Kalimantan is the name generally given to the Indonesian part of Borneo, the third-largest island in the world. Borneo is divided among three nations. In the north are two states belonging to Malaysia—Sarawak and Sabah—and the small independent state of Brunei. The remaining three-quarters of the island consists of the four Indonesian provinces of Kalimantan. The four provinces are Kalimantan Barat (West Kalimantan), Kalimantan Selatan (South Kalimantan), Kalimantan Tengah (Central Kalimantan), and Kalimantan Timur (East Kalimantan).
Kalimantan occupies an area of 208,287 square miles (539,460 square kilometers). It lies on the equator, which passes through Pontianak. The southeast monsoon blows from May to September, and the northeast monsoon from November to March.
The land is mainly low-lying. Dense tropical rain forest covers about 90 percent of the land area. The highest peak entirely in Kalimantan is Bukit Raya, which rises 7,474 feet (2,278 meters) above sea level on the boundary between Kalimantan Barat and Kalimantan Tengah. Kalimantan’s largest rivers include the Sungai Barito, the Sungai Kapuas, and the Sungai Kahayan. The Sungai Mahakam is navigable.
The main population groups live around Pontianak, Banjarmasin, and around the coastal areas from Balikpapan to Samarinda. The Dayaks live in sparsely populated areas near rivers. Most recent arrivals have settled in the coastal areas. Bugis and other immigrants from Sulawesi live mainly in Kalimantan Timur, with the Iban, Kayan, and other Indigenous (native) peoples. In the west, there are Malay immigrants from Sumatra and Malaysia. In Kalimantan Tengah, there are Dayaks and Chinese settlers. The people living around Banjarmasin are largely of Malay descent. The main faiths are Islam, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism. Many of the people living upriver follow local religions. The main languages are dialects of Malay, Dayak, and Chinese.
Kalimantan produces a number of forest products, including teak, ebony, copra (dried coconut meat), resins, and rattans. However, the rate of felling is a serious threat to the forests. The main agricultural products are corn, peanuts, and rice. Plantation crops include cloves, coconuts, coffee, pepper, and rubber. Among domestic animals are buffaloes, cattle, goats, and horses. Bears, deer, orangutans, porcupines, snakes, and wild boar live in the forests.
The main mineral products are petroleum and natural gas from onshore and offshore fields. Other mineral products are coal, diamonds, gold, and uranium.
The population has lived mostly along the coast and the river valleys, with no great inland centers. Kalimantan came under the early influence of Indian settlers. The oldest Sanskrit inscriptions in the Indonesian archipelago, seven inscriptions on stone pillars, were found in Kutai in Kalimantan Timur. Historians believe that they date from about A.D. 400. There are signs of further Indian influence in later times, and of strong influences from Java. From about 1500, Islamic merchants settled in the small kingdoms around the coast of Kalimantan, and slowly the rulers became Muslims. One of the earliest Islamic states was Brunei. It was followed by Banjar, Kutei, and others. In the early 1600’s, the Dutch began to make trading agreements in the area. They gained the monopoly of the pepper trade in Banjarmasin, and the diamond trade in Sambas.
In 1778, the Dutch also made a contract with the state of Pontianak. During the 1800’s the remaining rulers entered into trade treaties with the Dutch. Gradually the Dutch took control of all of what is now Kalimantan.
The Japanese occupied Kalimantan and the rest of Indonesia from 1942 to 1945. After World War II ended in 1945, the Dutch wanted to regain control. But when Indonesia achieved independence, Kalimantan became a province. It was later divided into four provinces.
