Banjarmasin بنجرماسين
—  City  —
Jl.Lambung Mangkurat, a street in Banjarmasin city
Seal
Nickname(s): Kota Seribu Sungai (Indonesian: City of Thousand Rivers)
Motto: Kayuh Baimbai (Banjarese: 'Rowing Together')
Banjarmasin بنجرماسين
Coordinates: 3°20′S 114°35′E / 3.333°S 114.583°E / -3.333; 114.583Coordinates: 3°20′S 114°35′E / 3.333°S 114.583°E / -3.333; 114.583
Country	Indonesia
Province	South Kalimantan
City	Banjarmasin
Subdistricts	5
Established	25 September 1526
Government
• Mayor	Muhidin
Area
• City	98.46 km2 (38.02 sq mi)
• Metro	3,404.46 km2 (1,314.47 sq mi)
Elevation	-0.16 m (−0.52 ft)
Population (2010 Census)
• City	625,395
• Density	Bad rounding here6,400/km2 (Bad rounding here16,000/sq mi)
• Metro	1,904,427
Time zone	WITA (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	+62 511
Website	www.banjarmasinkota.go.id

Banjarmasin (aka Bandjermasin or Bandjarmasin) is the capital of South Kalimantan, Indonesia. It is located on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers. As a result, Banjarmasin is sometimes called the "River City". Its population was 625,395 at the 2010 Census. Banjarmasin, together with its neighbour city, Banjarbaru become the center of the ninth metropolitan area in Indonesia, named Banjar Bakula,^[1] which also consist of the area of Banjar Regency, Barito Kuala Regency, and Tanah Laut Regency.

Banjarmasin is served by the Syamsudin Noor Airport, located about 25 km outside the town. The town is also served by a port, named Trisakti Harbour. A fairly important deepwater port, Pelabuhan Trisakti Banjarmasin is the trade center of the Barito basin; exports include rubber, pepper, timber, petroleum, coal, gold, and diamonds. Passenger ships and ferries to and from Java also carry their operation here.

Main economic sectors in order of their contribution to Banjarmasin’s GDP (2005): transportation and communication (26.1%), processing industries (24.9%) and trade and commerce (16.5%). Main processing industries are: plywood, rattan and rubber manufacturing.

Banjarmasin's waterfront of Martapura River

The city is laced with flood-prone waterways, and many houses are built on rafts or stilts over the water. Many of such waterways are also used for travel, using relatively small rowboats (only major rivers are accessible by larger speedboats, tugboats, longboats, and barges).

The large majority of the population is Muslim (96%). Other religions include Protestants, Catholics, Hindus and Buddhists.^[2] The city is the home of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Banjarmasin.

History [edit]

Sultan Suriansyah Mosque is the oldest mosque in Banjarmasin and the whole South Kalimantan

Nan Serunai was an ancient kingdom in South Kalimantan, but soon it was replaced by Buddhist kingdom of Tanjungpuri. In the fourteenth century, Banjarmasin was part of the Hindu kingdoms of Negara Dipa and Negara Daha, a vassal of Majapahit. But Pangeran Samudera converted to become a Muslim in the fifteenth century. Following this Banjarmasin was founded at the junction of the Barito and Martapura Rivers on 24 September 1526. The Dutch opened trade there in 1606. The British controlled the city for several brief periods. The British East India Company (EIC) started trading with the city, which they called Tamborneo or Tomborneo, in 1614. In 1703 the EIC established a factory there, which the inhabitants destroyed four years later. The EIC attempted, highly unsuccessfully, to trade with the city between 1736 and 1746, and then in 1747 the Sultan signed a treaty with the Dutch giving them a trade monopoly.^[3]

In 1787 it became a Dutch protectorate. Banjarmasin remained the region's capital until the onset of the Banjarmasin War in 1859, when the Dutch headquarters were moved to Martapura.^[4]

The Hikayat Banjar is the chronicle of Banjarmasin. This text, also called the History of Lambung Mangkurat, contains the history of the kings of Banjar and of Kota Waringin in South-east and South Borneo respectively.

In 1930 its population was 66,000 and grew rapidly reaching 444,000 in 1990.^[5]

Banjarmasin was the capital of Dutch Borneo. It was therefore an objective for the Japanese during World War II. Banjarmasin was occupied on 10 February 1942.^[6]

Climate [edit]

Under the Köppen climate classification, Banjarmasin features a tropical rainforest climate. Temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, averaging about 27 degrees Celsius, and the city has no real dry season. However Banjarmasin has noticeably wetter and drier times of the year. November through May forms the wettest part of the year while the remainder of the year is the drier part of the year. Banjarmasin on average sees just under 2600 mm of rain per year.

Local places of interest [edit]

The Sabilal Muhtadin Mosque, located along the Martapura riverfront, is a major landmark in the city. Completely built in 1979, the mosque accommodates thousands of worshippers on Friday prayers.
A state university (Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, UNLAM) is also located in the town.
A floating marketplace, where buyers and sellers meet each other using boats, is located on the western outskirts of town. It is a traditional market and is considered one of city's identity mark for years.
Banjarmasin has long been renowned as a center for gem trading, particularly rare diamonds and rubies. An informal network with international connections exists, which also supports the large domestic Indonesian trade in rare diamonds. Banjar's diamonds are especially known for their exquisite brilliance. In recent times, however, many of Indonesia's large diamond stones have been traded out of the country.

• 

  Sabilal Muhtadin Mosque, the largest mosque in Banjarmasin

• 

  Pasar Lima, a market by the river

• 

  A row of hotels in downtown Banjarmasin with Grand Mentari as the tallest building

• 

  Jl Ahmad Yani. The largest road of Banjarmasin with Lima Cahaya Department Store in the background

Culinary [edit]

A famous local dish is "soto banjar", a soup served with lime. Another notable local dish is "Ketupat Kandangan", a ketupat dish with coconut milk soup (can be served with either chicken or snakehead meat).

Sport [edit]

The city's professional football club called Barito Putra.

Twin Town and sister cities [edit]

Banjarmasin are twinned with the following cities :

• Stockholm, Sweden
• Makassar, Indonesia
• Frankfurt, Germany
• Manaus, Brazil
• Chongqing, China
• Atlanta, United States
• Guangzhou, China
• Pattaya, Thailand
• Guadalajara, Mexico

References [edit]

• Eliot, Joshua (1998). Indonesia handbook. Bath: Footprint Handbooks Ltd.

External links [edit]

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Banjermasin.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Banjarmasin

• Official website
• newspaper local
• Banjarmasin travel guide from Wikivoyage

v t e Regencies and Cities of South Kalimantan Capital: Banjarmasin Regencies Balangan Banjar Barito Kuala Central Hulu Sungai North Hulu Sungai South Hulu Sungai Kotabaru Tabalong Tanah Bumbu Tanah Laut Tapin Cities Banjarmasin Banjarbaru Tanjung