Jambi, also Djambi, city in western Indonesia, on Sumatra, capital of Jambi Province, on the Hari River. Jambi is an ocean port, upriver from Berhala Strait, an arm of the South China Sea. The city, a road hub and trade center, is in an important oil region where rubber, rice, timber, and rattan also are produced. The area was originally settled by Hindus from Java; later, Muslims established a sultanate that was one of the last areas of the island to come under Dutch control. An informal protectorate was created after 1858; the sultanate was abolished in 1901. Population (1997 estimate) 427,095.
