North Kalimantan

North Kalimantan is a province in the country of Indonesia. It sits on the northernmost part of Kalimantan, which is the Indonesian side of Borneo island. The province shares borders with the Malaysian states of Sabah to the north and Sarawak to the west. To the south, it meets the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan.

Tanjung Selor is the capital city of this region. Tarakan is the largest city and acts as the financial center. Most of the province is sparsely populated, meaning very few people live in large areas. It covers 69,901 square kilometers in total.

Many different groups of people call this land home. The main ethnic groups are the Malays, Dayaks, and Javanese. There are also many other groups like the Tidung, Bulungan, and Bajau. Most people in the province follow Islam. Other religions include Protestantism, Roman Catholicism, Buddhism, and Hinduism.

In 2020, there were 701,784 people living here. By mid-2025, the population grew to an estimated 749,370 people. This includes 393,130 males and 356,240 females. For a long time, it was the least populous province in Indonesia.

Long ago, this area belonged to the Sultanate of Bulungan. This state was started by a group of coastal Kayan people. A Kayan princess named Asung Luwan married a nobleman from Brunei. This marriage helped start a princely state centered in Tanjung Selor. Over many years, different powers controlled the land. The Dutch signed a contract in 1853 to take control of the Bulungan kingdom. Later, the British North Borneo Company claimed parts of the region. In 1915, the Dutch and British agreed on the borders we see today.

Traveling through North Kalimantan can be a big task. There are no international land crossings to reach the mainland. Most people arrive by ferry from Tarakan or by road from the south. Some roads are still just unpaved, muddy ditches. The Trans-Kalimantan Highway was finished in early 2019 under President Joko Widodo. This long path connects Pontianak in West Kalimantan to Tanjung Selor.

For air travel, people use the Juwata International Airport on Tarakan island. This airport is also used by the Indonesian Air Force. They share the runway and the apron area together.

North Kalimantan became its own province on 25 October 2012. It was separated from East Kalimantan to help the area develop more quickly. The province has a special motto called Benuanta. This word comes from Bulungan and means "our land that must be developed together."

The provincial coat of arms uses a shield with a star and a mountain. It also shows a traditional shield with Dayak, Bulungan, and Tidung patterns. The design includes 25 grains of rice and 12 cotton bolls. These numbers represent the date the province was founded in 2012.