Depok is a city located just south of Jakarta, Indonesia, and is part of the Jabotabek metropolitan area. Together they form the tenth most populous metro area in the world. Depok has the area of 200.29 km², it has the population of 1.4 million (2005 est).
History
In 18 May 1696, a former VOC officer Cornelis Chasltelein bought a land that forms today's Depok. It is believed that, previous to his death, Cornelis has written a will that frees the slaves of Depok and give 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.
In March 1982 Depok was reclassified as an administrative city, and in 1999, as a city.
List of Mayors of Depok:
- Drs. Moch. Rukasah Suradimadja (1982-1984)
- Drs. H. M. I. Tamdjid (1984-1988)
- Drs. H. Abdul Wachyan (1988-1991)
- Drs. H. Moch Masduki (1991 - 1992)
- Drs. H. Sofyan Safari Hamim (1992-1996)
- Drs. H. Badrul Kamal (1997-2005)
- Dr. Ir. H. Nur Mahmudi Ismail (2005-2010)
Commerce
Depok has several malls and traditional markets. The latest mall is Depok Town Square, located near Margo City Square.
Older malls or notable shopping centre already standing is Depok Mall, Depok Plaza, Hero Supermarket, and SixtyOne Building. As for food, Depok has many local restaurants, but also is home to international chains such as McDonalds, A&W, Dunkin Donuts and Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Other modern day landmark that was one known as Depok's primary shopping centre includes Ramanda (now an autoshop plus education centre), Agung Shop (now defunct and burned during the riot), and Target (now defunct).
Traditional market includes Pasar Depok Baru, Pasar Depok Lama (short: Pasar Lama), Pasar Kemiri (originally expanded to facilitate the move of Pasar Lama traders), and Pasar Agung.
Education
Depok is known as the city of students. Despite its relatively young age, Depok is the home of several big universities:
- University of Indonesia
- Universitas Gunadarma
- Politeknik Tugu
- Politeknik Negeri Jakarta
- Universitas Pancasila is technically located inside Jakarta, but depends heavily on 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.