Indonesian President Joko Widodo choose Nusantara, or archipelago in English, as the name of the new national capital, a senior government official announced Monday.
"I just received a direct confirmation from the president on Friday and he said the new capital is named Nusantara," the country's National Development Planning Minister Suharso Monoarfa said.
During a meeting with the special committee for the new capital city's establishment at the House of Representatives in Central Jakarta, the minister explained that "Nusantara" was selected because the name has been well known since a long time ago.
"It is iconic internationally, easy and it describes the archipelago of the Republic of Indonesia," Monoarfa said. "And I think we all agree with the name Nusantara."
Nusantara is set to be built on the country's Kalimantan island. The plan was first announced by the government in April 2019.
Months later, Widodo announced two districts in East Kalimantan province, which are North Penajam Paser and Kutai Kertanegara, to be the site of the new capital city.
The new capital will serve as the center of government, while Jakarta the current capital city which is home to more than 10 million people, would remain the business and economic center of Indonesia, according to the reports.
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