebrated every June 3, because June 3, 1482, was the day of the coronation of Prabu Siliwangi as king of the Pajajaran Kingdom.
Bogor (meaning "palm") has long been known as a national center for agricultural education and research. It has been here that various agricultural and biological research institutions and centers have been established since the 19th century. One of these, the Bogor Agricultural Institute, was established in the early 20th century.
Bogor City is located between 106°43'30"E - 106°51'00"E and 30'30"S - 6°41'00"S and has an average altitude of a minimum of 190 meters, a maximum of 350 meters with a distance from the capital of approximately 60 km.
Bogor City borders the following sub-districts of Bogor Regency:
The sub-districts in Bogor City are:
Bogor City is located at an altitude of 190 to 330 meters above sea level. The climate is relatively cool, with an average monthly temperature of 26°C and humidity of approximately 70%. The lowest average temperature in Bogor is 21.8°C, most often occurring in December and January. Wind direction is influenced by the monsoon, with the west monsoon prevailing from May to March.
The slope of Bogor City ranges from 0–15%, with a small portion of the area having a slope between 15–30%. The soil type in almost all areas is reddish-brown latosol with an effective soil depth of more than 90 cm and a fine soil texture that is somewhat sensitive to erosion. Bogor is located at the foot of Mount Salak and Mount Gede, making it very rich in orographic rainfall. Sea breezes from the Java Sea carry large amounts of water vapor into the interior and rise suddenly in the Bogor area, causing the water vapor to immediately condense and become rain. It rains almost every day of the year (70%), earning it the nickname "The Rain City."
The uniqueness of the local climate was exploited by Dutch colonial planners by making Bogor a center for botanical and agricultural research, which continues to this day.
Bogor City's geographic location in the center of Bogor Regency and its proximity to the nation's capital, Jakarta, make it strategically located for economic development and growth. The Bogor Botanical Gardens and Palace are attractive tourist destinations. Bogor's location along the Puncak/Cianjur route also offers strategic potential for economic growth.
Bogor City covers an area of 118.5 km². Several rivers flow through the city, whose water levels are far below the surface: the Liwung River, Sadane River, Pakancilan River, Depit River, Parigi River, and Balok River. This topography makes Bogor relatively safe from the dangers of natural flooding.
Fifth century
Historically, Bogor is the site of the Hindu Tarumanagara Kingdom in the fifth century. Several other kingdoms subsequently settled there due to its mountainous terrain, which naturally made it easy to defend against attacks, while also being fertile and offering easy access to the trading centers of the time. However, research by renowned archaeologists such as Prof. Uka Tjandrasasmita has yet to uncover any authentic evidence of the kingdom's existence.
Sundanese Kingdom
Among the inscriptions found in Bogor about past kingdoms, one from 1533 describes the reign of King Prabu Surawisesa of the Sunda Kingdom. This inscription is believed to possess supernatural and sacred powers, and has been preserved to this day. The Pajajaran Kingdom wielded influence not only as far as West Java, Jakarta, and Banten but also encompassed the Lampung region. The Sunda Kingdom, with its capital in Pajajaran, also encompassed the southern part of Sumatra. After Pajajaran was overthrown by the Banten Sultanate, the Banten Sultanate continued to control southern Sumatra.
Pakuan or Pajajaran, which was the capital of the Sunda Kingdom (often also called the Pajajaran Kingdom after the name of its capital), is believed to be located in Bogor City, and became the center of government of Prabu Siliwangi (Sri Baduga Maharaja Ratu Haji I Pakuan Pajajaran) who was crowned on June 3, 1482. The day of his coronation was inaugurated as Bogor's anniversary in 1973 by the Bogor Regency and City DPRD, and is commemorated annually to this day.
Dutch Colonial Period
After the invasion of the Banten army, records regarding Pakuan City were lost, and were only rediscovered by a Dutch expedition led by Scipio and Riebeck in 1687. They conducted research on the Batutulis Inscription and several other sites, and concluded that the center of government of the Pajajaran Kingdom was located in Bogor City.
In 1745, Governor-General Gustaaf Willem Baron van Imhoff built the Bogor Palace alongside the Daendels Highway, connecting Batavia with Bogor. Bogor was planned as an agricultural area and a resting place for the Governor-General. With these developments, the Bogor area began to develop.
A year later, van Imhoff combined nine districts (Cisarua, Pondok Gede, Ciawi, Ciomas, Cijeruk, Sindang Barang, Balubur, Dramaga, and Kampung Baru) into a single government called the Regentschap Kampung Baru Buitenzorg. In that area, van Imhoff then built a Governor General's Palace. In subsequent developments, the name Buitenzorg was used to refer to the areas of Puncak, Telaga Warna, Megamendung, Ciliwung, Muara Cihideung, up to the peak of Mount Salak, and the peak of Mount Gede.
Bogor Botanical Garden
When the VOC went bankrupt in the early nineteenth century, the archipelago came under British control under Governor-General Thomas Raffles, who renovated the Bogor Palace and developed the surrounding land into a Botanical Garden. Under Raffles, Bogor was also developed into a resort known as Buitenzorg, named after a species of palm tree.
Dutch East Indies
After the government returned to the Dutch government in 1903, the Decentralization Law was issued which replaced the traditional government system with a modern government administration system, which resulted in Gemeente Buitenzorg.
In 1925, the province of West Java (provincie West Java) was formed, consisting of five residencies, 18 regencies, and municipalities (stadsgemeente). Buitenzorg became one of the stadsgemeente.
Japanese era
During the Japanese occupation in 1942, the Bogor City government became weak after the government was centralized at the residency level.
Independence period
In 1950, Buitenzorg became the City of Bogor which was formed based on the Republic of Indonesia Law number 16 of 1950. In 1957, the government name was changed to Bogor City, in accordance with Law number 1 of 1957. Bogor City changed to Bogor Level II Regional Municipality, with Law number 18 of 1965 and Law number 5 of 1974. Bogor City changed to Bogor City in 1999 with the enactment of Law number 22 of 1999.
Source: Bogor City Website, Wikipedia
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