Lying directly on the equator and serving as the main gateway into the Province of West Kalimantan is the provincial capital of Pontianak. Founded in 1771 by Syarif Abdul Rahman Al-Kadri of Saudi Arabia, the city is now a bustling economic hub as well as home to a sizeable university and a giant indoor sports stadium. Canals crisscross the city and one of Indonesia's longest rivers, the Kapuas (1143 km long), divides the town in two, providing an essential and historical communications link. Like Java and Sumatra, West Kalimantan was once an important cultural crossroads.
Hinduism reached West Kalimantan by about the year 400 and evidence of both early Hindu and Buddhist civilizations in the region have been discovered. Stone carvings and ceramics can be traced as far as the 5th century, but it is the influence of Islam that has had the most impact on this region.
The advent of Islam in West Kalimantan occurred at about the same time as the rise of the first Islamic Kingdom in Aceh in the 15th century. Islam was rapidly embraced and various kingdoms grew in strength and power, particularly because of Kalimantan's strategic importance along trade routes to China and the Philippines.
West Kalimantan covers an area of over 146.807 sq km, rich in a variety of minerals and precious stones, and remains largely unexplored. Coastal areas are mainly swamp lands with more than 100 rivers sculpting the flat plains. In the mountainous eastern parts of the province, away from the city and plains, there are many Dayak villages.
The Dayaks have ancient traditions and beliefs which are expressed in various forms; earlobes elongated by heavy earnings, tattoos, intricate paintings, designs and carvings and wonderful dances of respect, heroism, welcome cure. A large Chinese population, Malays and other Indonesian ethnic groups account for the rest of the inhabitants of the province.
West Kalimantan is easily accessible from Jakarta or Singapore by air and boat and overland journeys provide a rare opportunity to see the interior of one the world's largest and richest islands.
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