Depok

Depok Kota Depok
Welcome to Depok
Seal
Nickname(s): Kota Belimbing (Starfruit City)
Depok Location of Depok in Indonesia
Coordinates: 6°23′24″S 106°49′48″E / 6.39°S 106.83°E / -6.39; 106.83Coordinates: 6°23′24″S 106°49′48″E / 6.39°S 106.83°E / -6.39; 106.83
Country	Indonesia
Province	West Java
Government
- Mayor	Nur Mahmudi Ismail
- Vice Mayor	Idris Abdul Somad
Area
- Total	200.29 km2 (77.3 sq mi)
Population (2010)
- Total	1,751,696
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Area code(s)	021
Website	www.depok.go.id

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.^[1]

It has an area of 200.29 km² and 1,374,903 people in 2005, with a density of 6,865 people/km².^[2] For 2007,the population was 1,412,772 and in 2010, the population in Depok become 1,751,696.^[3]

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).^[4] Although the Sundanese 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 written a will that freed the slave families of Depok and gave them pieces of his land, therefore converting slaves into landlords.

The twelve original Depok family names are:^{[5] [6]}

• Bacas;
• Isakh;
• Jacob;
• Jonathan;
• Joseph;
• Laurens;
• Leander;
• Loen;
• Sadokh;
• Samuel;
• Soedira;
• Tholense.

The original slave families of Depok are of Balinese, Ambonese, Buginese, Sundanese and Portuguese Indo i.e. Mestizo and Mardijker descent. Isakh, Jacob, Jonathans, Joseph and Samuel were family names baptized by Chastlein after the slave families converted to Protestant Christianity. The other families retained their original names and might have been (Roman Catholic) Christian already before joining Chasteleins Protestant church. All of the original Depok families, except for the Sadokh family, are still alive in either Indonesia or the Netherlands. ^{[7] [8]}

In 1871, the colonial government even gave Depok a special status allowing the area to form its own government and president. The ruling 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'.^[9] 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.^[10]

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.^[11] This date is commemorated as a date of the establishment of Depok city.

Administrative

Subdistricts

Depok is divided into 11 subdistricts: Beji, Cimanggis, Limo, Pancoran Mas, Sawangan, Sukmajaya, Cipayung, Cilodong, Cinere, Tapos, and Bojongsari.

Mayors

List of Mayors of Depok:

• Moch. Rukasah Suradimadja (1982–1984)
• I. Tamdjid (1984–1988)
• Abdul Wachyan (1988–1991)
• Moch Masduki (1991–1992)
• Sofyan Safari Hamim (1992–1996)
• Badrul Kamal (1997–2005)
• Nur Mahmudi Ismail (2005–2010)
• Nur Mahmudi Ismail (2010–present)

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, Pizza Hut, 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).^{[citation needed]}

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 ^[12] (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:

• Universitas 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

References

1. ^ Sundanese English dictionary
2. ^ Profil Daerah Jawa Barat
3. ^ http://www.jabarprov.go.id/jabar/public/85701/menu.htm?id=85701 Hasil Survei Sosial Ekonomi Daerah 2007
4. ^ http://www.margonda.com Margonda dotcom
5. ^ Offical Dutch Depok Website
6. ^ Jakarta Globe news article.
7. ^ Offical Dutch Depok Website
8. ^ Jakarta Globe news article.
9. ^ Meijer, Hans. ‘In Indie geworteld, de Geschiedenis van Indische Nederlanders, de twintigste eeuw.’ (Publisher Bert Bakker, Amsterdam, 2004) P.245 ISBN 9035126173
10. ^ (Dutch) Dutch Depok community Website. Retrieved 20 may 2010.
11. ^ www.depok.go.id
12. ^ http://www.margocity.com Margo City

External links

• Official site (Indonesian)
• Jakarta Globe News article by Tasa Nugraza Barley dd. August 26, 2010. Retrieved 15 October 2010