North Kalimantan

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Lore & Background

North Kalimantan is the territory of the Sultanate of Bulungan, which was founded by a group of coastal Kayan. Around the 16th century, a Kayan princess called Asung Luwan married a visiting nobleman from Brunei, called Datuk Mencang. From this line a princely state was established, centered in Tanjung Selor, which ruled territory now comprising Bulungan, Tana Tidung, Malinau, Nunukan, Tarakan, and some part of Sabah. Bulungan was a vassal of the Berau Sultanate, which in turn was a vassal of the Kingdom of Kutai. During subsequent wars, the territory fell into the hands of Brunei and after agreements with the Sultanate of Sulu, the territory officially came under Sulu control. In 1777, the royal family converted to Islam, with the king Wira Amir changing his name to Aji Muhammad, and title to Sultan Amirul Mukminin. In 1853, the Dutch signed a Politiek Contract to impose their sovereignty over the Bulungan kingdom. In 1881, the British North Borneo Company was formed, placing North Borneo (present-day Sabah) under British jurisdiction. After long negotiation with the British, the Dutch recognised the British borders in 1915 which became the modern border between Sabah and North Kalimantan. During World War II, the Japanese occupying forces had an agreement with Bulungan under which they shared natural resources and in exchange the region largely escaped the Romusha system.

Reader's Guide

North Kalimantan's significance lies in its recent formation as a province on 25 October 2012, separated from East Kalimantan to reduce development disparity and Malaysia's influence. Its history is deeply tied to the Sultanate of Bulungan, which experienced the Bultiken Tragedy in 1964 during the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation. On 24 April 1964, Brigadier General Soeharjo ordered the capture and killing of Bulungan aristocracy. On 3 July 1964, the palace was invaded by units of Brawijaya 517, burned and looted, and members of the royal family killed. The surviving royal family fled and became citizens of Malaysia; in 2017 they announced they were in the process of becoming Indonesian citizens. The province relies on Tarakan Airport (Juwata International Airport) and an international ferry port with services to Malaysia from Tawau. There are no international land crossings. The Trans-Kalimantan Highway was finished in early 2019, connecting Pontianak with Tanjung Selor. The province's coat of arms underwent a redesign under Regional Regulation No. 3/2021, restoring omitted elements and increasing the rice to 25 grains and cotton to 12 bolls, tied with ten twists, symbolizing 25 October 2012, the province's founding date. The province forms one of Indonesia's 84 national electoral districts, electing 3 members to the People's Representative Council.

Did You Know?

• North Kalimantan was the least populous province in Indonesia at the 2020 Census, with 701,784 people, until the creation of South Papua, West Papua, and Southwest Papua in 2022.
• The province's coat of arms features 25 rice grains and 12 cotton bolls tied with ten twists, symbolizing its founding date of 25 October 2012.
• During the Bultiken Tragedy on 3 July 1964, the Sultan of Bulungan's palace was invaded by units of Brawijaya 517, burned and looted, and members of the royal family were killed.
• The Trans-Kalimantan Highway, finished in early 2019 under President Joko Widodo, connects Pontianak in West Kalimantan with Tanjung Selor, the capital of North Kalimantan.
• Tarakan Airport shares its runway and apron with Suharnoko Harbani Air Force Base, a Type A airbase of the Indonesian Air Force formed in 2006.