Bandung

Bandung (Sundanese: ᮊᮧᮒ ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, romanized: Kota Bandung, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}pronounced [ˈbandʊŋ] ⓘ; /ˈbɑːndʊŋ/, Van Ophuijsen Spelling: Bandoeng) is the capital city of the West Java province of Indonesia.[7] Located on the island of Java, Greater Bandung (Bandung Basin Metropolitan Area / BBMA) is the country's second-largest and second most populous metropolitan area, with over 11 million inhabitants.[8][5] Situated 768 meters (2,520 feet) above sea level (the highest point in the North area is at an altitude of 1,050 meters (3,445 feet), and the lowest in the South at 675 meters (2,215 feet) above sea level), approximately 140 kilometres (87 miles) southeast of Jakarta, Bandung has cooler year-round temperatures than most other Indonesian cities. The city lies in a river basin surrounded by volcanic mountains that provide a natural defence system, which was the primary reason for the Dutch East Indies government's plan to move the capital from Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) to Bandung. The Dutch first established tea plantations around the mountains in the 18th century, and a road was constructed to connect the plantation area to the colonial capital Batavia (180 kilometres (112 miles) to the northwest). In the early 20th century, the Dutch inhabitants of Bandung demanded the establishment of a municipality (gemeente), which was granted in 1906, and Bandung gradually developed into a resort city for plantation owners. Luxurious hotels, restaurants, cafés, and European boutiques were opened, leading the city to be nicknamed Parijs van Java (Dutch: "The Paris of Java").