The city has a presidential palace and a botanical garden (Indonesian: Kebun Raya Bogor) – one of the oldest and largest in the world.

In the 1990s–2000s, the city regularly hosted various international events, such as ministry-level meetings of the Asia-Pacific institutions[9] and the APEC summit of 15 November 1994.

[10] The first mention of a settlement at present Bogor dates to the 5th century when the area was part of Tarumanagara, one of the earliest states in Indonesian history.

[15][16][17][18][19] The chronicles of that time were written in Sanskrit, which was the language used for official and religious purposes, using the Pallava script, on rock steles called prasasti.

[21][22] In 1579, Pakuan was captured and almost completely destroyed by the army of the Sultanate of Banten,[23][24] causing the existence of the State of Sunda to cease.

[15][21] In the second half of the 17th century, the abandoned Pakuan as with most of West Java, while formally remaining under the Sultanate of Banten, gradually passed under the control of the Dutch East India Company (VOC).

[25] The first, and temporal, colonial settlement at Pakuan was a camp of lieutenant Tanoejiwa, a Sundanese employed by the VOC who was sent in 1687 to develop the area.

[17][25] The expedition of van Riebeeck performed a detailed study of the Pakuan ruins, discovered and described many archaeological artifacts, including prasasti, and erected buildings for the VOC employees.

[27][28] Around the same time, the first reference to Bogor as the local name of the city was documented; it was mentioned in the administration report from 7 April 1752 with respect to the part of Buitenzorg adjacent to the Palace.

[27] This name is believed to originate from the Javanese word bogor meaning sugar palm (Arenga pinnata) or bokor (a large bowl made from metal), which is still used in the Indonesian language.

[29][30] Alternative origins are the old-Javanese word bhagar (meaning cow), or simply the misspelling of "Buitenzorg" by the local residents.

[26] This growth was partly stimulated by the temporary occupation of the Dutch East Indies by the United Kingdom in 1811–1815 – the British landed on Java and other Sunda Islands to prevent their capture by Napoleonic France which then conquered the Netherlands.

Other scientific institutions including a city library, natural science museum, biology, chemistry, and veterinary medicine laboratories were also constructed during this period.

[12] During World War II, Buitenzorg and the entire territory of the Dutch East Indies were occupied by Japanese forces; the occupation lasted from 6 March 1942 until the summer of 1945.

[35] As part of the efforts by the Japanese to promote nationalist (and thus anti-Dutch) sentiments among the local population the city was given the Indonesian name Bogor.

[33] The city had one of the major training centres of the Indonesian militia PETA (Pembela Tanah Air – "Defenders of the Motherland").

[62] According to 2000 Census, most of the population are Sundanese (76%) as native, with the largest immigrant minorities being Betawi, Javanese, Chinese, and other, often mixed ethnicities.

[67] Legislative power is provided by the Bogor City Regional House of Representatives which consists of 50 directly elected members serving 5-year terms.

[68] The Coat of arms of Bogor is a rectangular heraldic shield with a pointed base and the side lengths ratio of 5:4, divided by a cross into four parts.

[72] Despite the economic growth, the number of citizens living below the poverty level (defined by not only income, but also access to basic social services[74]) is increasing, primarily due to the inflow of poor residents from the surrounding rural areas.

[78] The livestock sector has 25 registered companies (as of 2007) mostly breeding cows (more than 1000 animals yielding more than 2.61 million liters of milk), sheep (about 12,000), chickens (more than 642,000) and ducks (ca.

[81] Breeding aquarium fish and also catching them in their natural habitat is an important industry sector, which yielded US$367,000 from 2008 export sales only, mostly to Japan and Middle East.

[86] A separate station is dedicated to tourist coaches and buses to the nearest Soekarno–Hatta International Airport in Jakarta, located about 55 kilometers from Bogor.

[89][90] The population rise in the 1990s–2000s due to the inflow of external workforce sharply increased the number of substandard housing, mainly on the outskirts of the city.

[89] Electricity to Bogor is supplied by the Indonesian state company Perusahaan Listrik Negara, which serves the provinces of West Java and Banten.

Electricity is provided by more than ten regional thermal and hydroelectric power plants via two local transformer stations located in the Bogor districts of Cimahpar and Cibilong.

Although the water network has a total length of 741 kilometers and covers about 70% of the city, connection to it is often problematic for financial and technical reasons.

[96] The seven cemeteries of Bogor are named by the city districts as Cilendek, Kayumanis, Situgede, Mulyaharja, Blender, Dreded and Gunung Gadung.

[144] It contains 42 historical graves of the Dutch colonial officials, military officers, and scientists, who served in Bogor, Jakarta, and other cities in West Java from the late 18th to early 20th centuries.

[144] Nearby, there are three graves from the early Sunda Kingdom (15th century): the wife of the founder of Bogor Siliwangi, Galuh Mangku Alam, vizier Ba'ul, and commander Japra.