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 26 km from the ruins of Muaro Jambi Temple Compounds, an important city in the ancient Srivijaya kingdom. Nearby towns and villages include Mendalo (5.1 nmi), Kinati (4.1 nmi), Padang (4.5 nmi), Tanjung Johor (3.2 nmi), Paal Merah (2.8 nmi), and Muara Kumpe (3.6 nmi). 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 169.887 km². 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 1700 km, flows through Jambi City.

Demographics

Jambi city is the most populated city in Jambi Province, with 606,200 inhabitants (17% of the province's population) living in this city in 2020; the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 627,774 (comprising 315,855 males and 311,919 females). The city is a very diverse and multi-ethnic, consisting of Jambi Malays (27.84%), Javanese (22.05%), Minangkabau (12.64%), Malays (11.47%), Chinese (6.82%), Batak (6.62%), Sundanese (4.47%), and Bugis (2.03%).

Administrative districts

At the time of the 2010 Census, the city of Jambi was subdivided into eight administrative districts (kecamatan), 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-2023. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (all classed as urban kelurahan), and their postcodes. Note: (a) 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 (Af) according to the Köppen climate classification, with a minimum temperature of 22 to 23 C and a maximum temperature of 30 to 32 C. The level of humidity ranges from 82 to 28%. The annual rainfall of Jambi City is 2296.1 mm, 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

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 towns – sister cities

Jambi City is twinned with:

Notable people

The city was the birth place of sex offender Reynhard Sinaga (born 19 February 1983), described by the UK Crown Prosecution Service as "the most prolific rapist in British legal history".