Samboja | |
|---|---|
 Samboja Reservoir | |
OpenStreetMap  | |
  Samboja Location Show map of Kalimantan Samboja Samboja (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia | |
| Coordinates:1°1′0.001″S117°1′59.999″E / 1.01666694°S 117.03333306°E /-1.01666694; 117.03333306 | |
| Country |  Indonesia |
| Province | East Kalimantan |
| Regency | Kutai Kartanegara |
| District seat | Kampung Lama[1] |
| Government | |
| • District head (Camat) | Damsik[2] |
| Area | |
• Total | 284.93 km2 (110.01 sq mi) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 41,607 |
| • Density | 150/km2 (380/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+8 (ICT) |
| Regional code | 64.02.13 |
| Villages | 13 |
Samboja (Indonesian pronunciation:[samˈbodʒa]) is a district inKutai Kartanegara Regency,East Kalimantan, Indonesia. As of 2023, it was inhabited by 41,607 people, and currently has the total area of 284.93 km2. Its district seat is located at the village of Kampung Lama.[1]
It bordersWest Samboja to the west andMuara Jawa to the north.
The origin of this place name is still unclear, there are two theories: from a male given name, or from a purportedChinese sentencesam bo cia "not eating in three days".[3]
The small town of Samboja was founded about a century ago in what was then rainforest when oil was discovered in the area. The first drilling began in 1897 near Balikpapan Bay.[4] Dutch oil workers moved into the area to work for a company that was later taken over byRoyal Dutch Shell and later still by the national Indonesian oil companyPertamina. The oil company began cutting wood in the 1950s and as people came flooding into the booming oil town of Balikpapan they cleared the surrounding forest. With the pronouncedEl Niño of 1982 and 1983 there were fires in the area, destroying the pockets of forest that remained.[5]
From 24 April 1969, Samboja was divided into two by gubernatorial decree number 55/TH-Pem/SK/1969, of which parts north of the "Rawa III river" (2,947 km2) were given toSamarinda, while parts south of it (726 km2) were given toBalikpapan.[6] However, Samarinda returned the district to Kutai on 21 October 1987.[7]Sanga-Sanga andMuara Jawa were likewise part of Samarinda at that time.
According to 2009TED talk withWillie Smits (the founder ofSamboja Lestari reserve), Samboja in 2002 was the poorest district of East Kalimantan, with 50% of the population unemployed and a high crime rate. Almost a quarter of average income went on buying drinking water. The land was covered with alang-alang grass (Imperata cylindrica), putting it at high risk for repeated forest and land fires. There were many nutrition and hygiene related health problems and life expectancy was low, with high infant and maternal mortality.[8]
In 2019, Indonesian PresidentJoko Widodo announced the relocation of Indonesia's capital from Jakarta to a yet to be developed city in East Kalimantan, which will span portions of Samboja.[9] The initial plan proposed construction of the capital city start in 2021, but was postponed due to shifting government priorities mitigating the effects of theCOVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.[10]
On 19 October 2020, the western parts of Samboja (containing 10 villages) were separated to form the new district ofWest Samboja, with its seat located at Tani Bhakti.[11]
Samboja is divided into the following 13 villages (the rest are urbankelurahan, ruraldesa are marked by grey background):[1]
| Regional code (Kode wilayah) | Name | Area (km2) | Population (2023) | RT (rukun tetangga) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64.02.13.1007 | Sungai Seluang | 27.54 | 4,018 | 17 |
| 64.02.13.1008 | Wonotirto | 11.18 | 1,962 | 7 |
| 64.02.13.1009 | Tanjung Harapan | 22.05 | 2,343 | 11 |
| 64.02.13.1010 | Samboja Kuala | 15.33 | 6,806 | 14 |
| 64.02.13.1011 | Sanipah | 59.32 | 5,751 | 18 |
| 64.02.13.1012 | Handil Baru | 33.59 | 3,653 | 13 |
| 64.02.13.1013 | Muara Sembilang | 22.17 | 2,654 | 14 |
| 64.02.13.2014 | Karya Jaya | 10.05 | 1,670 | 10 |
| 64.02.13.2016 | Bukit Raya | 11.81 | 1,870 | 12 |
| 64.02.13.2019 | Beringin Agung | 15.07 | 2,107 | 10 |
| 64.02.13.1021 | Teluk Pemedas | 24.32 | 4,130 | 8 |
| 64.02.13.1022 | Kampung Lama | 10.54 | 2,286 | 8 |
| 64.02.13.1023 | Handil Baru Darat | 21.95 | 2,357 | 12 |
| Totals | 284.93 | 41,607 | 286 |