Jambi (city)


Jambi is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Jambi. Located on the island of Sumatra, the city is a busy port on the Batang Hari River and an oil- and rubber-producing centre. The city is located from the ruins of Muaro Jambi Temple Compounds, an important city in the ancient Srivijaya kingdom.
Nearby towns and villages include Mendalo, Kinati, Padang, Tanjung Johor, Paal Merah, and Muara Kumpe. Jambi City itself is an enclave within Muaro Jambi Regency.
Jambi is served by the Sultan Thaha Airport.

History

Jambi City was denoted as the administrative capital of the Jambi Autonomic Area by the Governor of Sumatra on 17 May 1946. In 1956, Jambi city was given its city status, and eventually became the capital of Jambi Province on 6 January 1957.

Geography

The total land area of Jambi city is. Jambi city is located in the southwestern portion of the Sumatran Basin, a low-lying area in Eastern Sumatra with an altitude of 0 to 60m above sea level. A segment of the Batang Hari River, the longest river in Sumatra at, flows through Jambi City.

Demographics

Jambi city is the most populated city in Jambi Province, with 606,200 inhabitants living in this city in 2020; the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 635,101. The city is a very diverse and multi-ethnic, consisting of Jambi Malays, Javanese, Minangkabau, Malays, Chinese, Batak, Sundanese, and Bugis.

Administrative districts

At the time of the 2010 Census, the city of Jambi was subdivided into eight administrative districts, but during the following decade, three additional districts were added by the splitting of existing districts - Alam Barajo, Danau Sipin and Paal Merah. The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid-2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district, and their postcodes.
Kode
Wilayah
Name of
District
Area
in
km2
Pop'n
2010
Census
Pop'n
2020
Census
Pop'n
mid 2024
Estimate
Admin
centre
No.
of
subdistricts
Post
codes
15.71.07Kota Baru27.26139,35980,06285,722Paal Lima536126 - 36128
15.71.09Alam Baraja36.06108,196116,253Bagan Pete536125 - 36129
15.71.02Jambi Selatan
7.60124,28056,92959,514Pakuan Baru536131 - 36139
15.71.11Paal Merah24.26105,906113,215Talang Bakung536139 - 36148
15.71.08Jelutung7.6260,54459,44260,665Jelutung736133 - 36137
15.71.04Pasar Jambi1.6712,80011,19311,419Pasar436111 - 36134
15.71.01Telanaipura20.3392,36649,21250,284Telanai Pura636122 - 36129
15.71.10Danau Sipin7.2843,37544,302Murni536121 - 36129
15.71.06Danau Teluk13.4411,82412,82213,091Olak Kemang536261 - 36265
15.71.05Pelayangan10.6912,86112,93913,205Ulu Gedong636251 - 36256
15.71.03Jambi Timur
13.6877,82366,12467,431Tanjung Pinang936141 - 36149
Totals169.89531,857606,200635,101Kota Baru62

Note: the 2010 populations of these new districts are included with the figure for the district from which they were cut.

Climate

Jambi has a tropical rainforest climate according to the Köppen climate classification, with a minimum temperature of and a maximum temperature of. The level of humidity ranges from 82 to 28%. The annual rainfall of Jambi City is, with the rainy season lasting from October to March with 20 rainy days a month. The dry season lasts from April to September with an average of 16 rainy days a month.

Transportation

The city is served by Sultan Thaha Airport, which has connections to Jakarta, Batam, Palembang, Medan, Bengkulu, Bandar Lampung, and Pekanbaru.
Trans-Sumatran Highway crosses the city. Jambi Port is located over the Batang Hari River.
Public transportation includes angkot and ojek. Ride-sharing services Grab and Gojek also available

Education

Ma'had Ubay bin Kaab is a Sunni Islamic boarding school located in Jambi.

Media

The oldest newspaper in the Jambi region is Jambi Independent, part of Jawa Pos Group. Several other newspapers such as Tribun Jambi, Jambi Ekspres and Metro Jambi are also available.
The privately owned Jek TV and Jambi TV are the local TV stations based in Jambi. The public TVRI Jambi also covers the city.

Twin townssister cities

Jambi City is twinned with:

Notable people

The city was the birthplace of sex offender Reynhard Sinaga, described by the UK Crown Prosecution Service as "the most prolific rapist in British legal history".