Kalimantan is much more central in Indonesia’s archipelago of 17,000 islands

Kalimantan is the southern three-fourths of the Indonesian island of Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between the Malaysian governments of Sabah and Sarawak and the small sultanate of Brunei. The land between the districts of Kutai Kartanegara and Penajam Paser Utara has been chosen as the location for Indonesia's next capital city. What is less well known is that the region has a long and rich history, having been the site of one of the archipelago's earliest ancient kingdoms.

Despite being the archipelagic country's second-largest island and home to some of the world's greatest coal reserves, Kalimantan Island provides just 8.2% of the nation's GDP. It is hoped that capital relocation and the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) can minimize the development gap between Java and the other Indonesian islands.

"The location (of the new capital) is very advantageous - it's in the center of Indonesia and adjacent to urban centers", President Joko Widodo said in a televised speech. The chosen location is also less prone to natural disasters including earthquakes, floods, forest fires, landslides, and volcanic eruptions.