West Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five Indonesian provinces comprising Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital and largest city is Pontianak. It is bordered by East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan to the east, the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the north, and the Bangka Belitung Islands to the west and the Java Sea to the south. The province has an area of 147,037 km2, and had a population of 4,395,983 at the 2010 Census and 5,414,390 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 5,623,328, and was projected to rise to 5,695,500 at mid 2024. Ethnic groups include the Dayak, Malay, Chinese, Javanese, Bugis, and Madurese. The borders of West Kalimantan roughly trace the mountain ranges surrounding the vast watershed of the Kapuas River, which drains most of the province. The province shares land borders with Central Kalimantan to the southeast, East Kalimantan to the east, and the Malaysian territory of Sarawak to the north.
South Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is the second most populous province on the island of Kalimantan, the Indonesian territory of the island of Borneo after West Kalimantan. The provincial capital was Banjarmasin until 15 February 2022 when it was legally moved 35 kms southeast to Banjarbaru. The population of South Kalimantan was recorded at just over 3.625 million people at the 2010 Census, and at 4.07 million at the 2020 Census. The official estimate as at mid 2023 was 4,221,929. One of the five Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, it is bordered by the Makassar Strait in the east, Central Kalimantan in the west and north, the Java Sea in the south, and East Kalimantan in the northeast. The province also includes the island of Pulau Laut, located off the eastern coast of Kalimantan, as well as other smaller offshore islands. The province is divided into 11 regencies and 2 cities. South Kalimantan is the traditional homeland of the Banjar people, although some parts of East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan are also included in this criterion. Nevertheless, South Kalimantan, especially the former capital city Banjarmasin has always been the cultural capital of Banjarese culture. Many Banjarese have migrated to other parts of Indonesia, as well as neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Malaysia. In addition, other ethnic groups also inhabit the province, such as several groups of the Dayaks, who mostly live in the interior part of the province, as well as the Javanese, who mostly migrated from Java due to the Transmigration program which dated from the Dutch colonial era. It is one of the provinces in Indonesia that has a larger population than Mongolia.
Banjarmasin is a largest city in South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It was the capital of the province until 15 February 2022. The city is located on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers. Historically the centre of the Banjarese culture, and the capital of the Sultanate of Banjar, it is the biggest city in South Kalimantan and one of the main cities of Kalimantan. The city covers an area of 98.46 km2 (38.02 sq mi) and had a population of 625,481 as of the 2010 Census and 657,663 as of the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid 2023 was 675,915. It is the third most populous city on the island of Borneo.
Pontianak, also known as Khuntien in Hakka, is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.21 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas River, at a point where it is joined by its major tributary, the Landak River. The city is on the equator, hence it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa. The city center is less than 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the equator. Pontianak is the 23rd most populous city in Indonesia, and the fourth most populous city on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) after Samarinda, Balikpapan and (Malaysia's) Kuching; it is now slightly ahead of Banjarmasin. It had a population of 658,685 at the 2020 Census within the city limits, with significant suburbs outside those limits. The official estimate as of mid-2023 was 675,468.
Palangka Raya is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. The city is situated between the Kahayan and the Sabangau rivers on the island of Borneo. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 293,500; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 305,797. Palangka Raya is the largest city by land area in Indonesia ; however, most of the area is forested including protected forests, nature conservation areas, and Tangkiling Forest.
The Banjar or Banjarese are an Austronesian ethnic group native to the Banjar regions in the southeastern Kalimantan regions of Indonesia. Nowadays, Banjarese diaspora can be found in neighbouring Banjar regions as well; including Kotabaru Regency, the southeastern regions of Central Kalimantan, southernmost regions of East Kalimantan, and some provinces of Indonesia in general. The Banjarese diaspora community also can be found in neighbouring countries of Indonesia, such as Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Bakumpai or Baraki are indigenous people of Borneo and are considered as a sub-ethnic group of the Dayak Ngaju people group with Islamic background. The Bakumpai people first occupy along the Barito riverbanks in South Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan, from Marabahan to Puruk Cahu, Murung Raya Regency. The Bakumpai people first appeared as a newly recognized people group in census 2000 and were made up of 7.51% of Central Kalimantan population, which before this the Bakumpai people were considered as part of the Dayak people in a 1930 census.
Kendayan, or Salako (Selako), is a Malayic Dayak language of Borneo. The exact number of speakers remains unknown, but is estimated to be around 350,000.
A. A. Hamidhan, is the popular name of Anang Abdul Hamidhan, an Indonesian freedom fighter and journalist from South Kalimantan. He established the daily Soeara Kalimantan in 1930. It was he who brought news of Indonesia's unilateral declaration of independence to Borneo.
The mayor of Padang is an elected politician who is accountable for the strategic government of Padang, one of the provincial capitals in Indonesia. The position was first held by W.M. Ouwerkerk whe the role was created in 1928 by the Dutch colonial government, while under government of Indonesia it was first held by Abubakar Jaar in 1945, after Indonesian independence.
Anakletus Tjilik Riwut was an Indonesian military officer and journalist who served as the governor of Central Kalimantan from 1959 to 1967. He participated in the Indonesian National Revolution, becoming one of the leaders of the Kalimantan Physical Revolution in Dutch Borneo. In 1988, the government of Indonesia declared him a national hero.
The Holy Family Cathedral is a religious building of the Catholic Church in Banjarmasin in the province of South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It was designed by architect Roestenhurg in a neo-Gothic style.
Jukung tambangan is a traditional boat made by the Banjar people of South Kalimantan. They are mainly used for riverine transportation. It is already present at least since mid-18th century. They were not seen anymore in Banjarmasin ca. 1950s and around the 1970s on the Nagara River, Hulu Sungai Selatan Regency.
The Kalimantan Physical Revolution was an armed conflict between Indonesian nationalists and pro-Dutch forces in Dutch Borneo in the second half of the 1940s. It began with the end of the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies and the 1945 Proclamation of Indonesian Independence by Sukarno and lasted until the Dutch withdrew from most of Indonesia in 1949. It can be considered part of the larger Indonesian National Revolution.
Mandau Talawang Pancasila is a paramilitary organization, based mostly within the Indonesian provinces of Central Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.
The Dayak Desa War or Majang Desa War was an armed uprising by the Dayak Desa tribe in West Kalimantan against the Japanese Empire during World War II, and shortly thereafter by Indonesian nationalists against the Dutch East Indies. The war was initially caused by the local population's opposition against the rōmusha system and disappointment with Japanese occupation. In the initial phase of Japanese occupation, several Japanese companies entered the region to gain natural resources in order to support the Japanese war effort in the Pacific. Occupying Japanese forced locals to work for free for these companies, mainly in coal mining and timber production. After that, a Japanese foreman working in a company wanted to marry the daughter of Pang Linggan, a respected Dayak chief in the region, which caused more tension between locals and the Japanese. Dayak tribes in the region initiated mangkuk merah ritual, as a sign to mobilise men from villages and prepare for war. The Japanese were driven out of the Borneo interior in June 1945, but returned on 17 July and continued until 31 August 1945 when Japanese forces there surrendered and left the region, replaced by Allied forces including the Dutch, who would later be opposed again until recognition of Indonesian independence in 1949.
Hausman Baboe was a colonial head of Kuala Kapuas district of Central Kalimantan in the Dutch East Indies; he was also an early Dayak journalist and an Indonesian nationalist. Baboe was born into an aristocratic family of Dayak Ngaju people and served as head of Kuala Kapuas under the Dutch colonial government but was dismissed from his post due to his anti-colonial remarks. He became a prominent Dayak political figure and was several times accused of being a communist due to his close association with the left-wing political party Sarekat Rakjat. Despite being a Christian, his Indonesian nationalist ideals drew him close to Sarekat Islam.
East Borneo Region, was a component entity of the United States of Indonesia in eastern part of Borneo. It was established on 12 May 1947 with capital at Samarinda. East Borneo was dissolved on 24 March 1950 and became part of Kalimantan Province which was formed on 14 August 1950 with its capital at Banjarmasin. Following the division of Kalimantan Province, the former territory of East Borneo was assigned to East Kalimantan in 1956.
The Law on South Kalimantan province, officially Law Number 8 of 2022, is a law passed by the People's Representative Council of Indonesia regarding the existence of the province of South Kalimantan. The law is one of several laws passed with relatively minor changes to provide an updated legal basis for the existence of Indonesian provinces; previously, the legal standing for many Indonesian provinces was based on laws from the era of the United States of Indonesia. However, while other provinces' laws were passed uncontroversially without major change, South Kalimantan's province law was passed with a sudden change of the capital city from Banjarmasin to Banjarbaru. This change led to a court challenge from elements associated with Banjarmasin city, with consequent response from Banjarbaru city.
The Dayak Tomun tribe is one of the Dayak sub-tribes found in Lamandau Regency of Central Kalimantan, to be precise, in the villages bordering West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
