Pontianak, Indonesia

Encyclopedia : P : PO : PON : Pontianak, Indonesia

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Pontianak (Chinese: Khuntien) is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan. It is a medium-size industrial city located at [0°0′N 109°20′E], on the island of Borneo in Indonesia. It occupies an area of 107.82 km² in the delta of the Kapuas River, the longest river in Indonesia. It is located precisely on the Equator.

Contents

1 History
2 Economy
3 Education
4 Demographics
5 Places of interest & events
6 See also
7 External links

History

The city was formerly the capital of the independent sultanate of Pontianak and was founded in 1772 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.

Economy

Pontianak is renowned for its food and regional produce. The main industries are shipbuilding and the production of rubber, palm oil, sugar, pepper, rice and tobacco. It was formerly Borneo's main centre for gold extraction.

Education

A public university (Universitas Tanjung Pura) was established in Pontianak in 1963.

Demographics

The 2000 census put Pontianak's population at about 526,600. Pontianak is a multicultural city. It has a large minority population of Chinese alongside the majority native Indonesians. In fact, Chinese is the largest single ethnic group in the city. Most Chinese are of either Teochew or Hakka extraction. Teochew is the main lingua franca used among the Chinese and the dominant ethnic Chinese group in Pontianak. Native Indonesians are mainly Malay and Dayak people. Madurese and Javanese are also significant minorities.

Places of interest & events

The equatorial line is marked by the Equator monument, which marks the division between the northern and southern hemispheres.

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Shopping malls available include Mal Matahari, Mal Gajahmada, Mal Ramayana Pontianak, Megamal A Yani. Older shopping centres mostly established in the 1980s include Khatulistiwa Plaza, Nusa Indah and Kapuas Plaza.

Restaurants available include KFC fast food chain with 3 outlets, Pizza Hut at Mal Gajahmada, Texas Fried Chicken, California Fried Chicken, American Restaurant next to Hotel Gajahmada and 200 metres from Hotel Santika, Italian Steak House & Hawaii Restaurant across the street from Hotel Kini, Sari Bento Japanese and Indonesian food & Gajahmada Restaurant at Teuku Umar Shop House Complex, and Istana Buah Restaurant at Jalan Gajahmada.

Pontianak's Food is like no other in the world. For an authentic taste of Pontianak's food, the place not to be missed is the food district surrounding the "Sudirman" market. Note the operating hours of dusk to 9-ish PM. Other places to check out are those along the Gajahmada road, Tanjungpura road, Pahlawan road, and Diponegoro road. The food stalls are open-air settings, and serve many authetic ethnic Chinese food. The Pontianak Chinese cuisine is unlike any Chinese food you would find in China, Thailand, Singapore, or any other Overseas Chinese outpost. The Chinese in Pontianak are, culinary-wise, well integrated, and they have introduced an indellible tropical and spicy accent to their simple Teochew and Hakka cuisine. Well-known dishes from Pontianak include Kwe Kia Theng, Bakmie Kepiting (called Yammie or Jammien in local dialect), etc.

Supermarkets and Departemental Stores include Matahari (in Mal Matahari), Supermart & Java (in Mal Gajahmada), Ramayana (in Mal Ramayana), Ligo Mitra, Kaisar, Harum Manis, Mitra Anda, Garuda Mitra and Mitra Mart. There is also a national chain hypermarket located in Megamal Ayani, Hypermart.

At the end of the Islamic fasting month of Ramadan and the Chinese celebration of Cap Go Meh (Lantern Festival) at the end of the 15-day Lunar New Year festivities, the Chinese community perform a street parade of dragon and lion dances, with the Malays and Dayaks performing their own cultural dances.

External links

[Situs Kota Khatulistiwa Pontianak] (in Indonesian)
[Pontianak Online] (in Indonesian)

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