The river may be named after Prince Tubagus Angke, from the Banten Sultanate, who was the ruler of Jayakarta in the 16th century.

[5] The main river has a length of 91.25 kilometres (56.70 mi), with a watershed area (Indonesian: Daerah Pengaliran Sungai) of 480 km².

[4] The river never dries throughout the year, because it connects directly to a constant source at the districts of Menteng and Cilendek Timur in the city of Bogor, East Java.

In rainy seasons, the river annually causes local floods, usually in the districts of Pinang, Cipondoh, Ciledug (all in Tangerang), Joglo, Kembangan, Rawa Buaya, Duri Kosambi and Cengkareng (all in West Jakarta).

[11] Fort Anké was built by the Dutch East India Company in 1657[12] at the intersection of the Mookervaart channel and Angke River.