JAKARTA, INDONESIA — President Joko Widodo has announced plans to shift Indonesia's capital city from Jakarta to the province of East Kalimantan on Borneo island.

Part of the new capital will be in the province's North Penajam Paser regency while the other half will be in the Kutai Kartanegara regency, reports the Jakarta Post. The region was chosen for being relatively free from earthquakes and volcanoes.

Indonesia plans to relocate from its current capital, Jakarta, as the city is overpopulated and faces severe congestion, according to Reuters.

Jakarta is also sinking 10 to 20 centimeters per year due to severe land subsidence, reports the Guardian.

The Indonesian government said it wants to build a smart, green city. A government official was quoted by the South China Morning Post as saying that they would not disturb any existing protected forest as the island is filled with tropical rainforests.

If President Widodo's plan is approved by the Indonesian parliament, the new capital will begin construction across a plot of around 40,000 hectares next year.

In a televised speech, the Indonesian president said that the location is strategic and explained that the shift would ease Jakarta's burden as the center of business, finance, trade and government.