Pontianak

Pontianak
City
City of Pontianak Kota Pontianak
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	ڤونتيناك
• Chinese	坤甸
Clockwise from top left: shopping complex in Pontianak Town; the North Pontianak equatorial monument; some of the official government buildings; traditional Malay house; traditional Borneo birds sculpture; road gate of Pontianak city; and Enggang Badak sculpture
Flag Seal
Nickname:  Kota Khatulistiwa (Equatorial City)
Motto:  Pontianak Bersinar (Pontianak Shines)
Location within West Kalimantan
Pontianak Location in Kalimantan and Indonesia Show map of Kalimantan Pontianak Pontianak (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 00°01′14″S 109°20′29″E / 0.02056°S 109.34139°E / -0.02056; 109.34139
Country	Indonesia
Region	Kalimantan
Province	West Kalimantan
Founded by the Sultanate of Pontianak	23 October 1771
Settled by the Dutch	5 July 1779
Granted municipality status	1953
Granted city status	31 December 1965
Government
• Type	City Government
• Mayor	Edi Rusdi Kamtono
• Vice Mayor	Bahasan
Area
• City of Pontianak	118.21 km2 (45.64 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Highest elevation	1.5 m (4.9 ft)
Lowest elevation	0.8 m (2.6 ft)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)
• City of Pontianak	675,468
• Density	5,700/km2 (15,000/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+7 (IWST)
Area code	(+62) 561
Vehicle registration	KB
HDI (2019)	0.794 (High)[2]
Website	pontianakkota.go.id

Pontianak or Khuntien is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan, founded first as a trading port on the island of Borneo, occupying an area of 118.21 km² in the delta of the Kapuas River, at a point where it is joined by its major tributary, the Landak River. The city is on the equator, hence it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equatorial City). The city center is less than 3 kilometres (2 mi) south of the equator. Pontianak is the 23rd most populous city in Indonesia (as at 2023), and the fourth most populous city on the island of Borneo (Kalimantan) after Samarinda, Balikpapan and (Malaysia's) Kuching; it is now slightly ahead of Banjarmasin.^[3] It had a population of 658,685 at the 2020 Census^[4] within the city limits, with significant suburbs outside those limits. The official estimate as of mid-2023 was 675,468 (comprising 337,856 males and 337,612 females).^[1]

The city was founded as a small Malay fishing village at the mouth of the Kapuas River. It then became the seat of the Pontianak Sultanate for several centuries. Pontianak was then incorporated into the Dutch East Indies after an agreement between the Pontianak Sultanate and the Dutch Government. During the colonial era, Pontianak was the seat of the Residentie Westerafdeeling van Borneo, one of the residencies of the Dutch East Indies.

When the Japanese occupied the Dutch East Indies, Pontianak became the site of the Pontianak massacre, in which many Malay aristocrats and sultans as well as people from other ethnic groups were massacred by the Imperial Japanese Navy, especially in the Massacre of Mandor (Holocaust of Mandor).

After the Japanese surrendered, Pontianak became part of the Republic of Indonesia and was designated as the capital city of the province of West Kalimantan.

Pontianak is a multicultural city, as different ethnic groups such as the Dayak, Malay, Bugis people, and Chinese live in the city, with some immigrants such as Javanese, Madura people, Bataks, Ambon people, Papuans, and Manado people. This has created a culture that cannot be found in other parts of Indonesia.^{[citation needed]} Various languages are spoken in Pontianak, such as Pontianak Malay, Dayak language and different dialects of Chinese and some varieties of Malays, Dayaks, Javanese, Bataks, and Bugis.

Pontianak is connected by air to other cities of Indonesia as well as some cities in Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur and Kuching. Connected with the Supadio International Airport. Well paved roads of the Trans Kalimantan Road connect Pontianak to all Cities in the Kalimantan, such as Palangkaraya, Banjarmasin, Balikpapan, Samarinda, and Tanjung Selor. other towns also connected in the Province of West Kalimantan, such as Ketapang, Singkawang, Sintang, etc., as well as other provinces. As Pontianak lies on the Trans Kalimantan Highway, it is possible to travel to East Malaysia and Brunei by land using the Trans Kalimantan Highway. Several bus routes operate from Pontianak to Kuching in Malaysia and Bandar Seri Begawan in Brunei Darussalam.