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. Map of Indonesia showing West Kalimantan province West Kalimantan (Indonesian: Kalimantan Barat) is one of the provinces of Indonesia. ... Borneo (left) and Sulawesi. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... The Kapuas River is a river on the Indonesian island of Borneo. ... The equator is an imaginary circle drawn around a planet (or other astronomical object) at a distance halfway between the poles. ...

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. Catherine IIs soldiers in the Russo-Turkish War, by Alexandre Benois. ...

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. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ...

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. Teochiu can refer to: Chaozhou(潮州), a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. ... The Hakka (Traditional Chinese: 客家; Simplified Chinese: 客家; Pinyin: kèjiā, lit. ... Malays (Dutch, Malayo, ultimately from Malay: Melayu) are a diverse group of Austronesian peoples inhabiting the Malay archipelago and Malay peninsula in Southeast Asia. ... The Dayak (or Dyak) are indigenous natives of Borneo. ...

Places of interest & events

The equatorial line is marked by the Equator monument, which marks the division between the northern and southern hemispheres. Insert non-formatted text here The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is north of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On the Earth, the Northern Hemisphere contains most of the land and population. ... Southern Hemisphere The Southern Hemisphere is the half of a planets surface (or celestial sphere) that is south of the equator (the word hemisphere literally means half ball). On Earth it contains five continents (Antarctica, Australia, most of South America, parts of Africa, and Asia) as well as four...

Shopping malls available include Mal Matahari, Mal Gajahmada, Mal Ramayana Pontianak, Megamal A Yani. Older shopping centres 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. KFC (formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken) is a division of Yum! Brands, Inc. ...

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, Bakmi Kepiting (called Yammie or Jammien in local dialect), etc. Chinese cuisine is widely seen as representing one of the richest and most diverse culinary cuisines and heritages in the world. ... Teochiu can refer to: Chaozhou(潮州), a prefecture-level city in Guangdong Province, China. ... The Hakka (Traditional Chinese: 客家; Simplified Chinese: 客家; Pinyin: kèjiā, lit. ...

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. Apart from these new shopping centres, there are also a few older shopping centres mostly built in the 1980s such as Khatulistiwa Plaza, Nusa Indah Plaza, and the Kapuas Plaza.

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. For other uses, including people named Islam, see Islam (disambiguation). ... Ramadan or Ramadhan (Arabic: رمضان) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar and the holiest month in Islam. ... Lantern Festival in Taiwan The Lantern Festival (Simplified Chinese: 元宵节; Traditional Chinese: 元宵節/元宵; pinyin: ) is a traditional Chinese festival/holiday, which is celebrated by the Chinese in many countries. ...

See also

Teochew dialect, one of the lingua francas of Pontianak The Teochew dialect (Guangdong romanization: Dio7 Ziu1; Missionary romanization: Tiô-chiu-oē, Chinese:潮州话, Hanyu Pinyin: Cháozhōuhuà, Teochiu or Tiuchiu), is a Chinese language and dialect of Minnan spoken in a region of eastern Guangdong referred to as Chaoshan. ...

External links

• Situs Kota Khatulistiwa Pontianak (in Indonesian)
• Pontianak Online (in Indonesian)