Pontianak, Indonesia

This article is about the city in West Kalimantan, Indonesia. For the supernatural being from Indonesian folklore, see Pontianak (folklore). For other uses, see Pontianak (disambiguation).
Kota Pontianak
City
Other transcription(s)

Seal
Nickname(s): Equatorial City
Motto: Pontianak Bersinar
Kota Pontianak

Location of Pontianak in Indonesia

Coordinates: 0°0′N 109°20′E / 0.000°N 109.333°E / 0.000; 109.333
Country Indonesia
Province West Kalimantan
Established 23 October 1771
Government
 • Mayor Sutarmidji, SH, MHum
Area
 • Total 107.82 km2 (41.63 sq mi)
Elevation 0 m (0 ft)
Population (2014)
 • Total 573,751
 • Density 5,300/km2 (14,000/sq mi)
Time zone WIB (UTC+7)
Area code(s) +62 561
Website www.pontianakkota.go.id
Pontianak, Indonesia
Chinese 坤甸

Kota Pontianak is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded by Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie as a capital of Sultanate of Kadriyah ( Kesultanan Kadriyah ) in 23 Oktober 1771 / 24 Rajab 1181 Hijriah. 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 precisely on the equator, hence it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equatorial City). The city center is actually less than 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the equator.

History

The city was formerly the capital of the independent Sultanate of Pontianak and was founded on 23 October 1771 around an old trading station on the Borneo coast. It is built on swampy ground that is subjected to regular flooding by the river, requiring buildings to be constructed on piles to keep them off the ground. Pontianak name refers to a story about ghosts that people in West Kalimantan refers to as Kuntilanak (a ferocious female ghost), it was a ghosts nest until Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie and his Army fought and extruded ghosts who attacked his group. then, He build a Mosque and a palace, exactly on the location of the ghosts nest, and settled. The Mosque and The palace is become the first building in Pontianak City

Education

There are colleges and universities operated by both state institutions as well as private and religious institutions. The University of Tanjung Pura, a state university, was established in Pontianak in 1963. Other universities are maintained by private institutions: Muhammadiyah University, University of Widya Dharma, University of Panca Bhakti, STMIK (Sekolah tinggi Manajemen Informatika dan Komputer), State Islamic college (STAIN), POLNEP (Politeknik Negeri Pontianak), AKBID St Benedicta, etc.

Demographics

Pontianak street view

The 2010 census enumerated Pontianak's population at 554,764; the latest official estimate (from January 2014) is 573,751.[1] Pontianak is a diverse and multicultural city. Its population mainly consists of Malays (which are native to the city), Bugis, Javanese, Minangkabau, Dayak and Chinese, mainly Teochew and Hakka that came to Pontianak from their origins in Chaoshan region in the Guangdong province of Southern China.

Language

The native language and main lingua franca of the city is Pontianak Malay, a distinct variety of Malay that is closely related to Sarawak Malay in neighbouring Sarawak, Malaysia as well as Johor-Riau Malay in Malaysia, Riau and Riau Islands in Indonesia and Singapore. The main differences between Pontianak Malay and Indonesian is that they use "Kamek" instead of "Kami" and "Kitak" instead of "Kita". However, many people in the city also use Indonesian as their second language. Other ethnic groups like the Chinese, Dayaks and others mainly use their respective languages.

Transportation

The most popular mode of transport is motorbike. Public transport includes minivans (local: opelet) and human-powered becaks (three-wheel pedicabs). There are some city buses serving certain routes only. Intercity buses take passengers to other nearby cities (2, 3, to 10 or more hours of travel), and even to Kuching, a city in Malaysia. Road transportation to Malaysia and Brunei is possible via Jalan Trans-Kalimantan(Jalan Lintas Kalimantan) to Tebedu in Sarawak.

Transportation to other parts of Indonesia is mainly via Supadio Airport. There are more than 10 flights every day connecting Pontianak and Jakarta. There are also flights from and to Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Batam, Kuching, and Kuala Lumpur. Sea transport connects Pontianak to Jakarta, Semarang, Cirebon, and some other cities, including regional cities such as Ketapang in the southern part of West Kalimantan.

Climate

Pontianak features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification (Af). The city experiences a large amount of rainfall throughout the year, averaging 3,210 mm (126 in) of precipitation annually. Only in the month of August does the average monthly precipitation fall below 200 mm (7 7⁄8 in). Temperatures are consistent throughout the course of the year, with average high temperatures of 30 °C (86 °F) and average low temperatures of 23 °C (73 °F).

Climate data for Pontianak
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 32.4
(90.3)		 32.7
(90.9)		 32.9
(91.2)		 33.2
(91.8)		 33.0
(91.4)		 33.2
(91.8)		 32.9
(91.2)		 33.4
(92.1)		 32.6
(90.7)		 32.6
(90.7)		 32.2
(90)		 32.0
(89.6)		 32.7
(90.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 27.6
(81.7)		 27.7
(81.9)		 28.0
(82.4)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.2
(82.8)		 28.2
(82.8)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.9
(82.2)		 27.6
(81.7)		 27.7
(81.9)		 27.4
(81.3)		 27.2
(81)		 27.7
(81.9)
Average low °C (°F) 22.7
(72.9)		 22.6
(72.7)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.2
(73.8)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.1
(73.6)		 22.5
(72.5)		 22.3
(72.1)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.8
(73)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.4
(72.3)		 22.7
(72.9)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 260
(10.24)		 215
(8.46)		 254
(10)		 292
(11.5)		 256
(10.08)		 212
(8.35)		 201
(7.91)		 180
(7.09)		 295
(11.61)		 329
(12.95)		 400
(15.75)		 302
(11.89)		 3,196
(125.83)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) 15 13 21 22 20 18 16 25 14 27 25 22 238
Source: World Meteorological Organization (UN)[2]

Administrative divisions

Pontianak City parliament building

Pontianak City comprises six administrative districts (kecamatan), listed below with their populations at the 2010 Census:[3]

Tourism

The cultural diversity in Pontianak presents various events throughout the Year. The Chinese celebrates Lunar New Year, Cap Go Meh (Lantern Festival, which falls on the fifteenth day of the first month of lunar calendar), and Cheng Beng (Tomb Sweeping Festival, on first day of the fifth solar term of lunar calendar). The Dayak People celebrates harvest or locally known as Gawai Dayak. These events are usually marked with extravagant cultural parades around the city.

The equatorial line passing Pontianak is marked by an Equatorial Monument north of the city center. Between March 21 - 23 (spring solstice) and September 21 - 23 (autumn solstice), solar culmination can be observed near the Equatorial Monument, where the declination of the Sun will be exactly at 0° at noon (12:00), causing shadow of the Monument and everything nearby to disappear for a few seconds.[4]

Sister cities

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://kalbar.bps.go.id/tabel/Tabel%204%20Penduduk.htm
  2. ↑ "Weather Information for Pontianak".
  3. ↑ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  4. ↑ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/03/21/solar-phenomenon-casts-no-shadows.html
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