:: Central Kalimantan Travel Guides ::
Central Kalimantan
(Indonesian: Kalimantan Tengah often abbreviated to
Kalteng) is a province of Indonesia, one of four in
Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of the island of
Borneo. Its provincial capital is Palangkaraya.
The province has a population of 1.80 million (2000
census). The population grew 2.7% annually between 1990
and 2000, one of the highest provincial growth rates in
Indonesia during that time. Far more than other province
in the region, Central Kalimantan is dominated by the
Dayaks, the indigenous inhabitants of Borneo. The
province was created in the late 1950s by subdividing
South Kalimantan, in part to give the Dayak population
greater autonomy from the Muslim population in the rest
of that province.
Central Kalimantan is divided into 13 regencies:
* South Barito Regency
* East Barito Regency
* North Barito Regency
* Gunung Mas Regency
* Kapuas Regency
* Katingan Regency
* West Kotawaringin Regency
* East Kotawaringin Regency
* Lamandau Regency
* Murung Raya Regency
* Pulang Pisau Regency
* Sukamara Regency
* Seruyan Regency
and a city: * Palangkaraya
HISTORY
For centuries, big parts of Central Kalimantan were
ruled by Banjarmasin. When the Banjarese elite converted
to the islam in the early 17th century, soon the
principalties along the coast followed, and the Dayak in
the region also followed. Around 1830, the colonial rule
and the first protestant missionaries slowed down the
islamization among the Dayak.
The Dutch geologist and explorer Schwaner mapped Central
Kalimantan for the first time. Between 1841 and 1848 he
travelled over the big cities (Barito, Kahayan, Kapuas
and Katingan), and mapped the villages on the
riverbanks. The mountain range between Central
Kalimantan and West Kalimantan was later named after
him. Between 1880 and 1890, the Dutch dewatered the
southeastern part of Central Kalimantan by digging five
canals between the Kaupas, Barito and Kahayan.
After the proclamation of the Indonesian independence in
1949, the area still was Banjarmasin under control .
Conflicts rose between the traditional Dayak and the
islamic Banjarese and at the end of the 1950 the Dayak
demanded autonomy. A combination of small guerrilla
warfare and political support from Jakarta lead to the
formation of a separate province, Central Kalimantan was
born.
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