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.
The North Kalimantan Communist Party was a Maoist communist party based in the Malaysian state of Sarawak in northern Borneo. It was formally founded on 19 September 1971. Before that, the group had been operating under the name Sarawak People's Guerrillas. The chairman of the NKCP was Wen Ming Chyuan and the party enjoyed close links with the People's Republic of China. The NKCP's membership was predominantly ethnically Chinese. The two military formations of the NKCP were the Sarawak People's Guerilla Force (SPGF) or Pasukan Gerilya Rakyat Sarawak (PGRS), and the North Kalimantan People's Army (NKPA) or the Pasukan Rakyat Kalimantan Utara (PARAKU). The NKCP participated in the Sarawak Communist Insurgency (1962–1990). On 17 October 1990, the North Kalimantan Communist Party signed a peace agreement with the Sarawak state government, formally ending the Sarawak Communist Insurgency.
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.
Zapin is one of the most popular dance and musical forms in traditional Malay performing arts. Dance movements are choreographed to melodies, which are performed using musical instruments such as the gambus, accordion, and rebana. It is believed to have been introduced by Persian and Arab Muslim missionaries from the Middle East to the Malay Archipelago around the fourteenth century, where back then only males were allowed to perform; nowadays, female dancers are included. It used to be performed exclusively for religious ceremonies but through the years it has become a form of traditional entertainment, hence the participation of female dancers is allowed.
The Kapuas River is a river in the Indonesian part of Borneo island, at the geographic center of Maritime Southeast Asia. At 1,143 kilometers (710 mi) in length, it is the longest river in the island of Borneo and the longest river in Indonesia and one of the world's longest island rivers. It originates in the Müller mountain range at the center of the island and flows west into the South China Sea creating an extended marshy delta. The delta is located west-southwest of Pontianak, the capital of the West Kalimantan province. This Kapuas River should be distinguished from another Kapuas River, which starts on the other side of the same mountain range in central Borneo but flows to the south, merging with the Barito River and discharging into the Java Sea.
Pangsuma Airport is an airport in Putussibau, West Kalimantan, Indonesia. The distance between the Airport and Putussibau is 3.7 km via Jl. Lintas Kalimantan Poros Utara. Putussibau is the capital of Kapuas Hulu within approximately 400 km from Pontianak. The town is the gateway to the two major eco-tourism destinations in the heart of Borneo, Danau Sentarum National Park and Betung Kerihun National Park.
Ketapang or Tau-pang in Teochew is the administrative capital of Ketapang Regency, one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. Ketapang town is located at 1°51′S109°59′E and is a town on the delta of the Pawan River. Ketapang is served by the Rahadi Oesman Airport.
The Ibanic languages are a branch of the Malayic languages indigenous to western Borneo. They are spoken by the Ibans and related groups in East Malaysia and the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan. Other Dayak languages, called Land Dayak, which are not Ibanic, are found in the northwest corner of Kalimantan, between Ibanic and non-Ibanic Malayic languages such as Kendayan and the Malay dialects of Sarawak and Pontianak.
The Land Dayak languages are a group of dozen or so languages spoken by the Bidayuh Land Dayaks of Borneo, and by some, also spoken by the Rejang people of southwestern Sumatra.
The Pontianak Kadriyah Sultanate was a Malay state that existed on the western coast of the island of Borneo from the late 18th century until its disestablishment in 1950. It was founded in 1771 by Sultan Syarif Abdurrahman Ibni Alhabib Husein bin Ahmad Alkadrie, allegedly a descendant of Sayidina Husain, in the area of the mouth of the triple junction of the small Kapuas River and the porcupine river which included a small area area ceded by the Sultan of Banten to the Dutch VOC. He had two political marriages in Kalimantan, the first to the princess of the Mempawah Kingdom, Utin Chandramidi, and the second in 1768 to Ratu Syahranum of the Banjar Sultanate, earning him the title Pangeran Nur Alam.
Pawan River is a major river of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. It has a length of 197 kilometres. Tributaries include the Keriau River.
North Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. North Kalimantan borders the Malaysian states of Sabah to the north and Sarawak to the west, and by the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan to the south. Tanjung Selor serves as the capital of the province, while Tarakan is the largest city and the financial centre.
The capital of Indonesia, officially the capital of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, is Jakarta, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Southeast Asia. However, since the enactment of the Special Region of Jakarta Act, Jakarta has lost its de jure status as capital of Indonesia, and is currently in a transitional period due to the relocation of the capital to Nusantara.
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.
West Kalimantan Christian Church or GKKB is an evangelical Christian church organization in West Kalimantan, Indonesia.
Amplang, also known as kerupuk kuku macan, is an Indonesian traditional savoury fish cracker snack commonly found in Indonesia and Malaysia. Amplang crackers are commonly made of ikan tenggiri (wahoo) or any type of Spanish mackerel, mixed with starch and other materials before being deep-fried.
The Pontianak incident consisted of two massacres which took place in Kalimantan during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies. One of them is also known as the Mandor Affair. The victims were from a wide variety of ethnic groups, and the killings devastated the Malay elite of Kalimantan, with all the Malay Sultans of Kalimantan executed by the Japanese.
Baning Nature Tourist Park is a Nature Park located at Sintang Regency of West Kalimantan province of Indonesia in the island of Borneo. It is spread over an area of about 315 hectares. It is the only natural tropical forests in Indonesia which is situated with the vicinity of locality. The park is covered by thousands of large trees and rich with various flora and fauna of scarcity. There is a laboratory for supporting research and development of living resources in the region.
Dayak in politics refers to the participation of Dayaks to represent their political ideas and interests outside of their community. The movement has continued to have a profound impact on the development of Indonesia and Malaysia, especially in Kalimantan and Sarawak.
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.
