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Banjarmasin is a city that is the capital of South Kalimantan (a province of Indonesia), on a delta island near the junction of the Barito and Martapura rivers. The city is surrounded by many rivers of various sizes and lengths. The major rivers are Martapura and Nagara. For this reason, Banjarmasin has received the nickname 'River City.'
An important deepwater port, it is the trade center of the rich Barito basin; exports include rubber, pepper, timber, oil, coal, gold, and diamonds. There is a large oil refinery, and coal mines and sawmills are in the vicinity. In the 14th century, Banjarmasin was part of the Hindu kingdom of Madjapahit, but it passed to muslim rulers in the late 15th century. The Dutch opened trade there in 1606. The British controlled the city for several brief periods, and in 1787 it became a Dutch protectorate. There is much flooding, and many of the inhabitants live on raftlike dweellings. A satat university (Universitas Lambung Mangkurat, UNLAM) is in the town.
History
The Hikayat Banjar is the chronicle of Banjarmasin. This text, also called the History of Lembu Mangkurat, contains the history of the kings of Banjar and of Kota Waringin in South-east and South Borneo respectively.
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