Indonesia is currently in the process of moving its capital from Jakarta to a yet-to-be-built city somewhere on the island of Borneo. But why is the government moving its capital?

Well, the current capital, Jakarta, the second largest metropolitan area in the world, has a number of problems. The city is overcrowded and therefore has one of the worst traffic situations in the world.

In addition, the city sits directly over a swampy area and is slowly sinking into the ground. Combined with the fact that the city is located on the coast, the risk of flooding is getting worse.

But environmental concerns are not the only reason driving the decision. Indonesia is a very diverse country, stretching over 5,100 km and 17,000 islands, with a total population of 273 million people, making it the fourth biggest country in the world by population.

The government, which used to focus mostly on Java, the island where Jakarta is located and more than half the population is living, is trying to solve the uneven balance by moving the capital to a more central location to be closer to regions that were underrepresented in the past.

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