Pontianak, Indonesia
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Jl. Khatulistiwa, Siantan Tengah, Pontianak Utara, Kota Pontianak, Kalimantan Barat 78243, Indonesia Print route »
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Pontianak (Chinese: 坤甸, pinyin: Kūndiān, Hakka: Khuntîen, Teochew: Kung1 Diêng6, Jawi: كوت بونتياناك) ; is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded by Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie as a capital of Sultanate of Kadriyah in 23 October 1771 / 14 Rajab 1185 AH. Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie developed Pontianak as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 107.82 km² in the delta of the Kapuas River. It is located on the equator, hence it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equatorial City). The city center is less than 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the equator. Pontianak is the 26th largest city in Indonesia in terms of population, as well as the fifth largest city in the island of Borneo in terms of population after Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Kuching and Balikpapan.The city was founded as a small Malay fishing village at the bank of the Kapuas River. It then became the seat of the Pontianak Sultanate for several centuries. Pontianak was then incorporated into the Dutch East Indies after an agreement between the Pontianak Sultanate and the Dutch Government. During the colonial era, Pontianak was the seat of the Residentie Westerafdeeling van Borneo, one of the residency of the Dutch East Indies. When the Japanese occupied the Dutch East Indies, Pontianak became the site of the Pontianak massacre, in which many Malay aristocrats and sultans as well as people from other ethnic groups were massacred by the Imperial Japanese Army. After the Japanese surrendered, Pontianak became part of the Republic of Indonesia and was designated as the capital city of the province of West Kalimantan.
Pontianak is a multicultural city, as different ethnic groups such as the Dayak, Malay and Chinese lives in the city. This has created a unique culture that cannot be found in other parts of Indonesia. Different languages are spoken in Pontianak, such as Pontianak Malay, Dayak language and different dialects of Chinese.
Pontianak is connected by air to other cities of Indonesia as well as some cities in Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur and Kuching. Well paved roads connects Pontianak to other towns such as Ketapang and Singkawang as well as other provinces. As Pontianak lies on the Trans Kalimantan Highway, it is possible to travel to East Malaysia and Brunei by land by using the Trans Kalimantan Highway. Several bus operates routes from Pontianak to Kuching in Malaysia and Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei.
