The Equator
Monument
Come, Join and
Visit Us ! Be good Adventurer.With a population of about 300,000 Pontianak,
West Kalimantan's provincial capital, known as the city on the Equator, is a
bustling economic hub as well as the center of administration in the province.
Pontianak was initially the center of the Pontianak sultanate the last kingdom
in West Kalimantan, which was established at the same time as that of the Dutch
administration in the second half of the 18th century. The founder of the sultanate
was Syarif Abdurrahman. As the seat of the kingdom, Pontianak was founded on
October 23, 1771 on a spot covered by jungle at the mouth of the Kapuas Kecil
and Landak rivers. Pontianak has since, served as a kind of cultural gateway
through which influences from the outside reached the population of the
hinterland. People from the hinterland also come to the city and mixed with
Malays, Javanese, Chinese, Bugis and other peoples. For the Japanese, Pontianak
has a special significance because the first battle occurred in this city.
Pontianak lies on the Kapuas river where many houses are built over the water
and are connected with each other by wooden bridges. Small boats sail up and
down the river to transport people and goods from one place to another. Pontianak
is known as a producer of oranges, although the fruits are actually grown in
the Tebas district, 300 kilometers north of the city. Pontianak has some
attractive tourism objects. The city is located on the equator, at the north of
the rivers Kapuas and Landak.
The Kapuas is 1,143
kilometers long. It is the most important river in the area, and can be
navigated by small boats weighing up to 1.000 tons up to Putussibau, the
capital of the Kapuas Hulu regency, 814 kilometers from Pontianak. A small motorboat
can even go further upstream.Pontianak's links with various other cities inside
the province and outside are smooth. Air transportation is available to and
from Jakarta (381 miles), Balikpapan (456 miles), Singapore (344 miles) and
Kuching (Malaysia -118 miles). From Pontianak planes fly to various small towns
throughout West Kalimantan where airstrips exist.
The Enchanting Kapuas And The Equator
The Enchanting Kapuas and the Equator;
West Kalimantan is an important and very attractive province. It is rich in
history, culture and places of interest for the tourist. The province borders
on Sarawak, East Malaysia, to its west are the South China Sea and the Karimata
Strait. To the east is the province of Central Kalimantan and to the south the
province of South Kalimantan and the Java Sea. West Kalimantan is a big
province with total area of 146,807 square kilometers, or about one-fifth of
total land surface of Kalimantan Island, or about equal that of Java plus the
island of Madura. Most of West Kalimantan is mountainous.
There is the well-known Muller
mountain range in the east and the Schwaner mountains in the southeast. Various
valuable minerals are found on and around those mountains, such as gold,
mercury, manganese, bauxite, gypsum and kaolin. The lowland areas are found
around Sambas, Pontianak and Ketapang, the most important towns. Around these
towns are the wide lowlands and swamps. West Kalimantan has a number of
important rivers for the transportation of goods and people. However, there are
rivers that can be navigated only during the rainy season, when the water is
high. During the dry season, these rivers run empty and cannot sailed. The most
important rivers are the Kapuas, Sambas, Sekayam, Landak, Melawi and Pawan.
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