Pontianak

Pontianak is the capital of the Indonesian province of West Kalimantan. It is a medium-size industrial city on the island of Borneo. Pontianak occupies an area of 107.82 km² in the delta of the Kapuas River. It is located precisely on the equator, hence it is widely known as Kota Khatulistiwa (Equator City).

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 centred along the Kapuas River, which range from the easternmost part of West Kalimantan province to the South China Sea.

Education

There are colleges and universities operated by both state institutions 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: Muhammadiyah University, University of Widya Dharma, University of Panca Bhakti, STMIK (Sekolah tinggi Manajemen Informatika dan Komputer), University of Panca Bhakti, State Islamic collage (STAIN), POLNEP (Politeknik Negeri Pontianak), etc.

Demographics

The 2000 census put Pontianak's population at about 472,220 with an intercensal estimate in 2006 of 509,804.[1] Pontianak is a multicultural city. It has a large population of Chinese alongside the native Malay and Dayak local ethnic groups, living alongside Javanese, Bugis, Batak, Minang, Madurese, Sundanese, Balinese, Ambonese and Papuan migrating from all over the country. In fact, Chinese form the largest single ethnic group in the city. Most Chinese are of either Teochew or Hakka extraction. These Chinese people trace their origins to the Chaoshan region in the Guangdong province of China. Native Indonesians are mainly Malay and Dayak people. Madurese and Javanese are also significant minorities.

Transportation

The most popular form of transport are motorcycles. Public transport includes minivans (local: opelet) and human-powered becaks (three-wheel pedicabs). There are some city buses serving certain routes only. Inter city buses take passengers to other nearby cities (2, 3, to 10 or more hours of travel), even to Kuching, a city in Malaysia. Road transportation to Malaysia is possible via the Trans-Kalimantan Highway (Jalan Lintas Kalimantan) to Tebedu in Sarawak.

Transportation to other parts of Indonesia is mainly via Supadio Airport. There are more than 10 flights every day connecting Pontianak and Jakarta. There is also sea transport connecting Pontianak to Jakarta, Semarang, Cirebon and some other cities, including regional cities such as Ketapang in southern part of West Kalimantan.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontianak,_Indonesia