Palangka Raya


Palangka Raya is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. The city is situated between the Kahayan and the Sabangau rivers on the island of Borneo. The closest airport serving the city is Tjilik Riwut.
The city had a population of 220,962 inhabitants at the 2010 census, with an average population density of 92.1 per km². The latest official estimate is 236,601.
The city was established in 1957 on wilderness that opened through the Pahandut village alongside Kahayan river banks. Palangka Raya is the largest city by land area in Indonesia. Most of the area is still forested, including protected forests, nature conservation areas, and Tangkiling Forest.
The city was the favorite candidate to become the new Indonesian capital until the 2019 announcement that the new capital will be in North Penajam Paser Regency and Kutai Kartanegara Regency, both in East Kalimantan.

History

Kalimantan Tengah province was established on 23 May 1957. The first Indonesian president, Sukarno, initiated construction of the city of Palangka Raya, the capital of the new province. Initially, it was planned as the new capital of Indonesia to replace Jakarta. In 1957, when President Sukarno inaugurated a monument in the place that was then still called Pahandut, he expressed his desire to make the city the new republic’s future capital. It was never carried through, although it has been mooted various other times - most recently in 2019 by Joko Widodo wanting to move the capital out of Java, with Palangka Raya again rumoured to be a favourite.
The first pillar of Palangka Raya City development was done by the President of the Republic of Indonesia at the time, Sukarno on 17 July 1957 marked the inauguration of the monument to the provincial capital of Central Kalimantan in Pahandut. Then, based on Law No. 21 of 1958, Pahandut was renamed to Palangka Raya City, maintaining its status as the provincial seat.

Etymology

Palangka Raya consists of a combination of two words which are from the Dayak Ngaju Language and Sanskrit. Palangka means a sacred site and raya means vast, thus Palangka Raya means a vast sacred site.

Administrative districts

Prior to decentralization in 2001, Palangka Raya had two administrative districts, namely Pahandut and Bukit Batu. Now, Palangka Raya consists of five administrative districts: Pahandut, Jekan Raya, Bukit Batu, Sebangau, and Rakumpit.

Transport

The city is served by Tjilik Riwut Airport. An aviation academy has been set up by Lion Air.

Education

Palangka Raya is a home to number of universities University of Palangka Raya, :id:IAIN Palangka Raya|State Islamic Institute of Palangka Raya, Sekolah Tinggi Agama Hindu Tampung Penyang Palangka Raya, LP3I, and Sekolah Tinggi Agama Kristen Palangka Raya.
Some major private universities in Palangka Raya are: Universitas Muhammadiyah Palangka Raya, STMIK Palangka Raya, Christian University of Palangka Raya, STIH Palangka Raya, Universitas PGRI Palangka Raya, STIE Palangka Raya, STIP Bunga Bangsa Palangka Raya, Poltekkes Palangka Raya, STIPAS Palangka Raya, and STIKES Eka Harap Palangka Raya.

Healthcare

The central state hospital in Palangka Raya is the Rumah Sakit Umum Daerah dr Doris Sylvanus. The city is also served by several private hospitals including Rumah Sakit Islam Muhammadiyah, Rumah Sakit Awal Bros Batang Pambelum and Rumah Sakit Siloam.

Climate

Palangka Raya has a tropical rainforest climate with heavy rainfall year-round.