Ketapang

Ketapang
Nickname(s): Taupang (Teochew dialect), Kayong
Motto: Ketapang ASRI (Aman/Peaceful, Sehat/Healthy, Ramah/Friendly, Indah/Beautiful)
Ketapang
Coordinates: 1°51′S 109°59′E
Country	Indonesia
Province	West Kalimantan
Government
• Regent	Henrikus
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Website	http://www.ketapangkab.go.id/

Ketapang is the capital city of Ketapang regency (Kabupaten Ketapang). Ketapang city is located1°51′S 109°59′E, on the island of Borneo. It is a small city on the delta of the Pawan River. Ketapang regency is one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia. It occupies an area of 35,809 km². Ketapang is served by the Ketapang Airport (Rahadi Osman Airport).

Ketapang from the air

History

Ketapang is named from the local Malay name for ketapang fruit (Terminalia catappa).

In 1936, Ketapang regency became one of the Afdeling (district in Dutch) in Keresidenan Kalimantan Barat (Residentis Western Afdeling van Borneo). In 1956, Ketapang regency became an autonomous regency in West Kalimantan province, and led by a regent (bupati).

Keraton Saunan, used to be a Malay's kingdom palace. Now a museum

Economy

The main industries consists in the production of palm oil, rubber and wood. And also there are some mining like bauxite, zircon sand and lead (Batu Galena)

Ketapang city and Tugu Tolak Bala

Education

There are 37 high schools operated by state, private and religious institutions. The city has an Open University (Universitas Terbuka). A polytechnic has opened by 2008.

Health

The two hospitals located in the city are RSUD Dr.Agoesdjam (government hospital)and RS Fatima (private hospital).

Demographics

The 2004 census reported Ketapang regency's population of 473,880 consisting of 217,885 men and 205,931 women. Ketapang is a multicultural city. It has a large minority population of Chinese with the majority being native Indonesians. Madurese and Javanese are also significant minorities, in terms of size. Most Chinese residents in Ketapang are of either Teochew or Hakka descent with Teochew being the majority. Because of this, Teochew is the main dialect used among Chinese residents in Ketapang. The native Indonesians living there are mainly of Malay and Dayak descent. In regards to speech, most citizens of Ketapang incorporate a type of Malay accent in their Indonesian, which is somewhat similar to that used in Malaysia.

Kelenteng_Tua_Pek_Kong

Transportation

Ketapang is served by the Ketapang Airport (Rahadi Osman Airport). The airport has some connecting flights to Pontianak and Semarang via Pangkalan Bun. Since February 2011, Ketapang also has direct flight to Jakarta, by Aviastar. Ketapang can also be reached via ship from Pontianak (a six-hour speedboat ride, departing Pontianak daily at 6am). Pontianak's airport serves flights to Jakarta and Kuching (Malaysia).

Buses, taxis (two hours and far more comfortable) and motorbikes (three hours) provide public travel from Ketapang to Sukadana. Boats from the neighbouring village of Rasau travel overnight (15 hours) to Teluk Melano, from which motorbikes provide public travel to Sukadana (three hours).

Rahadi Osman Airport

Penas Air landed in Ketapang from Jakarta

Places

• Gunung Palung National Park, a beautiful rainforest park that can be reached from Ketapang. It was once wholly part of Ketapang regency, but now only a small part is, the rest in the regency that is named Kayong Utara or North Kayong (created 2007). Kayong is the nickname of Ketapang.
• Ketapang has many beautiful beaches. Some of these include Sungai Jawi beach (10 km from the city), Tanjung Batu beach (35 km), and Pulau Datok beach (80 km).
• Kelenteng Tua Pek Kong, a Chinese temple.
• Tugu Ale-ale. Ale-ale is a kind of shell.

Tugu Ale-ale

Hotels

Some hotels located in the centre regions of the city include Hotel Aston Ketapang, Hotel Perdana, Hotel Murni and Hotel Putra Tanjung.

See also

• Teochew dialect, a common dialect of Chinese residents in Ketapang.
• Hamzah Haz, a former Indonesian vice President, born in Ketapang.
• Roman Catholic Diocese of Ketapang

References

1. http://www.borneotribune.com/ketapang/pesawat-penas-air-hadir-di-ketapang.html

External links

• (Indonesian) Official site
• Hotel Aston Ketapang
• [1] http://www.ale-ale.com (local news in Indonesian)
• [2] http://www.savegporangutans.org (Gunung Palung Orangutan Conservation Program)
• Aviastar Airlines - Direct from Jakarta to Ketapang
• Sights and Sounds of Ketapang Blog