West Kalimantan

Kalimantan Barat ( German West Kalimantan ), sometimes abbreviated to Kalbar, is an Indonesian province on the island of Borneo. It lies in the southwest of the island and is bordered to the north by the Malaysian state of Sarawak.

The topography of the province is characterized by mostly flat land, higher mountains are found only along the southeast border. The coastal regions are characterized by large swamps. The Kapuas, the longest river in Indonesia, which flows through the province.

The population is made up of immigrant Javanese, Madurese and the indigenous Dayak, who live predominantly in the interior, together. In addition, there are Chinese who live mainly in the big cities. Pontianak is the capital with 515,000 inhabitants, the city Singkawang has around 100,000 inhabitants.

The main industries include oil production and copra, rubber, timber and palm oil industry. As in many other Indonesian provinces, the clearing of the forests to establish plantations represents a major ecological problem

The situation in the South China Sea and thus along the shipping route from China to India has led to numerous cultural impulses. Hinduism shaped the province since the 4th century, from the 15th century, starting from Brunei and South Sumatra, Islam spread. 1771 founded the Sultanate of Pontianak Arabic explorer in the 19th century did this under Dutch management. Since 1950, Kalimantan Barat is a province of the newly independent Indonesia.