Tourist guide to Banjarmasin
Breakfast boat in Bandjarmasin ©oh sk/Flick
Banjarmasin, also known as Bandjarmasin, is the provincial capital of South Kalimantan, Indonesia. The city is located in a unit of relief that has the form of a small island, formed by the confluence of the Martapura River and the Barito River. Because it is located in this area, the city of Banjarmasin is sometimes called the “River City”.
The city of Banjarmasin was part of the Hindu kingdoms Negara Dipa and Negara Daha in the fourteenth century. After Pangeran Samudera was made Muslim, in the fifteenth century it began to be built a settlement at the confluence of the Barito and the Martapura.
The development of the city
In 1606, the Dutch began to open a commercial market in the city, and then the British controlled the city for a long time. The East Indies British Company began trading in the area, calling it Tamborneo, and in 1703 opened a factory that was destroyed four years later by locals. In 1718, the city came under Dutch protectorate and remained the capital of the region until the war in 1859, when the Dutch headquarters were moved to Martapura.
From an economic perspective, the main sector of the city of Banjarmasin is the tertiary economy described by transport and communications. On the second place is the industrial sector, especially the rubber and plywood industry and trade.
Banjarmasin is considered to be a trade center for rare jewels and rubies, supported by an international network. The Banjar Diamonds are famous for their brilliance, and many of them are sold abroad.
Breakfast boat in Bandjarmasin ©oh sk/Flick
The climate of the city
The city of Banjarmasin has a tropical forest climate characterized by a constant temperature all year round, with an annual average of 27 Celsius degrees. The city has a rainy period that begins in November and lasts until May with an average rainfall of about 2600 mm per year, in the rest of the year the city has a dry period.
Bycicles in Bandjarmasin ©bozenBDJ/Flick
Tourist attractions
Regarding tourist attractions, the Sabil Muhtadin Mosque is an important landmark of the city and is situated on the river bank of the Martapura. The mosque was built in 1979 and annually hosts hundreds of thousands of pilgrims, especially at Friday prayers. You can visit and buy products from a floating market which can be reached by boat. This is considered to be a mark of the city of Banjarmasin and is situated in the west.
Beautiful building in Bandjarmasin ©bozenBDJ/Flick
