Pawan River
Encyclopedia
Pawan River is a major river of West Kalimantan
, Indonesia
. It has a length of 197 kilometre. Tributaries include the Keriau River.
before passing into the South China Sea
at 1°49′30"S 109°55′9"E. It is 45 miles to the south of Sukadana
town. Sukadana means the "city of rays" and known as diamond city. The Pawan river drains into the sea near the present Ketapang through two estuaries; which are meandering channels. The depth of water here is about 6 feet (1.8 m) during spring tide. Tanjungpura is situated about 35 miles in the upstream. The river forms one of the major river basins in West Kalimantan Province in the Ketapang Regency (478 kilometre from Pontianak) whose capital is Ketapang. Tropical peat
s have been identified in its basin area.
The river is navigable and bandungs ply on the river. Bandung is not only a transportation means for the people but also a housing unit a sincere they travel long the river course trading along the route in villages on the banks of the river.
created serious economic hurdles to the kingdom of Sanggau.
, also found in the forest along the Pawan river in West Kalimantan, are facing severe habitat loss due to logging and clearing land for palm oil and related agriculture activities. Consequently their population is declining. The orangutans in this region are from the sub-species Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii. They are different from the species found in Sumatra
.
West Kalimantan
West Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia. It is one of four Indonesian provinces in Kalimantan, the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its capital city Pontianak is located right on the Equator....
, Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. It has a length of 197 kilometre. Tributaries include the Keriau River.
Geography
In its mid course Pawan River passes through the little town of Tandjoengpoera (Tanjungpura). Pawan River passes through KetapangKetapang
Ketapang is the capital city of Ketapang regency . Ketapang city is located, on the island of Borneo. It is a small city on the delta of the Pawan River. Ketapang regency is one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia. It occupies an area of 35,809 km²...
before passing into the South China Sea
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
at 1°49′30"S 109°55′9"E. It is 45 miles to the south of Sukadana
Sukadana
Sukadana is the capital city of North Kayong regency , on the island of Borneo. North Kayong regency is one of the regencies of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia...
town. Sukadana means the "city of rays" and known as diamond city. The Pawan river drains into the sea near the present Ketapang through two estuaries; which are meandering channels. The depth of water here is about 6 feet (1.8 m) during spring tide. Tanjungpura is situated about 35 miles in the upstream. The river forms one of the major river basins in West Kalimantan Province in the Ketapang Regency (478 kilometre from Pontianak) whose capital is Ketapang. Tropical peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
s have been identified in its basin area.
The river is navigable and bandungs ply on the river. Bandung is not only a transportation means for the people but also a housing unit a sincere they travel long the river course trading along the route in villages on the banks of the river.
History
Historically the Pawan River passed through the Kingdom of Ulu. It has been inferred that the Pawan River basin was under the influence of powerful tribal group of the “Indianised Javanese kingdom of Majapahit”, in the 15th century or earlier. Some traders of this group settled here in the valley in the coastal town of Sukadana and subsequently moved up along the river valley for trading in timber and other goods. Marriage alliances between the trading community and the tribal chiefs daughters legitimised the trading practices. From the 16th century onwards, the surrounding area, upstream of the river valley, was under the control of Dayak Kings (Indianized kings); this was a vast area of the "Dayak kingdom" not only in the upper Pawan River valley but it also extended to the upper Sekadau, across the basin boundary. This area was considered safe from attacks from the pirates and as a result, gold and diamond trade is stated to have flourished till the sultanate of PontianakPontianak Sultanate
Pontianak Sultanate or Kesultanan Pontianak is a monarchy in the province of Pontianak, Indonesia.-History:Pontianak Sultanate was founded in 1771 by explorers from Hadhramaut led by al-Sayyid Syarif Abdurrahman al-Kadrie, descendants of Imam Ali ar-Ridha...
created serious economic hurdles to the kingdom of Sanggau.
Forest area
The Ketapang Forest area is managed under the Forest Management District office (KPH) which has nine sub districts south of the Pawan River and five sub districts to the north of the river, in the Batu ampar KPH in the Pontinak district.Fauna
The Bornean OrangutanBornean Orangutan
The Bornean orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus, is a species of orangutan native to the island of Borneo. Together with the slightly smaller Sumatran orangutan, it belongs to the only genus of great apes native to Asia....
, also found in the forest along the Pawan river in West Kalimantan, are facing severe habitat loss due to logging and clearing land for palm oil and related agriculture activities. Consequently their population is declining. The orangutans in this region are from the sub-species Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii. They are different from the species found in Sumatra
Sumatran Orangutan
The Sumatran orangutan is one of the two species of orangutans. Found only on the island of Sumatra, in Indonesia, it is rarer and smaller than the Bornean orangutan. The Sumatran orangutan grows to about tall and in males...
.