Ibukota

Ibukota, also spelled ibu kota in Indonesian and Malay, literally means "mother city" and is used to denote the capital city of a country or region—the administrative, political, and often economic center. The term combines ibu (mother) and kota (city), a metaphor that emphasizes the capital's role as the origin or "center" of national governance.

In Indonesian and Malay, ibukota commonly appears in governmental and journalistic usage as "ibu kota negara" for the national capital. The concept distinguishes the capital from other major cities; in practice, a capital is not always the largest city, though in many states the two coincide.

Worldwide patterns include cases where capitals are relocated for political or strategic reasons. The relocation to a new administrative center has occurred in several countries, such as Brazil (Brasília), Pakistan (Islamabad), and Malaysia (Putrajaya as the federal administrative capital while Kuala Lumpur remains the national capital).

The Indonesian case is notable because the government has announced plans to establish Nusantara as the new national capital in East Kalimantan to alleviate crowding and environmental pressures in Jakarta, with the project commonly referred to as the move of the ibukota negara.

In current usage, ibukota can also refer to capitals of provinces (ibukota provinsi) and other political units, reflecting the administrative geography of a country.