Balikpapan

Balikpapan
City
From top left to right : The Plaza Balikpapan, At-Taqwa Mosque, Balikpapan Dome, Bekapai Park, Waterfront Skyline of Balikpapan
Seal
Location of the city in East Kalimantan province
Coordinates: 1°15′48.74″S 116°49′40.38″E / 1.2635389°S 116.8278833°E / -1.2635389; 116.8278833Coordinates: 1°15′48.74″S 116°49′40.38″E / 1.2635389°S 116.8278833°E / -1.2635389; 116.8278833
Country	Indonesia
Subdivision	East Borneo
Founded	1897
Government
• Mayor	Rizal Effendi
Area
• Total	503.3 km2 (194.3 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2015)
• Total	736,806
• Density	1,500/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Time zone	WITA (UTC+8)
Area code(s)	(+62) 542
Vehicle registration	KT
Website	www.balikpapan.go.id

Balikpapan is a seaport city on the east coast of the island of Borneo, in the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan. Two harbors, Semayang and Kariangau (a ferry harbour), and Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Airport are the main transportation ports to the city. The city has a population of 701,066, making it the second-largest city in East Kalimantan, after Samarinda.

Before the oil boom of the early 1900s, Balikpapan was an isolated Bugis fishing village. Balikpapan's toponym (balik = "behind" and papan = "plank") 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. At any other stories, Balikpapan's ("balik" = "behind" and "papan" = "plank") is from an event that Kutai sultanete send planks for aid to Paser Kingdom to build new palace. But the planks back to somewhere location that next time said as Balikpapan.

In 1897 a small refinery company began the first oil drilling. Building of roads, wharves, warehouses, offices, barracks, and bungalows started when the Dutch oil company Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) 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, including the longest bombing run so far, 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.