Sampit

Sampit is a large town located in East Kotawaringin Regency, Central Kalimantan. Previously a timber port town, it has grown to be a medium-sized community with a population of 166,773 according to Statistics Indonesia in 2019, with the economy having since divested from timber products. However, the town is not an autonomous city and not an administrative division by despite having a sizeable population and urban built-up. It consists of eleven urban villages (kelurahan) and two "rural" villages (desa), comprising Mentawa Baru Ketapang District (all except 5 desa in the south of the district), Baamang District (fully) and part of Seranau District (only one kelurahan), as detailed below. The total area of the town is 651.32 square kilometres and the population was estimated at 171,624 as at mid 2024. {| class="sortable wikitable" |- ! Kode Wilayah|| Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) || Name of kelurahan or desa|| Area inkm2 || Pop'nEstimatemid 2024||Postcodes |- | 62.02.06.1003 || Mentawa Baru Ketapang || Ketapang||align="right"| 19.52 ||align="right"| 28,554||74325 |- | 62.02.06.2010 || Mentawa Baru Ketapang || Telaga Baru (desa) ||align="right"| 11.67 ||align="right"| 5,006||74326 |- | 62.02.06.1002 || Mentawa Baru Ketapang || Mentawa Baru Hilir ||align="right"| 8.81 ||align="right"| 23,531||74323 |- | 62.02.06.1001 || Mentawa Baru Ketapang || Mentawa Baru Hulu ||align="right"| 7.46 ||align="right"| 16,199||74322 |- | 62.02.06.1007 || Mentawa Baru Ketapang || Sawahan ||align="right"| 5.51 ||align="right"| 9,465||74321 |- | 62.02.06.1009 || Mentawa Baru Ketapang || Pasir Putih ||align="right"| 138.17 ||align="right"| 9,196||74322 |- | 62.02.12.1001 || Seranau || Mentaya Seberang ||align="right"| 253.33 ||align="right"| 3,774||74324 |- | 62.02.05.1001 || Baamang || Baamang Hilir ||align="right"| 0.81 ||align="right"| 8,584||74311 |- | 62.02.05.1002 || Baamang || Baamang Tengah ||align="right"| 5.54 ||align="right"| 31,170||74312 |- | 62.02.05.1003 || Baamang || Baamang Hulu ||align="right"| 87.85 ||align="right"| 13,880||74313 |- | 62.02.05.1007 || Baamang || Tanah Mas ||align="right"| 17.11 ||align="right"| 1,619||74312 |- | 62.02.05.1008 || Baamang || Baamang Barat ||align="right"| 42.19 ||align="right"| 19,031||74312 |- | 62.02.05.2006 || Baamang || Tinduk (desa) ||align="right"| 53.35 ||align="right"| 1,615||74316 |- | || Total || ||align="right"| 651.32 ||align="right"| 171,624|| |}

== Etymology == The origin of the town's name is disputed. The name is thought to be derived from Chinese. 31 Chinese laborers worked for a plantation in the area during the colonial era, with "sam-it" roughly meaning 31. In the 18th century, sampit is the spelling used by Daniel Beekman in describing the sumpit, a type of blow weapon used by the inhabitants of the Borneo interior.