Kalimantan, Indonesia
Geography
Kalimantan, being one of the main islands of the Indonesian archipelago,
comprises roughly the southern three-quarters of the equatorial island
of Borneo – the third-largest island in the world after Greenland and
New Guinea. The northern part belongs to Malaysia and the small
Sultanate of Brunei.
Kalimantan covers around 539.460 sq km and makes up more than a quarter of Indonesia’s territory, yet holds only 5% of the country’s population. It is administratively divided into four provinces, each with its own enchanting characteristic – East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.
With an interior which is clad in rugged rain forests and laced with mighty rivers – among them Indonesia’s longest: the Kapuas (1143 km), the Mahakam (650 km), and the Barito (890 km) – it excites the imagination and makes a unique travel experience for the visitor.
For along time Kalimantan was favored only by the fearsome Dayak headhunters, its rivers their roads, its mountains the abode of their dead souls awaiting rebirth.
People
About ten million people dwell in Kalimantan, the majority – predominately Chinese and Malay – living near the coastal areas. Because of the island’s vast coastal swamplands, cultivation is difficult and the urban dwellers of Kalimantan usually live by trading or working in service or manufacturing industries.
Dayak is a collective name for the 200 or so different tribes that comprise the island’s native peoples. Living inland along the banks of major rivers and tributaries, they make up almost half of the territory’s population. Each tribe has its own tribal name and speaks its own language
Flora and fauna
Kalimantan’s most precious resource is its forests. Soaring trees,
tangled lianas, thorny rattans, strangling figs and cascades of delicate
orchids are among the myriad colorful threads that combine to form the
exotic tapestry of Kalimantan’s rainforests. Home to more than 11.000
species of flowering plants, a third of them endemic, and around 4,000
species of tree, Kalimantan gives the term ‘biodiversity’ a meaning. The
territory is also the origin for several tropical fruit tress such as
the mango, the breadfruit or the durian – the King of fruits.
Kalimantan’s wildlife is no less varied with almost 500 species of birds and more than 200 land mammals: ranging from the splendid peacock-tailed Argus pheasant to tiny birds such as the pitta, from pesut or fresh water dolphin in Mahakam River to the most unusual primates – bekantan or proboscis monkey, and orangutan. The latter is specially protected and provided with an orangutan rehabilitation center in Central Kalimantan.
Transportation
Since the greater part of the land consists of forest and rivers, the main transportation in Kalimantan is by means of small boats/water-taxis. On-land transportation in Kalimantan is by means of public buses, taxis, or becak. Klotok ambulance is a small boat equipped with medical facilities for the health service in the hinterland in South Kalimantan Motor-vehicles are used for in-town transportation or connecting the cities with their vicinities/suburbs located nearby.
Accomodation
In the major cities, inns and luxurious hotels are available. In small towns, usually local losmen (like an inn) can be found. However, entertainment and restaurants of international standards can be found only in the big cities’ luxurious hotels.
Geography
Kalimantan, being one of the main islands of the Indonesian archipelago,
comprises roughly the southern three-quarters of the equatorial island
of Borneo – the third-largest island in the world after Greenland and
New Guinea. The northern part belongs to Malaysia and the small
Sultanate of Brunei.Kalimantan covers around 539.460 sq km and makes up more than a quarter of Indonesia’s territory, yet holds only 5% of the country’s population. It is administratively divided into four provinces, each with its own enchanting characteristic – East Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and West Kalimantan.
With an interior which is clad in rugged rain forests and laced with mighty rivers – among them Indonesia’s longest: the Kapuas (1143 km), the Mahakam (650 km), and the Barito (890 km) – it excites the imagination and makes a unique travel experience for the visitor.
For along time Kalimantan was favored only by the fearsome Dayak headhunters, its rivers their roads, its mountains the abode of their dead souls awaiting rebirth.
People
About ten million people dwell in Kalimantan, the majority – predominately Chinese and Malay – living near the coastal areas. Because of the island’s vast coastal swamplands, cultivation is difficult and the urban dwellers of Kalimantan usually live by trading or working in service or manufacturing industries.
Dayak is a collective name for the 200 or so different tribes that comprise the island’s native peoples. Living inland along the banks of major rivers and tributaries, they make up almost half of the territory’s population. Each tribe has its own tribal name and speaks its own language
Flora and fauna
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| Singkawang, West Kalimantan |
Kalimantan’s wildlife is no less varied with almost 500 species of birds and more than 200 land mammals: ranging from the splendid peacock-tailed Argus pheasant to tiny birds such as the pitta, from pesut or fresh water dolphin in Mahakam River to the most unusual primates – bekantan or proboscis monkey, and orangutan. The latter is specially protected and provided with an orangutan rehabilitation center in Central Kalimantan.
Transportation
Since the greater part of the land consists of forest and rivers, the main transportation in Kalimantan is by means of small boats/water-taxis. On-land transportation in Kalimantan is by means of public buses, taxis, or becak. Klotok ambulance is a small boat equipped with medical facilities for the health service in the hinterland in South Kalimantan Motor-vehicles are used for in-town transportation or connecting the cities with their vicinities/suburbs located nearby.
Accomodation
In the major cities, inns and luxurious hotels are available. In small towns, usually local losmen (like an inn) can be found. However, entertainment and restaurants of international standards can be found only in the big cities’ luxurious hotels.
