City status in Indonesia

In Indonesian law, the term "city" (kota) is generally defined as the second-level administrative subdivision of the Republic of Indonesia, an equivalent to regency (kabupaten).

During the Dutch East Indies period, a city was governed as gemeente, or municipality, since the decentralisation law in 1903.

Kota Besar was an urban equivalent of kabupaten (regency), which was the country's second level subdivision, just below province.

Kota kecil, used for a small urban area, was the third-level division below regency and province.

[10] The term kota (city) has been implemented to substitute kotamadya since the post-Suharto era in Indonesia.

On the 4 March 1621, the first city government (stad) was created in Batavia, and on 1 April 1905, it became the very first municipality (gemeente) of the Dutch East Indies.

Ryas Rasyid, an Indonesian regional government expert, stated that Jakarta is a "province with a city management".