Map of Kalimantan Timur
Kalimantan Timur is a first-level division of Indonesia. Its largest mapped city is Samarinda, with about 592,228 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Kalimantan Timur, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the lakes, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Samarinda
- Country
- Indonesia
Interactive Map of Kalimantan Timur
About Kalimantan Timur
East Kalimantan (Indonesian: , abbreviated as Kaltim) is a province of Indonesia. Its territory comprises the eastern portion of Borneo/Kalimantan. It had a population of about 3.03 million at the 2010 census (within the present boundary), and 3.766 million at the 2020 census; the official estimate in mid-2025 was 4,267,600. Its capital is Samarinda, the most populous city on the entire island of Borneo.
East Kalimantan has a total area of 127,346.92 square kilometres (49,168.92 sq mi) and is the third least densely populated province in Kalimantan (after North Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan). The majority of the region shares a maritime border to the east with West Sulawesi and Central Sulawesi; its Cape Mangkalihat separates the Makassar Strait from the Celebes Sea. Its former northernmost region was split off on 25 October 2012 and is now the separate province of North Kalimantan; meanwhile it still shares land border to the west with West Kalimantan and Central Kalimantan; to its south, East Kalimantan borders South Kalimantan. The province bordered Sabah, Malaysia before the creation of North Kalimantan, and still has a short border with Sarawak, Malaysia through Mahakam Ulu Regency.
Since 11 January 2013, East Kalimantan has been divided into seven regencies and three cities. The proposed capital city of Indonesia, Nusantara, is currently constructed entirely within the province.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: East Kalimantan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kalimantan Timur in Depth
History
East Kalimantan was once mostly covered by tropical rainforest. In prehistoric times, there was limestone cave called Lubang Jeriji Saléh located in the Sangkulirang-Mangkalihat Karst in the district of Bengalon, East Kutai, believed to contain one of the oldest figurative art in the world. The cave paintings were first spotted in 1994 by the French explorer Luc-Henri Fage and the French archaeologist Jean-Michel Chazine, from Kalimanthrope. In 2018, a team of scientists investigating the cave, led by Maxime Aubert from Griffith University and Pindi Setiawan from the Bandung Institute of Technology, published a report in the journal Nature identifying the paintings as the world's oldest known figurative art.
Geography
East Kalimantan Province comprises a land area of 125,336.81 square kilometers and a comprehensive ocean management area of 25,656 km2, located between 113°44'E and 119°00'E, and between 2°33'N and 2°25'S. The province is divided into seven regencies (kabupaten) and three cities (kota), together subdivided into 105 districts (kecamatan) and then into 1,026 villages (rural desa and urban kelurahan). The regencies (with their administrative capitals) and cities are enumerated below. East Kalimantan is one of the main gates to the eastern part of Indonesia.
Economy
East Kalimantan's economy heavily depends on earth resources such as oilfield exploration, natural gas, coal and gold. Balikpapan has an oil refinery plant that was built by Dutch governance before World War II, destroyed during World War II, and rebuilt after Indonesian independence.
Obstacles to economic development include a lack of transportation infrastructure. Transportation depends on traditional boats connecting coastal cities and areas along main river, Mahakam River.
In 2012, Russia's state railway firm Joint Stock Company (JSC) signed a memorandum of understanding with the East Kalimantan governor over railway lines to transport coal and other freight.
Demographics
Within the current boundary, East Kalimantan was populated by 3,028,487 people as of 2010. In mid 2025 it was officially estimated to have 4,267,600 inhabitants.
East Kalimantan is a major destination of migrants from Jawa, Sulawesi and South Kalimantan.With population of approximately 3.859 million, and area of 127,347 km2, the province is considered sparsely populated.
People in East Kalimantan generally use Indonesian for official purposes and Banjarese for inter-ethnic communication. Due to the large number of Banjarese people in the province, their language became the main lingua franca, especially in cities like Samarinda and Balikpapan.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: East Kalimantan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kalimantan Timur: Key Facts
| Population | 4,045,900 (2024) |
|---|---|
| Area | 129,067 km² |
| Capital | Samarinda |
| Head of government | Isran Noor |
| Established | 1 January 1957 |
Facts from Wikidata Q3899 (CC0).
History of Kalimantan Timur: Empires and States
The atlas records 7 polities whose mapped territory included part of Kalimantan Timur, from Majapahit in 1352 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Majapahit | 1352–1474 CE |
| The Majapahit Empire | 1352–1474 CE |
| Kutai Kingdom | 1648–1733 CE |
| Sultanate of Kutai Kartanegara | 1734–1845 CE |
| Dutch East Indies | 1846–1949 CE |
| Netherlands | 1846–1949 CE |
| Republic of Indonesia | 1950–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Kalimantan Timur
Kalimantan Timur on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Kalimantan Timur
East Kalimantan is the northeastern part of Kalimantan (Borneo) in Indonesia. Administratively it consists of the provinces of East Kalimantan (Kalimantan Timur, Kaltim) and North Kalimantan (Kalimantan Utara, Kaltara). East Kalimantan is best known for the beautiful beaches along its east coast, stretching from the Celebes Sea near Malaysia to the Makassar Strait.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: East Kalimantan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Kalimantan Timur
4 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samarinda | 592,228 | Kalimantan Timur | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Balikpapan | 445,905 | Kalimantan Timur | Populated place |
| 3 | Tarakan | 193,069 | Kalimantan Timur | Populated place |
| 4 | Bontang | 101,691 | Kalimantan Timur | Populated place |
Largest Lakes in Kalimantan Timur
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kenohan Jempang | 216 km² | Lake |
Ports in Kalimantan Timur
11 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tanjungredeb | 49.4 m | Small | Philippine, Sulu & Celebes Seas | point_of_interest |
| 2 | Tanjung Arang (Bunyu) | 45.7 m | Very Small | Philippine, Sulu & Celebes Seas | medium vessels |
| 3 | Samarinda | 45.7 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | medium vessels |
| 4 | Benoa | 38.4 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | point_of_interest |
| 5 | Tanah Merah | 38.4 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | medium vessels |
| 6 | Balikpapan | 31.1 m | Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | medium vessels |
| 7 | Bontang Lng Terminal | 31.1 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | large vessels |
| 8 | Tanjung Santan | 5.5 m | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | medium vessels |
| 9 | Lawi Lawi Oil Terminal | — | Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | large vessels |
| 10 | Tanjung Sangata | — | Very Small | Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago | point_of_interest |
The other 1 (channel depth, class, sea, max vessel)
- Senipah Oil Terminal · Very Small · Java Sea & Indonesian Archipelago · medium vessels
Kalimantan Timur: Quick Answers
- Where is Kalimantan Timur?
- Kalimantan Timur is a first-level division of Indonesia, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 0.4208° N, 117.2783° E.
- What is the largest city in Kalimantan Timur?
- Samarinda is the largest city mapped in Kalimantan Timur, with a metropolitan population of about 592,228.
- How many cities are in Kalimantan Timur?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Kalimantan Timur, with a combined metropolitan population of about 1.33 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Kalimantan Timur?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Kalimantan Timur is Kenohan Jempang, at about 216 km².