Palangka Raya

Palangka Raya or Palangkaraya is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. The city is situated between the Kahayan and the Sabangau rivers on the island of Borneo. As of the 2020 census, the city has a population of 293,500; the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 310,182. Palangka Raya is the largest city by land area in Indonesia (approximately four times the size of Jakarta); however, most of the area is forested (particularly in the northern districts of Rakumpit and Bukit Batu) including protected forests, nature conservation areas, and Tangkiling Forest.

The city is the center of economic, governance, and education of Central Kalimantan province. It is a relatively new city, founded from a small Dayak village of Pahandut in 1957. The city was planned from scratch and the construction was assisted by the Soviet military due to Sukarno's relation to Eastern Bloc at the time. Despite relatively developed infrastructure and high Human Development Index rating, the city suffers from environmental problems such as haze, forest fires, and floods.