Murung Raya Regency is the most northerly of the thirteen regencies (''kabupaten'') which (together with the independent city of

Palangkaraya Palangka Raya or Palangkaraya is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. The city is situated between the Kahayan and the Sabangau rivers on the island of Borneo. As of the 2020 census, the city has a popu ...

) comprise the province of

Central Kalimantan Central Kalimantan () is a provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is one of five provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of Borneo. It is the largest province in Indonesia by area since 2022, bordered by West Kalimantan to the west ...

on the island of

Borneo Borneo () is the List of islands by area, third-largest island in the world, with an area of , and population of 23,053,723 (2020 national censuses). Situated at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, it is one of the Greater Sunda ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. It was created on 10 April 2002 from the former northwestern two-thirds of the

North Barito Regency North Barito Regency () is one of the thirteen regencies which divide the Central Kalimantan Province on the island of Kalimantan, Indonesia. It originally included much more of the northern part of the province, but on 10 April 2002 the larger n ...

. The capital of the regency is the town of

Puruk Cahu Puruk Cahu (abbreviated: PRC) is the regency seat of Murung Raya Regency and also one of the towns iCentral Kalimantan This town is at a distance of 322 km northeast of Palangka Raya city, the capital of Central Kalimantan Province. The area ...

. The regency covers an area of 23,700 km² and had a population of 96,857 inhabitants at the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. (an increase from 74,050 within the current area at the previous census in 2000) and 111,527 at the 2020 census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 116,621 (comprising 60,429 males and 56,192 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kabupaten Murung Raya Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.6212)

Administrative Districts

Murung Raya Regency consists of ten

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''kecamatan''), tabulated below with their areas and population totals from the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Kabupaten Murung Raya Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.6212) The 2020 figures for the districts are rounded to the nearest 100 people. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of

administrative village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban village ...

s in each district (a total of 116 rural ''desa'' and 9 urban ''kelurahan''), and its postal codes. Notes: (a) includes the ''kelurahan'' of Muara Bakanon and Tumbang Lahung. (b) includes the ''kelurahan'' of Beriwit and Puruk Cahu.
(c) includes the ''kelurahan'' of Batu Bua I, Muara Laung I and Muara Tuhup. (d) includes the ''kelurahan'' of Saripoi. (e) includes the ''kelurahan'' of Tumbang Kunyi.

Geography

The regency has an area of 23,700 km² and lies between 114°27'00 to 115°49'00 East longitude and 0°58'30 North latitude to 1°26'00 South latitude. It occupies the valleys and foothills of the southern and eastern slopes of the Müller Mountains, and rises to 1730 m at Mount Lesung on its northern border. Most of the

riverine A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of its course if it run ...

area lies at an altitude of 100 to 200 m above sea level while the foothills are mostly at an altitude of 400–500 m. The Betikap and Sepathawung valleys, in the northwest part of the regency have been declared protected areas for

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genus ...

s. The Tumbang Topus caves have been the source of discovery of a number of new species.

Economy

Most of the population lives along rivers and relies on them for transportation, food, and agriculture. Aside from the predominant subsistence fishing and farming, the biggest contributors to the economy are forestry and mining. Timber, including high value trees such as Ulin (''Eusideroxylon zwageri'') and Meranti (genus ''Shorea''), has been commercially extracted since the 1920s, while the mining sector, such as gold and tin mining, has developed since

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. In the 1990s coal exploration began, and in the 2000s the Haju coal mine started to be developed.Staff (13 September 2007
"PT Lahai Coal Investing US$68 mln in Haju Block, C Kalimantan"
''AsiaPulse News''

Climate

Puruk Cahu, the seat of the regency has a

tropical rainforest climate A tropical rainforest climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southeast Florida, United States ...

(Af) with heavy to very heavy rainfall year-round.

Notes

External links

* {{Kalimantan Tengah Regencies of Central Kalimantan 2002 establishments in Indonesia Barito basin