Pontianak, Indonesia

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Coordinates: 0°0′N 109°20′E
Pontianak
Motto: Pontianak the Equatorial City with the Vision to be an International Trade Center with Quality Service
Pontianak Location of Pontianak in Indonesia
Country	Indonesia
Province	West Kalimantan
Established	23 October 1771
Government
- Mayor	Buchary Abdurrahman
Area
- City	107.82 km² (41.6 sq mi)
Population (2004)
- City	516,737
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Website: www.pontianak.go.id

Pontianak is the capital of the Indonesia province of West Kalimantan. It is a medium-size industrial city located at 0°0′N 109°20′E, on the island of Borneo. 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.

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

[edit] 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.

During the Japanese occupation of 1942 to 1945, more than 21,000 people in Pontianak (including women and children) were kidnapped, tortured and massacred by Japanese troops. Japanese intelligence had become afraid ethnic Chinese were planning to start a rebellion, and were worried that people in the city had received guns and ammunition from the Chinese government.

After the end of war, the Japanese officers in Pontianak were arrested by allied troops and brought in front of an international military tribune. During the trial, it was revealed that the plan to start the rebellion did not exist and instead was only an imaginary plan created by Japanese officers who wanted to get promoted.

The massacre occurred from April 23, 1943 to June 28, 1944 and most of the victims were buried in several giant wells in Mandor (88 km from Pontianak). Allied forces occupying the area after the war found several thousand bones, and more than 60 years after the massacre, several secret graves of the victims were found in Mandor and the surrounding areas.

A monument called Makam Juang Mandor was created to commemorate this tragic event.

[edit] 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. Pontianak is also recognised for being a trade hub between overseas cities and other cities in West Kalimantan province. It has also strong trade link with the city of Kuching, Malaysia. Trading activities are centered along the Kapuas River, which range from easternmost part of West Kalimantan province to South China Sea.

[edit] Education

There are tens of primary schools and high schools operated by both state insitutions as well as private and religious institutions. The University of Tanjung Pura, a state university, was established in Pontianak in 1963. In addition to this, there are other universities maintained by private institutions, one of the most notable among them is Christianity-influenced University of Widya Dharma. However, most parents from upper-middle economic class family decide to send their children to other cities such as Jakarta, Jogjakarta, Bandung, and Surabaya, or even abroad that children will gain more qualitive education compared to that acquired in local universities.

[edit] 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 form 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 Teochew are the dominant ethnic Chinese group in Pontianak. Native Indonesians are mainly Malay and Dayak people. Madurese and Javanese are also significant minorities. Most citizens of Pontianak use Malay accent of Indonesian, which is somewhat similar to that used in Malaysia.

[edit] Places of interest & events

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

Shopping malls available include Mal Matahari, Mal Gajahmada (Supermart), Mal Ramayana Pontianak, Megamal A Yani, Ligo Mitra, Kaisar, Harum Manis, Mitra Anda, Garuda Mitra and Mitra Mart. There is also a national chain hypermarket located in Megamal Ayani. Older shopping centres mostly established in the 1980s include Khatulistiwa Plaza, Nusa Indah and Kapuas Plaza.

The most authentic taste of Pontianak food can be found at the food district surrounding the Sudirman market, operating hours between dusk and about 9pm. Other mean areas are Gajahmada road, Tanjungpura road, Pahlawan road, and Diponegoro road. The food stalls are open-air settings, and serve many types of ethnic Chinese food. Chinese in Pontianak have introduced a tropical and spicy accent to the simple Teochew and Hakka cuisine. Well-known dishes from Pontianak include Kwe Kia Theng, Bakmie Kepiting (called Yammie or Jammien in local dialect).

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 Malays and Dayaks performing cultural dances.

In the year 2007, Cap Go Meh falls on 4 March 2007. At this year's festival, an attempt is to be done by Master Aleng, a local artist, to create the longest dragon in South East Asia. Spanning 568 meters long, the King of Dragon is to be recorderd by the Indonesian Museum of Records, MURI, as the longest dragon in Indonesia. Hotels and flights into the city has been pack by domestic and international tourists curious to see the creature and tens of other smaller ones parading the streets of the city from 2 - 4 March 2007. The annual event of Cap Goh Meh has been included by the Department of Tourism into its calendar of events for West Kalimantan.