:: Samarinda City - East Kalimantan Travel Guides ::
Samarinda is the capital of
the Indonesian province of East
Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur) on the island of Borneo.
The city lies on the banks of the Mahakam River. As well
as being the capital, Samarinda is also the most
populous city in East Kalimantan with a population of
562,463 (2000) and as such is used by many as a gateway
to the more remote regions of the province such as Kutai
Barat, Kutai Kartanegara and East Kutai. Reaching these
areas usually involves travel by river as the most
efficient means. Although it has status as the capital
of kalimantan Timur Province, some of government public
service centre is located in Balikpapan, such as Police,
Indonesian Army District VI of Tanjung Pura, and
Pelabuhan Indonesia (Port Transportation).
Transport into Samarinda itself is facilitated by an
airport, Temindung and a port, however, there are plans
to relocate both the airport and port soon.
History
When the Gowa War began, the Dutch under Admiral
Speelman's command attacked Makassar from the sea.
Meanwhile, the Netherland's local ally Arupalaka led a
ground attack. The Kingdom of Gowa was forced to
surrender and Sultan Hassanudin made to sign the Bongaya
Treaty on November 19, 1667.
The treaty did not quell all trouble for the Dutch
however, since the Bugis from Gowa who did not want to
surrender, continued their struggle using guerilla
tactics. Some Buginese moved to other islands close by
such as Kalimantan. A few thousand people led by
Lamohang Daeng Mangkona or Pua Ado I, moved to East
Kalimantan, known then as Kutai, where they were
welcomed by the local Sultan.
The Sultan of Kutai gave the migrants land in Kampung
Melantai around the Karang Mumus River, now known as
Kampung Selili, where they proceeded to establish farms
and fisheries. In payment, the Bugis people promised to
help the Sultan defend Kutai whenever needed.
The name Samarinda originates from the description of
the way in which the Bugis houses were constructed. At
that time the custom was that all houses were built on a
raft and generally had the same height. This had
important social relevance, symbolising equality between
residents; no person house, and thus no person was seen
as higher or lower than another. They named the
settlement 'Samarenda', meaning 'equal in height'. After
hundreds of years of use the pronunciation
of
the name changed slightly and the city became known as
Samarinda.
The arrival of the first Bugis on 21 January 1668 was
chosen to mark the city's anniversary. Samarinda is
known for its traditional food amplang, as well as the
cloth sarung samarinda. The city also has a bridge
connecting the two river banks, called The Mahakam
Bridge.
Regencies
Kutai Kartanegara • West
Kutai • East Kutai • Pasir • Penajam Paser Utara •
Bulungan • Berau • Malinau • Nunukan • Tana Tidung Coat
of East Kalimantan
Cities Samarinda (capital) • Balikpapan • Bontang •
Tarakan Towns Tenggarong • Sendawar • Sangatta • Tanah
Grogot • Penajam • Tanjung Selor • Tanjung Redeb
Islands Derawan Islands • Sebatik Island • Tarakan
Island • Kakaban • Bunyu
Airports Sepinggan, Balikpapan • Temindung, Samarinda •
Juwata, Tarakan • Berau • Tanjung Harapan, Bulungan •
Nunukan • Datadawai • Long Bawan • Long Apung
Rivers Mahakam River • Sesayap River • Lawa River
Mountains Mount Ilas Bungaan • Mount Ilas Mapulu • Mount
Kemul
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