Pangkalan Bun

Pangkalan Bun
Town
Other transcription(s)
• Jawi	ڤڠکلن بون
An aerial view of Pangkalan Bun
Pangkalan Bun Location of Pangkalan Bun on Kalimantan.
Coordinates: 2°41′S 111°37′E / 2.683°S 111.617°ECoordinates: 2°41′S 111°37′E / 2.683°S 111.617°E
Province	Central Kalimantan
Regency	West Kotawaringin
District	South Arut
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)
Kode Pos	74110

The Istana Kuning or "Yellow Palace" of the former princes of Kotawaringin

Pangkalan Bun or Pangkalanbuun (Jawi: ڤڠکلن بون‎), is a city (population: around 200,000)^[1] in Central Kalimantan (Kalimantan Tengah) province on Borneo in Indonesia. It is the administrative headquarters of South Arut (Arut Selatan) district (kecamatan) and also the capital of West Kotawaringin Regency in the south-west part of central Kalimantan.

Pangkalan Bun is served by Iskandar Airport. Several airlines fly to this airport. Shipping services provide connections to Jakarta, Surabaya, and Semarang.^[2]

Birutė Galdikas established her base, Camp Leakey, for the study and conservation of orangutans about 30 miles (48 km) from Pangkalan Bun up the Sekonyer River.^[2] The site has expanded from the original hut in 1971. Its facilities, supported by the Orangutan Foundation International, are a part of the Tanjung Puting National Park.^[3]

Crash of AirAsia QZ 8501

Iskandar Airport is one of the operation centres being used to support search operations following the crash of AirAsia QZ 8501 on 28 December 2014 in nearby Karimata Strait. Shortly after the crash, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS, or Badan SAR Nasional) established a post in Iskandar airport to coordinate the search. The head of the agency, Air Marshal Bambang Sulistyo, took close personal command of operations.^[4]

Following confirmation of the crash, Indonesian agencies prepared over 160 coffins in Pangkalan Bun so as to be ready, in accordance with Indonesian practice, to take care of those who died as quickly as possible.^[5] After reception in Pangkalan Bun, the plan was to return the bodies of the people who died to their families, mostly in Surabaya in East Java where Flight QZ 8501 originated from.^[6]

Geography

Pangkalan Bun is 24 metres (79 ft) above sea-level.^[7]

Climate

There no real dry season in Pangkalan Bun, but between June through October, the town receives less than 200 millimetres (7.9 in) of precipitation per month (in contrast to the other months which receive at least 250 millimetres (9.8 in) per month).

Climate data for PANGKALANBUUN, INDONESIA
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	29 (84)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	30 (86)	29 (84)	30 (86)
Daily mean °C (°F)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)	27 (81)
Average low °C (°F)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	25 (77)	24 (75)	23 (73)	23 (73)	23 (73)	24 (75)	24 (75)	23 (73)	24 (75)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	250 (9.84)	250 (9.84)	270 (10.63)	270 (10.63)	280 (11.02)	180 (7.09)	170 (6.69)	160 (6.3)	170 (6.69)	190 (7.48)	290 (11.42)	330 (12.99)	2,860 (112.6)
Source: [7]

References

1. This is an estimate. Various media reports mention a figure of around 200,000. The total population of the West Kotawaringin Regency, of which Pangkalan Bun is the capital, is put at around 250,000 in 2010. The majority of the population of the Regency are believed to live in or nearby to Pangkalan Bun.
2. Among the Orangutans: The Birute Galdikas Story, p. PA13, at Google Books
3. "About Camp Leakey". Orangutan Foundation International. Retrieved 2015-01-01.
4. Indra Harsaputra and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, 'Hope fades as debris found', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014.
5. 'Six AirAsia bodies recovered, says Basarnas', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014.
6. 'Two bodies of AirAsia victims arrive in Surabaya', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014.
7. "Pangkalanbuun, Indonesia Travel Weather Averages". Weatherbase. Retrieved 2015-01-01.