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West Kalimantan is a
unique destination to visit Indonesia. Pontainak,
located directly
across the equator and the main gateway into
the province of West Kalimantan is the
famous provincial capital city of West
Kalimantan. This rapidly
developing and surprisingly large city was
founded in 1771 by Syarif Abdul Rahman Al-Kadri
of Saudi Arabia and is now a bustling economic
hub as well as home to a sizable university and
a giant indoor sports stadium. There are many
famous tourist attractions in Pontainak. Canals crisscross
the city and one of Indonesia's longest rivers,
the Kapuas River at 1,143 kilometers long divides the town in
two, providing an essential and historical
communications link. Like Java and Sumatra, West
Kalimantan was once an important cultural
crossroads and there are many famous tourist
attractions in West Kalimantan.
Hinduism reached
West Kalimantan by about the year 400 and
evidence of both early Hindu and Buddhist
civilizations in the region have been
discovered. Stone carvings and ceramics can be
traced as far back as the 5th century, but it is
the influence of Islam that has had the most
impact on this region many places of interest in
West Kalimantan has religious connotations. The advent of Islam
in West Kalimantan occurred at about the same
time as the rise of the first Islamic Kingdom in Aceh in the 15th century and was introduced
primarily from South Sumatra and North
Kalimantan, and the country of Brunei. Islam was
rapidly embraced and various kingdoms grew in
strength and power particularly because of
Kalimantan's strategic importance along trade
routes to China and the Philippines.
West Kalimantan
covers an area of over 146,807 square kilometers, which is
rich in a variety of minerals and precious
stones and remains largely unexplored. Coastal
area are mainly swamp lands with more than 100
rivers sculpting the flat plains, but in the
mountainous eastern parts of the province, away
from the city and plains, there are many Dayak
villages. The Dayaks have
ancient traditions and beliefs which are
expressed in various forms, earlobes elongated
by heavy earrings, tattoos intricate paintings,
designs and carvings and wonderful dances of
respect, heroism, welcome and cure. A large
Chinese population, Malays and other Indonesian
ethnic groups account for the rest of the
inhabitants of the province. West Kalimantan is
easily accessible from Jakarta or Singapore by
air and boat and by land journeys provide a
rare opportunity to see the interior of one of
the world's largest and richest islands.
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