Bekasi (Indonesian pronunciation: [ˈbəkasi], Sundanese: ᮘᮨᮊᮞᮤ) is a city in West Java, Indonesia, located on the eastern border of Jakarta. It serves as a commuter city within the Jakarta metropolitan area. According to the 2020 Census by Statistics Indonesia (BPS), Bekasi had 2,543,676 inhabitants.^[2] The official estimate for mid 2023 was 2,627,207 - comprising 1,320,682 males and 1,306,525 females.^[1] It lies within the largest metropolitan area in Indonesia (Jabodetabek). The city is bordered by Bekasi Regency (from which the city was separated administratively on 16 December 1996) to the north and the east, Bogor Regency and Depok City to the south, and the city of East Jakarta to the west.

Quick Facts Other transcription(s), • Sundanese ...

Bekasi
City
City of Bekasi Kota Bekasi
Other transcription(s)
• Sundanese	ᮘᮨᮊᮞᮤ
From top, left to right: Patriot Candrabhaga Stadium, Pekayon City, Bekasi Junction Night, Commercial Centers, and Bekasi Mall at night
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Kota Patriot (City of the patriots)
Motto(s):  Bekasi Maju, Sejahtera dan Ihsan (Bekasi for the Developed, Prosperous, and Good people)
Location within West Java
Bekasi City Location in Java Show map of Java Bekasi City Location in Indonesia Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 6°14′06″S 106°59′32″E
Country	Indonesia
Province	West Java
Government
• Mayor	Raden Gani Muhammad (Acting)
• Vice Mayor	Vacant
Area
• Total	213.12 km2 (82.29 sq mi)
Elevation	11–81 m (36–265 ft)
Population  (mid 2022 official estimate)
• Total	2,627,207
• Density	12,000/km2 (32,000/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
Area code	(+62) 21
Vehicle registration	B
Website	bekasikota.go.id

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Bekasi is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being the capital city of the Kingdom of Tarumanagara. At that time, the name of Bekasi was Dayeuh Sundasembawa or Jayagiri. The earliest evidence of its existence dates from the fifth century according to the Tugu inscription, which describes the name of two rivers that run through the city, i.e. Candrabhaga and Gomati and one of those rivers, i.e. Candrabhaga is the origin of the name Bekasi where the name Candrabhaga evolved into "Bhagasasi" - due to the Sanskrit word candra (which means moon) evolved into Old Sundanese word 'sasi' which also means moon - and then the name Bhagasasi was mis-spelt as "Bhagasi", and then the Dutch colonial government also mis-spelt the name Bhagasi as "Bacassie", and finally it became "Bekasi".^[3] During the Dutch East Indies period, Bekasi was a part of Batavia residency. As a dormitory city, many middle class satellite areas have been developed in Bekasi,^[4] complete with their own shopping malls, schools, hospitals, club houses, water park, and shuttle bus services to central Jakarta. The large number of multinational companies has apparently attracted many expatriates (mainly Japanese and Korean) to settle in Bekasi.^[5]

Bekasi has already grown to become one of the main centres of growth in Jabodetabek. The city accounts for 2.11% of total national GDP.^[6] Recently, many foreigners (mostly Korean, Japanese, and Chinese) have set up their business to take advantage of its dynamism and boost its economy. Bekasi's economy was mainly based on service and manufacturing. Nowadays, Bekasi's economy also supported by services industry.

The development of large scale residential areas and industrial parks in Bekasi has been induced by infrastructure development, especially roads, highways and railways.

At present, rapid transit in Bekasi across Greater Jakarta consists of rail KRL Commuterline, Jabodebek LRT, and a bus rapid transit TransJakarta.

KRL Commuterline's Blue Line serves from either Bekasi, Bekasi Timur or Kranji to Jakarta Kota (via Pasar Senen/Manggarai) and Cikarang. Bekasi Station also serves intercity trains to cities across Java.

Jabodebek LRT serving on Bekasi Line which serves trips from Dukuh Atas station to Jatimulya station. The distance traveled in this fully-elevated line is 29.54 km.

TransJakarta and the Transjabodetabek premium serves commuters from Harapan Indah, Summarecon Bekasi, Bulak Kapal, and Jatiwarna, as well as the feeder buses from Kemang Pratama and Grand Galaxy City to Jakarta city center. The TransPatriot operates a route within the city. Damri shuttle bus service is available from the Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Kayuringin, Harapan Indah and Summarecon Bekasi. Taxis are widely available. The primary means of public transportation is by minibus, called angkot. They serve certain routes throughout the city.

The main bus terminal is Terminal Bekasi, located in East Bekasi. The other terminals are Pondok Gede, Harapan Indah and Kayuringin.

The City of Bekasi is traversed by the main river, the Kali Bekasi (Bekasi River), along with its tributaries. The Bekasi River originates from the confluence of the Cikeas and Cileungsi rivers, which have their sources in the mountains of Bogor Regency. Surface water in the Bekasi area includes the Bekasi River, several smaller rivers, and the Tarum Barat irrigation canals used for irrigating fields. This water serves as the raw water source for the drinking water needs of the Bekasi region (both the city and the regency) and the DKI Jakarta area. Currently, the surface water condition of the Bekasi River is polluted by industrial waste originating from the southern part of the City of Bekasi (industries located in Bogor Regency).^[11]

The City of Bekasi is a part of the Bekasi river basin, located in the downstream area of the basin with slopes ranging from 0 to 2% and elevations between 11 meters to 81 meters above sea level. The city of Bekasi is part of the Bekasi river basin and is located in the downstream area of the basin, with a slope ranging from 0 to 2% and elevations between 11 meters to 81 meters above sea level. This topographical condition leads to frequent flooding in many areas of Bekasi, especially during the rainy season, such as in the districts of Jatiasih, East Bekasi, Rawalumbu, South Bekasi, West Bekasi, and Pondok Melati.^[11]

The 2020 Census of Bekasi's population was 2,543,676,^[2] but according to the official estimates for mid 2023 this had risen to 2,627,207.^[1] Bekasi is inhabited by many different ethnic groups, mostly Sundanese, Betawi and Javanese descent. Sundanese are the largest minority as well as other minorities include Minangkabau, Bataks, and Chinese.

Most citizens in Bekasi adhere to Islam. Other religions include Christianity (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism), Hinduism, Buddhism, and Confucianism.

Bekasi was the home base of the football team PCB Persipasi, Bhayangkara F.C., and Bekasi City^[12] with Patriot Chandrabhaga Stadium as the home stadium of the three clubs.^[13]

Bekasi City is divided into twelve districts ('kecamatan'), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census^[14] and the 2020 Census,^[2] together with the official estimates for mid 2023.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of urban villages (all classed as kelurahan) within each district, and its postal codes.

Bekasi has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) according to Köppen climate classification. The wettest month (highest precipitation) is January, with a precipitation total of 374.0 millimetres (14.72 in), while the driest month (lowest precipitation) is August, with a precipitation total of 55.0 millimetres (2.17 in). (as of 2020)

• Chairil Anwar's poem Karawang-Bekasi (1948).
• Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novel Di Tepi Kali Bekasi (1951) is set mainly in Bekasi.

Notable people from Bekasi include:

• Adixi Lenzivio: football player
• Luitenant der Chinezen Khouw Tian Sek: landlord, patriarch of the Khouw family of Tamboen
• Shella Devi Aulia: badminton player
• S. K. Trimurti: government minister, Independence activist, writer and journalist
• Tutty Alawiyah: government minister and women's rights advocate
• Gloria Emanuelle Widjaja: badminton player
• Rinov Rivaldy: badminton player
• Zanadin Fariz: football player
• Arapenta Poerba: football player
• Althaf Indie: football player
• Syahwal Ginting: football player

• Mukim Mentiri, Brunei-Muara, Brunei Darussalam