Kutai Kartanegara Regency

Kutai Kartanegara Regency (abbreviated as Kukar) is a regency of East Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. It has a land area of 27,263.10 km2 and a water area of 4,097 km2, geographically located between 1°18′40″S and 116°31′36″E. The population of the regency was 626,286 at the 2010 Census and 729,382 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2023 was 788,113. The town of Tenggarong is the capital of the regency.

The regency includes the middle and lower reaches of the Mahakam River, the longest river in East Kalimantan, including its extensive delta. The city of Samarinda is situated on the river, about 48 km (30 miles) from its mouth; it is an administrative enclave within the regency, which thus contains much of the metropolitan area of Samarinda.

In 2019, President Joko Widodo proclaimed that the new national capital of Indonesia would be built in an area partly in the Kutai Kartanegara Regency and partly in the adjacent Penajam North Paser Regency and that the construction process would set off around 2024.

History
Kutai Kartanegara Regency lies in the historical region of Kutai, home to the first and oldest Hindu kingdom of Indonesia, the Kutai Martadipura Kingdom founded in the 4th century CE by King Kudungga.

Administrative districts
Kutai Kartanegara Regency is divided into twenty districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid-2023. The newly formed Kota Bangun Darat and West Samboja districts were split from Kota Bangun and Samboja districts respectively on 5 March 2021, but no separate figures are yet available for their areas, which are still included in the figures for the districts from which they were removed.

The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of villages in each district (totaling 44 urban kelurahan and 193 rural desa), and its postcode(s).

Notes: (a) Samboja District comprising 10 urban kelurahan (Handil Baru, Handil Baru Darat, Kampung Lama, Muara Sembilang, Samboja Kuala, Sanipah, Sungai Seluang, Tanjung Harapan, Teluk Pemedas and Wonotirto) and 3 rural desa; the new Samboja Barat District comprises 9 urban kelurahan (Amborawang Darat, Amborawang Laut, Argosari, Bukit Merdeka, Karya Merdeka, Margomulyo, Salok Api Darat, Salok Api Laut and Sungai Merdaka) and 1 rural desa. (b) included in the figures for Samboja District, from which it was split off in 2021. (c) including 14 offshore islands. (d) all 8 are kelurahan (Dondang, Muara Jawa Pesisir, Muara Jawa Ilir, Muara Jawa Tengah, Muara Jawa Ulu, Muara Kembang, Tama Pole and Teluk Dalam). (e) all 5 are kelurahan (Jawa, Pendingin, Sanga-Sanga Dalam, Sanga-Sanga Muara and Sarijaya). (f) including one offshore island. (g) included in the figures for Kota Bangun District, from which it was split off in 2021. (h) including the offshore island of Pulau Kumala. (i) comprising 12 urban kelurahan (Baru, Bukit Biru, Jahab, Loa Ipuh, Loa Ipuh Darat, Loa Tebu, Maluhu, Mangkurawang, Melayu, Panji, Sukarame and Timbau) and 2 rural desa. (j) including the offshore island of Pulau Yupa. (k) including 32 offshore islands, and mainly comprising the extensive delta of the Mahakam River. (l) except the desa of Sidomulyo, which has a postcode of 76131. (m) including 6 offshore islands.

Bukit Bangkirai rainforest
Bukit Bangkirai (Bangkirai Hill) is a 1,500-hectare natural tropical located about 58 kilometres (around 45 minutes by car) from the city of Balikpapan. Plants of the family Dipterocarpaceae dominate in the area, especially Bangkirai trees (Shorea laevis of the genus Shorea) growing to 40–50 metres in height. There are over 120 bird species as well as gibbons (Müller's Bornean gibbon), macaque monkeys (Southern pig-tailed macaques, Crab-eating macaques), Maroon leaf monkeys, Banded pigs, and Banggai crows. Black Orchids (Coelogyne pandurata), among 45 kinds of orchids, are endemic to Bukit Bangkirai.

To visit the forest, visitors can walk along a 64-metre canopy bridge that connects five big Bangkirai trees 30 metres above the ground.

Mangrove information, research center
In 2011, East Kalimantan province developed an 18-hectare plot of land for mangrove information and research center in Sepatin village, in Anggana District, as Bali has done. It will function as a research, exhibition, information, breeding as well as education center on mangroves, especially in the Mahakam Delta.

Smart City
In early 2015 it was announced that part of Kutai Kartanegara Regency had been selected to be a trial 'smart city', the first in Indonesia, based on the Fujisawa Sustainable Smart Town (SST) concept. The aim of the SST concept was to reduce emissions by 70 percent and reduce consumption of water by 30 percent. The Kutai Kartanegara area was chosen as a trial area because of good investment growth in the region, the extensive area, relatively moderate levels of population density, effective planning in the area, and rich energy resources.