A. FORMATION
West Kalimantan Province was formed based on Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 25 of 1956 concerning the Establishment of the Autonomous Regions of West Kalimantan, South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan Provinces.
B. HISTORY OF THE ESTABLISHMENT OF WEST KALIMANTAN PROVINCE
During the Dutch East Indies government, based on the Governor General’s Decree contained in STB 1938 Number 352, among other things, it regulated and stipulated that the administrative capital of the Borneo Government was located in Banjarmasin, divided into two Residents, one of which was Residentie Westerafdeeling Van Borneo with the capital being Pontianak, led by a Resident. On January 1 1957 West Kalimantan officially became an independent province on the island of Kalimantan, based on Law Number 25 of 1956 dated December 7 1956. This law also became the basis for the formation of two other provinces on the largest island in the archipelago. The two provinces are South Kalimantan and East Kalimantan.
C. SOCIAL COMMUNITY
The West Kalimantan area is inhabited by indigenous Dayak people and various ethnic groups. The large dominant ethnic groups are Dayak, Malay and Chinese, which exceed 90% of the population of West Kalimantan. Apart from that, there are also other ethnic groups, including Bugis, Javanese, Madurese, Minangkabau, Sundanese, Batak and others whose numbers are below 10%.
The language generally used by the people of West Kalimantan is Indonesian. Apart from that, there are also regional languages that are also widely used, such as Malay, various types of Dayak languages. According to research by the Dayakology Institute, there are 188 dialects spoken by the Dayak tribe and Chinese languages such as Tiochiu and Khek/hakka. The Malay language in West Kalimantan consists of several types, including Pontianak Malay, Sanggau Malay and Sambas Malay. Pontianak Malay itself has an accent that is almost similar to Malaysian Malay and Riau Malay.
D. GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
West Kalimantan Province is located between 2o 06′ North Latitude – 3o 05′ South Latitude and 108o – 114o 10 East Longitude with an area of 146,807 km2 (14.68 million Ha). It stretches from north to south for 600 km and from east to west for 850 km.
In terms of area, West Kalimantan Province is one of the fourth largest provinces after Papua, East Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan. The West Kalimantan region is one of the areas that can be nicknamed the “Thousand Rivers” province. This nickname is in line with the geographical conditions which have hundreds of large and small rivers, some of which are often navigable. Until now, several large rivers are still the arteries and main routes for transportation in inland areas, even though land road infrastructure can reach most of the sub-districts. Even though a small part of West Kalimantan is sea, West Kalimantan has dozens of large and small islands spread along the Karimata Strait and Natuna Sea which borders the Riau Province.
Administratively, the West Kalimantan Province has its capital in Pontianak, which consists of 14 (fourteen) districts and cities, approximately 1.13 times the size of the island of Java, with the boundaries:
1) To the west it borders the Karimata Strait and the Natuna Sea;
2) To the east it borders Sarawak and East Kalimantan Province;
3) To the south it borders Central Kalimantan and the Java Sea;
4) To the north it borders Sarawak/Malaysia and East Kalimantan.
E. ADDRESS
Local government :
Jl. Ahmad. Yani Pontianak
Tel. 0561- 736541, Fax. 0561 – 732025 / 749703
Inspectorate/Superintendent :
Jl. Sutan Syahrir No. 3 Pontianak
Tel. 0561- 760280, Fax. 0561 – 760281
DPRD :
Jl. General Ahmad Yani Pontianak
Tel 0561- 711404, Fax. 0561- 712405