North Kalimantan
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North Kalimantan () is a
province of Indonesia Provinces are the first-level administrative divisions of Indonesia. They were formerly called first-level provincial regions (), before the Reform era. Provinces have a local government, consisting of a governor () and a regional legislativ ...
. It is located on the northernmost of
Kalimantan Kalimantan (; ) is the Indonesian portion of the island of Borneo. It constitutes 73% of the island's area, and consists of the provinces of Central Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, and West Kalimantan. The non-Ind ...
, the Indonesian part of 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 ...
. North Kalimantan borders the
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
n states of
Sabah Sabah () is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia located in northern Borneo, in the region of East Malaysia. Sabah has land borders with the Malaysian state of Sarawak to the southwest and Indonesia's North Kalima ...
to the north and
Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...
to the west, and by the Indonesian province of
East Kalimantan East Kalimantan (Indonesian language, Indonesian: ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo/Kalimantan. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census (within the cu ...
to the south.
Tanjung Selor Tanjung Selor is the capital of both the North Kalimantan province in Indonesia, and of the Bulungan Regency. It is among those provincial capitals in Indonesia that as of 2025 does not yet have city status, together with Mamuju in West Sula ...
serves as the capital of the province, while
Tarakan Tarakan is an island and co-extensively the sole city within the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is the largest urban area in North Kalimantan population-wise and is located in northern Borneo, midway along the coast of ...
is the largest city and the financial centre. Formed on 25 October 2012, North Kalimantan was separated from the province of East Kalimantan to reduce development disparity and Malaysia's influence over the territory. North Kalimantan covers 70,650.73 square kilometres and consists of four regencies and one
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
. It had a population of 524,656 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 701,784 at the 2020 Census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. making it at that time the least populous province in Indonesia, until the subsequent creation in 2022 of the new provinces of
South Papua South Papua, officially the South Papua Province (), is an Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province located in the southern portion of Western New Guinea, Papua, following the borders of the Papuan customary region of Anim Ha. Formally establ ...
(which became the new least populous province), West Papua and
Southwest Papua Southwest Papua (; ) is the 38th provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia to be created, and was split off from West Papua (province), West Papua on 8 December 2022. Despite being named "southwest", this is actually a misnomer and this prov ...
. The official estimate as at mid 2023 was 746,201 people (comprising 391,845 males and 353,356 females).Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Kalimantan Utara Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.65) Most of the province is sparsely populated.


History

North Kalimantan is the territory of the
Sultanate of Bulungan The Sultanate of Bulungan (, ) was a former independent sultanate and later a special territory of Indonesia located in the then existing Bulungan Regency (at that time covering all the territory that now comprises the North Kalimantan province ...
, which was founded by a group of coastal Kayan. Around the 16th century, a Kayan princess called, Asung Luwan, married a visiting nobleman from
Brunei Brunei, officially Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with ...
, called Datuk Mencang. From this line a princely state was established, centered in
Tanjung Selor Tanjung Selor is the capital of both the North Kalimantan province in Indonesia, and of the Bulungan Regency. It is among those provincial capitals in Indonesia that as of 2025 does not yet have city status, together with Mamuju in West Sula ...
, which had territory of Bulungan, Tana Tidung, Malinau, Nunukan, Tarakan, and some part of Sabah. Bulungan was a vassal of Berau, which in turn was a vassal of Kingdom of Kutai. During subsequent wars, the territory fell into the hands of Brunei and after agreements were made with the Sultanate of Sulu, the territory officially came under Sulu control. In 1777, the royal family converted to Islam, with the king Wira Amir changing his name to Aji Muhammad, and title to Sultan Amirul Mukminin. In 1853, The Dutch signed a Politiek Contract to impose their sovereignty over the Bulungan kingdom, Sulu was not able to respond as it was also in a war with Spain. Then in 1881, the
British North Borneo Company The North Borneo Chartered Company (NBCC), also known as the British North Borneo Company (BNBC), was a British chartered company formed on 1 November 1881 to administer and exploit the resources of North Borneo (present-day Sabah in Malaysia ...
(BNBC) was formed, placing North Borneo (present-day Sabah) under British jurisdiction, and claiming the region of Tawau. While under Dutch control, the sultan was forced to hand over control of the Bahau river, Pujungan river, and Apo Kayan. After long negotiation with the British, the Dutch recognised the British borders in 1915 which became modern the border between Sabah and North Kalimantan. During
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 ...
, the Japanese occupying forces had an agreements with
Bulungan Bulungan Regency, formerly known as Bulongan, is a Regencies of Indonesia, regency of North Kalimantan Province in Indonesia. It covers an area of 13,181.92 km2 and had a population of 112,663 at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, ...
in which they shared natural resources and in exchange the region largely escaped the Romusha system.


Bultiken Tragedy

In 1963, during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation, the
Sultanate of Bulungan The Sultanate of Bulungan (, ) was a former independent sultanate and later a special territory of Indonesia located in the then existing Bulungan Regency (at that time covering all the territory that now comprises the North Kalimantan province ...
's position on the formation of Malaysia was ambiguous. In April 1964, it was reported that a document was found proving the ties between Bulungan aristocracy and Malaysia and in conflict would support the formation of Malaysia and in turn join Malaysia. On 24 April 1964, leader of regional military commands Mulawarman, Brigadier General Soeharjo ordered the capture and killing of Bulungan aristocracy. On 2 July 1964, Lt B. Simatupang and Captain Buntaran were received cordially by the Sultan of Bulungan. By 3 July 1964, the palace was invaded by units of Brawijaya 517, the palace was burned and looted, and members of the royal family killed. According to Burhan Djabier in his 1991 book, ''East Kalimantan: The Decline of a Commercial Aristocracy'', the central TNI leadership did not act or replace him because, Brigadier General Soeharjo was a known leftist and politically connected. Most leftists and the PKI were hostile to royals causing parallels the
East Sumatra revolution The East Sumatra revolution, also known as the East Sumatra social revolution (), began on 3 March 1946. Across 25 "native states", many sultanates were overthrown and mass killing of members of the aristocratic families were performed by arme ...
. This is also the position of the sultanate, as according to Dato' Seri Pangeran Sanusi Hussin, the PKI was responsible for the burning of the royal palace and ethnic cleansing. The surviving royal family fled and became citizens of Malaysia. In 2017, the royal family announced that they were in the process of becoming Indonesian citizens.


Transport

Tarakan Airport also known as
Juwata International Airport Juwata Airport is a domestic airport serving Tarakan, the largest city in North Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the island of Tarakan off the coast of Borneo, the airport lies approximately 3.5 km from the city center and is the largest and bus ...
on the eponymous island serves the province, as well as an international ferry port with services to Malaysia from
Tawau Tawau (), formerly known as Tawao, is the capital of the Tawau District in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the third-largest city (or town)While Tawau have a population of more than 100,000 of which is considered city elsewhere in the world it is offic ...
. There are no international land crossings – entrance into the mainland of the province is by ferry from Tarakan or by road from the south. Large stretches of the roads in this province are of unpaved muddy ditches. The airport area and runway is also shared with Suharnoko Harbani Air Force Base, a Type A airbase of the TNI-AU (Indonesian Air Force). The airbase is named after the former Minister of Industry of Indonesia, Suharnoko Harbani, who was also formerly an Air Force officer. Formed in 2006, the establishment of this air base is essentially part of the strategy and efforts to realize the defense of the country from the potential and development of threats that will threaten the Indonesia as well as the organization's demands from the Air Force Operations Command II in
Makassar Makassar ( ), formerly Ujung Pandang ( ), is the capital of the Indonesian Provinces of Indonesia, province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, ...
to facilitate control of its duties. Before the formation of the Air Base, there was already an Indonesian Air Force post which was under the Balikpapan Air Force Base but due to the development of situation and tension with Malaysia in
Ambalat Ambalat is a sea block in the Celebes sea located off the east coast of Borneo. It lies to the south-east of the Malaysian state of Sabah and to the east of the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan, and it is the subject of a territorial dis ...
, the leadership of the Air Force decided to form a new airbase. Due to the airport is used both by military and civil aviation, so the apron is also used together. In July 2014, the airport authority initials to build 183 meters taxiway to the military apron which can accommodate 4 Sukhoi and 2 Hercules together and the project is predicted to be finished in December 2014. The Trans-Kalimantan Highway (Jalan Trans Kalimantan) was finished at early 2019 under the administration of President
Joko Widodo Joko Widodo (; born 21 June 1961), often known mononymously as Jokowi, is an Indonesian politician, engineer, and businessman who served as the seventh president of Indonesia from 2014 to 2024. Previously a member of the Indonesian Democratic ...
. The route connects
Pontianak Pontianak, also known as Khuntien in Teochew and Hakka, is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.21 km2 in the delta of the Kapuas R ...
,
West Kalimantan West Kalimantan () is a province of Indonesia. It is one of five Indonesian provinces comprising Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital and largest city is Pontianak. It is bordered by East Kalimantan and Central ...
with
Tanjung Selor Tanjung Selor is the capital of both the North Kalimantan province in Indonesia, and of the Bulungan Regency. It is among those provincial capitals in Indonesia that as of 2025 does not yet have city status, together with Mamuju in West Sula ...
, the capital city of North Kalimantan.


Government and administrative divisions

North Kalimantan is divided into four regencies (''kabupaten'') and one city (''kota''), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, ''Provinsi Kalimantan Utara Dalam Angka 2024'' (Katalog-BPS 1102001.65) The province now forms one of Indonesia's 84 national electoral districts to elect members to the
People's Representative Council The House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (, DPR-RI or simply DPR) is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), the national legislature of Indonesia. It is considered the lower house, while th ...
. The North Kalimantan Electoral District consists of all of the 4 regencies in the province, together with the city of Tarakan, and elects 3 members to the People's Representative Council.Law No. 7/2017 (''UU No. 7 Tahun 2017'') as amended by Government Regulation in Lieu of Law No. 1/2022 and Regulation of General Elections Commission No. 6/2023.


Demographics


Ethnicity

Ethnic groups in North Kalimantan consists of Malays, Dayaks, and Javanese (predominantly), with a significant population of the Tidung, Bulungan, Bajau, Bugis, Suluk, Banjarese, Murut, Lun Bawang / Lun Dayeh, and the other ethnic groups which exist in the province.


Religion

According to the 2020 census, 507,780 people are
Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
, 137,540 are Protestants, 42,260 are Roman Catholics, 4,165 follow Buddhism, 344 are Hindus, 151 are Confucians and 11 follow
folk religion Folk religion, traditional religion, or vernacular religion comprises, according to religious studies and folkloristics, various forms and expressions of religion that are distinct from the official doctrines and practices of organized religion. ...
s.


See also

* Bulungan Sultanate


References


External links

*
Kaltaraprov.go.id: official North Kalimantan website
{{Authority control 2012 establishments in Indonesia Provinces of Indonesia States and territories established in 2012 Kayan basin Sesayap basin