:: East Kalimantan Travel Guides ::
East Kalimantan (Indonesian:
Kalimantan Timur abbrv. Kaltim) is
the
second largest Indonesian province, located on the
Kalimantan region on the east of Borneo island. The
resource-rich province has two major cities, Samarinda
(the capital and a center for timber product) and
Balikpapan (a petroleum center with oil refinery). Ever
since Indonesia opened its mineral and natural resources
for foreign investment in 1970s, East Kalimantan
province has experienced major boost of timber,
petroleum and other exotic forest products. The
state-owned petroleum company Pertamina has been
operated in the area since it took control oil refinery
from the Royal Dutch Shell company in 1965.
The population is a mixture of people from the
Indonesian archipelago with Dayaks and Kutai as
indigenous ethnic groups living in rural areas.
Prominent other migrant ethnic groups include Javanese,
Chinese, Banjarese, Bugis and Malays, of which mostly
live in coastal areas.
History
This province known as the location of the oldest Hindu
kingdom in Indonesia, Kutai, the existence of which is
attested to by a stone manuscript, or Prasasti, which is
now kept in the National Museum in Jakarta. The
manuscript is written in the Pallawa alphabet and the
Sanskrit language. The replica of this manuscript can be
seen in the Governor's Office in Samarinda.
Inscriptions on seven stone pillars (yupa posts) erected
in the fifth century BCE on the command of a local
ruler, King Mulavarman, records his victories, his
generosity to brahmins, his princely genealogy
Administration
East Kalimantan
is divided into 10 regencies and 4 cities.
The regencies are:
1. Pasir Regency
2. Penajam Paser Utara Regency
3. Kutai Kartanegara Regency
4. West Kutai Regency
5. East Kutai Regency
6. Bulungan Regency
7. Berau Regency
8. Malinau Regency
9. Nunukan Regency
10. Tana Tidung Regency
The cities are:
1. Balikpapan
2. Samarinda
3. Bontang
4. Tarakan
Ecology
The main problem
in this province is the illegal logging which destroyed
almost all the rainforest. Less than half the original
rainforest still remains, in places such as the Kayan
Mentarang National Park in the northern part of the
province.
Economy
East Kalimantan
heavily depends on earth resources activity such as
oilfield exploration, natural gas, as well as coal and
gold mining. Balikpapan has an oil refinery plant that
was primarily built by Dutch governance before World War
II, destroyed during World War II, and rebuilt by
Indonesia Governance.
Other developing economic sectors includes agriculture
and tourism. East Kalimantan has several tourist
destination such as Derawan Islands in Berau Regency,
Kayan Mentarang National Park ini Nunukan, Crocodile
Husbandry in Balikpapan, deer husbandry in Penajam,
Dayak's (native Kalimantan people) Pampang Village in
Samarinda and many others.
The main problem to developing economic growth is lack
of transportation infrastructure. Transportation depends
on traditional boats connecting coastal cities and areas
along main river, Mahakam River.
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