About Kalimantan Island

Introduction

Kalimantan, region of the Republic of Indonesia, occupying the southern portion of the island of Borneo. Kalimantan shares the island of Borneo with the West Malaysian states of Sarawak and Sabah, as well as the nation of Brunei, which occupies a small section of the northern coast. Kalimantan is bounded by the South China Sea to the northwest, the Celebes Sea to the northeast, the Makassar Strait to the east, and the Java Sea to the south. With an area of about 540,000 sq km (about 210,000 sq mi), Kalimantan accounts for approximately 75 percent of Borneo’s total land area. It is partitioned into four provinces: East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, West Kalimantan, and South Kalimantan. East Kalimantan is the largest of the four provinces in terms of land area, while South Kalimantan is the smallest.

Land and Resources

Kalimantan’s landscape consists of lush and swampy lowlands, broken by heavily eroded mountain ranges (including the Muller, Schwaner, and Meratus mountains) interspersed with broad river valleys. Much of the interior is low-lying jungle, while the coastline and river delta areas are swampy. The Kapuas Hulu (Upper Kapuas) and Iran mountain ranges form the border between Kalimantan and its northern neighbors of Sarawak and Sabah.

Much of Kalimantan is drained by navigable rivers, which provide the principal means of transportation in the region. The Kapuas River originates in West Kalimantan, in the center of the island, and terminates in a large delta near Pontianak, the provincial capital. The Barito River flows through Central Kalimantan and into South Kalimantan, emptying at Banjarmasin, the capital of South Kalimantan. In East Kalimantan, the Mahakam River empties into the Makassar Strait below Samarinda, the provincial capital, and further north the Kayan River empties into the Celebes Sea at Tanjungselor.

Kalimantan has a tropical climate characterized by very high humidity. Temperatures vary with elevation. In the uplands of the north, temperatures may range from 29º C (85º F) in the daytime to 4º C (40º F) at night. In the lowlands, which account for the largest portion of Kalimantan, the daytime temperature ranges from 20º to 35º C (70º to 95º F) throughout the year. Kalimantan receives slightly less rainfall in July, August, and September than in other months. Burning off vegetation for replanting is common during this period of relative drought. A monsoon wind current creates a slightly cooler and wetter period during October and March. Rainfall averages about 3,810 mm (about 150 in) each year in most locations.

Population

At the 1990 Indonesian census, Kalimantan had a population of 9,110,000. The 1999 estimated population was about 11.4 million, indicating a population density of about 21 persons per sq km (about 55 per sq mi). West Kalimantan was the most populous province, followed by South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, and Central Kalimantan. Major population centers in the region include Banjarmasin, Pontianak, Balikpapan, and Samarinda.

Several of Kalimantan’s provinces have government-run transmigration programs, in which families voluntarily relocate from Indonesia’s heavily populated areas, such as Java, to less populated islands. These programs are intended to relieve population pressures in urban areas and spread the benefits of economic growth to the country’s rural areas.

The ethnic makeup of Kalimantan, as of the rest of Indonesia, is quite varied. The Dayak, an indigenous people, represent the predominant ethnic group in East, Central, and West Kalimantan. In recent years, immigrants from Banjarmasin (in South Kalimantan), Bugis (in South Sulawesi), and Java, drawn by a rich resource-based economy, have added to the population of East Kalimantan. In South Kalimantan, ethnic Banjarese represent the largest group. The urban areas of all four provinces also have considerable minority populations of Chinese, Javanese, and Sumatrans. A variety of languages, including Dayak and Banjarese, exist among the region’s indigenous groups. Dialects of Malay, Chinese, and Javanese are spoken by the nonindigenous peoples.

The Dayak religion—an ancient religion that includes an elaborate mythology and ritual order—is the dominant religion in Kalimantan. The religion recognizes a principal deity who is believed to have created the world. Other deities are responsible for such matters as weather and agriculture. The influence of Christian missionaries, which began as early as 1835, has produced a Christian following in Kalimantan. Islam is also practiced in the region, particularly in its urban areas.

Educational institutions in Kalimantan include Tanjungpura University (founded in 1959) in Pontianak, Lambung Mangkurat University (1958) in Banjarmasin, and Mulawarman University (1962) in Samarinda. Museum Negeri Kalimantan Barat (West Kalimantan Museum), located in Pontianak, has exhibits on local history and ethnography.

Economy

The economy of Kalimantan is based largely on natural resources, particularly those found in the province of East Kalimantan. The province is among the richest areas of Indonesia in natural resources, especially oil, liquefied natural gas (LNG), and timber. Oil and natural gas revenues dropped in the 1980s as a result of market decline. Although there was some recovery of prices in the early 1990s, other exports, such as fertilizer, coal, frozen prawns, white pepper, and rattan, have become more important. The economy of West Kalimantan is based on wood products, especially plywood, as well as rubber and seafood. Agricultural performance has been weak in this province. The economy of Central Kalimantan is based largely on timber processing; fishing; and the cultivation of crops, including cassava, rubber, and oil palm. South Kalimantan is predominantly agricultural.

Kalimantan is Indonesia’s most important area for gem production. Diamond mining and processing are important in South Kalimantan. Agate, amethyst, tiger eye, topaz, gold, and iron are mined in other areas.

Although the road network of Kalimantan has been gradually improved and expanded, the pattern of roads is still highly fragmented and of marginal quality. Whereas good roads are in place around and between the largest cities, there are no roads in much of the interior and rural areas. Rivers remain the principal means of travel in Kalimantan. A variety of crafts haul passengers and freight between the coastal ports and interior locations. Airports, located in the region’s major cities, are served by the government-owned Merpati Nusantara Airlines and several small independent airlines.

History

During much of its history, Kalimantan was heavily influenced by trade with other peoples. In ancient times, the region’s inhabitants traded sandalwood, camphor, rhinoceros horn, and precious metals for ceramics and glass beads from China and India. In the 15th and 16th centuries, missionaries from Java brought the religion of Islam to the region’s coastal areas. Islamic sultans formed small states with trade ties to the Islamic ports on the north coast of Java.

Beginning with Spanish explorer Ferdinand Magellan, Europeans began to arrive on Borneo in the 16th century. In the mid-19th century the British government gained control of the north part of the island (now Sarawak and Sabah). Soon afterwards, the Dutch acquired administrative control over coastal sultanates throughout present-day Kalimantan.

The Dutch remained in power until 1942, when Japan occupied the area during World War II. Japanese occupation lasted until 1945, when the American invasion of the Philippines (begun in October 1944) dislodged the Japanese from Borneo. Japan surrendered to the Allies, and local leaders declared an independent Republic of Indonesia. After attempting to regain control of the area, the Dutch government transferred sovereignty of southern Borneo to the Indonesian republic at the end of 1949. The Indonesian government carved Kalimantan into provinces in the late 1950s, and the region gradually underwent a resource-driven course of development.

Source:encarta.msn.com