As you may have heard, Indonesia is moving its capitol from Jakarta to a virtually uninhabited jungle. And the reason for the move is similar to Alabama's decision to move away from the early capitol site of Cahaba to Montgomery in the early 1800's:
The capital was moved from the town, located in the bend where the Alabama and Cahaba rivers meet, because of severe flooding in 1825 and residents gradually abandoned the site.
Meanwhile in Indonesia:
Jakarta " sits on swampy land, the Java Sea lapping against it, and 13 rivers running through it. So it shouldn't be a surprise that flooding is frequent in Jakarta and, according to experts, it is getting worse. But it's not just about freak floods, this massive city is literally disappearing into the ground.
Jakarta is an Asian mega-city with 10 million people, or 30 million including those in its greater metropolitan area. It is prone to earthquakes and flooding and is rapidly sinking because of uncontrolled extraction of ground water. The water and rivers are highly contaminated. Congestion is estimated to cost the economy $6.5 billion a year.
Moving THAT capitol is expected to cost billions, though as the BBC reported, other countries have moved their capitals.
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| Love the "Indians" reference. NOT an official Historic sign. |
The old Alabama capitol of Cahawba is not much to look at these days, but worth a visit! more info HERE.
There are predictions that Jakarta will be mostly underwater in the coming decades.
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