Bontang
The etymology of Bontang refers to the town’s traditional status throughout history as a humble village populated mostly by immigrants. ‘Bon’ can refer in Indonesian to ‘receipt’ and ‘tang’ to ‘debt.’ Alternately, the name of the town means group of visitors. A coastal town, Bontang was initially a settlement governed under the Kutai Sultanate based in Tenggarong, a city in East Kalimantan.
In 1972 the government of the Kutai regency recognized Bontang as a district, and in 1984 its status changed to town.
The major development of Bontang took place after two major companies were founded there in the 1970s, PT Badak Liquid Natural Gas and PT Pupuk Kaltim. The former was established in 1974. PT Pupuk Kaltim, a company specializing in the production of ammonia and fertilizer, followed three years later.
The town is hilly and located on an ocean estuary. It is relatively swampy, with frequent flooding, especially in its north district. There is little to no tectonic activity in Bontang. A mangrove forest is located in the town. Bontang gets its fresh water from the Api-Api River.
Bontang has a tropical climate. As such there are just two seasons, dry and rainy. The dry season lasts from April until September. The rainy season starts every September and ends in April.
In 2002, the population of Bontang was 105,000, and was growing at a rate of 4% per year. According to a survey done that year, there were slightly more males than females, with males accounting for 52.09% of the population. The same survey reported that the majority of people living in Bontang are young, with 42.6% of the population 19 and under, 47.3% between the ages of 20 and 44, and only 10.1% of the population over the age of 44. At the 2010 Census, the city population was enumerated at 140,787.
Despite being located on the ocean, the fishing industry in Bontang is small. It consists mainly of small-scale fish farming for consumption in Bontang and nearby cities, such as Balikpapan, Makassar, and Hong Kong.
Only a small portion of the land in Bontang is available and/or suitable for farming. As such, only about 4% of Bontang residents are involved in agriculture.
| Bontang has a current mayor of Bontang is H. | democratic city government. The Adi Dharma. |
| The following is a traditional dances from this | summary of some of the region. |
This is a dance from the Dayak Kenyah tribe. It tells the story of a hero going to war and fighting his enemies. The dancers dance quickly and joyfully, shouting throughout the dance. They wear traditional Dayak Kenyah clothing, and don a shield and Mandau. The dance is performed to the Sak Paku, a song played on the Sampe, a traditional instrument.
This is the opposite of the War Dance. It tells the story of a beautiful, gentle girl who dances like a rice plant waving in the wind. The dancers, all women, wear traditional clothing and hold five eagle feathers in each hand; each feather represents one finger. The dance derives its name from the location: it is usually performed near a gong.
Dancers wear wooden masks carved to look like wild animals, and cover their bodies in banana or coconut leaves. It is closely related to a ceremonial dance from the Dayak Bahau and Modang tribes. The dance is thought to provide the community with the power to prevent crop destruction by animals, as well as to bless the community with fertile soil and bountiful food.
This is a traditional dance of the Dayak Benuaq tribe meant to prevent people from falling ill, and to cure those who have been bitten by mad dogs. The name of the dance is derived from one of the instruments used in it, the serumpai.
A Dayak Belian dance, it serves to protect communities from the evil spirits that live in trees, so that if someone cuts down a tree they will not be haunted by an evil spirit.
| There are a variety of schools in Bontang. | parochial and secular private - |
Students can begin preschool at age 3, though it isn't an obligatory, then go to Taman Kanak-Kanak for two years. The Government's rule is a mandatory to go onto Sekolah Dasar (Elementary School) at age 6 for approximately six years, then continue to Junior High School and Senior High School. Students usually graduate from high school at age 17 or 18.
Kaltim Post and Tribun Kaltim (owned by Kompas-Gramedia Group) are Bontang's two major daily newspapers. Although they are printed in Balikpapan, they cover news of Bontang, indeed there is local newspaper named "Bontang Post". The city is also served by other publications such as Jawa Pos, Kompas, Republika, Jakarta Post, and Tempo.
There are two major television stations, PKTv and LNGTv. The city is also served by stations representing every major Indonesian Network, include RCTI, Metro TV, SCTV, Trans TV, Trans 7, Indosiar, ANTV, TVRI (Public Station), TV One, and Global TV.
Popular sports in Bontang include soccer, badminton, futsal, softball, and volleyball. Soccer is by far the most prominent sport. The town has its own professional soccer club called Bontang FC (owned by the company Pupuk Kaltim past, now by the city government), which is one of only two professional clubs in East Kalimantan. Bontang has three major soccer stadiums, Mulawarman Stadium (owned by PKT), Taman Lestari Stadium, and Besai Berrinta Stadium. US Major League Baseball player Tom Mastny was born in Bontang.
Related Sites for Bontang
- PT Badak NGL - Bontang read Bontang
- Kota Bontang read Bontang
- PT Badak NGL - Bontang read Bontang
- Bontang LNG Plant - Hydrocarbons Technology read Bontang
