Balikpapan
Before the oil boom of the early 1900s, Balikpapan was an isolated Bugis fishing village. Balikpapan's toponym is from a folk story in which a local king threw his newborn daughter into the sea to protect her from his enemies. The baby was tied beneath some planks that were discovered by a fisherman.
In 1897 a small refinery company began the 1st oil drilling. Building of roads, wharves, warehouses, offices, barracks, and bungalows started when a Dutch oil company arrived in the area.
On 24 January 1942 a Japanese invasion convoy arrived at Balikpapan and was attacked by four United States Navy destroyers that sank three Japanese transports. The Japanese army landed and after a sharp but short fight defeated the Dutch garrison. The defenders had partially destroyed the oil refinery and other facilities. After this the Japanese massacred many of the Europeans they had captured. Several campaigns followed until the 1945 Battle of Balikpapan, which concluded the Borneo campaign by which Allied Forces took control of Borneo island. Extensive wartime damage curtailed almost all oil production in the area until Royal Dutch Shell completed major repairs in 1950.
The CIA had orders to attack unarmed foreign merchant ships in order to drive foreign trade away from Indonesia and weaken its economy, with the intention of undermining Sukarno's government. The day before attacking Balikpapan, Beale had also damaged a Shell complex at Ambon, Maluku. His Balikpapan raid succeeded in persuading Shell to suspend tanker services from Balikpapan and withdraw shore-based wives and families to Singapore. However, on 18 May Indonesian naval and air forces off Ambon Island shot down an AUREV B-26 and captured its CIA pilot, Allen Pope. The USA immediately withdrew support for Permesta, whose rebellion rapidly diminished thereafter.
Shell continued operating in the area until Indonesian state-owned Pertamina took it over in 1965. Lacking technology, skilled manpower, and capital to explore the petroleum region, Pertamina sublet petroleum concession contracts to multinational companies in the 1970s.
With the only oil refinery site in the region, Balikpapan emerged as a revitalized centre of petroleum production. Pertamina opened its East Borneo headquarters in the city, followed by branch offices established by other international oil companies. Hundreds of labourers from Indonesia, along with skilled expatriates who served as managers and engineers, flocked into the city.
During the Suharto dictatorship Balikpapan achieved unprecedented economic growth by attracting foreign investments, particularly in the exploitation of natural and mineral resources. The policy was heavily criticized for uncontrolled environmental damage and corrupt bureaucrats and politicians, but it significantly boosted urban development in resource-rich cities. In the 1970s Balikpapan experienced 7% population growth annually, while exports of timber and petroleum increased dramatically.
Some multinational corporations operate in East Borneo. Companies including Baker Hughes, ChevronTexaco, Halliburton, Pertamina (Indonesia), Schlumberger (France), Thiess (Australia), Total S.A. (France) and Weatherford International use Balikpapan as their base of operations in the region. Governmental public services including Bank Indonesia, the Finance Department, the Port of Semayang, and several others also attract many people to work in this area.
Opened on 1 November 1983, Balikpapan II has a hydro-skimming and hydro-cracking refinery and produces petrol, LPG, naphtha, kerosene, and diesel fuel.
Most of the soil in Balikpapan contains yellow-reddish podsolic soil and alluvial and quartz sand, making it extremely prone to erosion.
Balikpapan has the 2nd busiest airport on Borneo, the SAMS Airport, after the Kota Kinabalu International Airport in the Sabah state of Malaysian Borneo. Domestic routes currently using it are Batavia Air, Kartika Airlines, Lion Air, Merpati Nusantara Airlines, Sriwijaya Air, Susi Air, and Trigana Air. International routes currently using it are Air Asia, Garuda Indonesia, Mandala Airlines, and Silk Air.
The airport is one of the nine principal locations near Indonesia used by Muslims on their Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. In 1996â€"97 the airport served over 4,500 East Borneo pilgrims and in 1997â€"98 it served pilgrims from East Borneo, South Kalimantan, Central Sulawesi, and North Sulawesi.
In addition to its airport Balikpapan also has Semayang seaport. It serves commercial boats to many destinations to Indonesia including Jakarta, Makassar, Manado, Pare Pare and Surabaya. In the 1990s maritime transport was very popular. Today, due to more affordable and efficient airplane travel, more people choose to fly. Taking the ferry is an alternative for traveling to other coastal areas in East Borneo, such as Penajam.
Related Sites for Balikpapan
- Balikpapan Map | Indonesia Google Satellite Maps read Balikpapan
- Answers.com - Balikpapan: City Guide, weather and facts galore ... read Balikpapan
- Balikpapan read Balikpapan
- Balikpapan Tourism and Vacations: things to do in Balikpapan ... read Balikpapan
