Samarinda, city in central Indonesia, on the eastern part of the island of Borneo, 60 km (37 mi) from Makassar Strait. The capital of East Kalimantan Province, Samarinda lies on both banks of the Mahakam River, where it is a transportation and communications center serviced by riverboats and minibuses. A major north-south highway passes through Samarinda. Since the 1960s the local hardwood trade has been increasingly important, and a major timber mill is nearby. South of the river, home-based businesses include the weaving of special Samarinda-style sarongs, a long strip of cloth that is wrapped around the body and worn as a skirt or dress. Samarinda sarongs are woven from dried leaves of the doyo tree.
According to a stone inscription on a nearby Hindu shrine, Samarinda was settled in the 5th century AD, possibly by Indians. The present settlement was established in 1668 by the Bugis, fishing and trading people from the southern part of the island of Sulawesi (Celebes). Samarinda grew slowly in importance as a local trading center, especially for forest products. In 1846 the Dutch colonial administration took control of Samarinda, but the rajas remained in power outside the city and its immediate surroundings. In 1959 President Sukarno made it illegal for aliens to live or conduct business outside any city. Thus many Chinese who had lived and worked in the country around Samarinda moved into the city, reinforcing the urban economic core. Where Samarinda had a population of about 5000 at the beginning of the 20th century, its population by 1961 was about 70,000. Throughout the 1980s Samarinda grew at a yearly rate of 4.4 percent, well above the national average. Population density continues to increase, though many residents have moved to the city's fringes. Samarinda's population includes Chinese; Banjarese, who are native to the southern part of the island; Kutais, who are native to the area around Samarinda; and Manu Muslims. Population (1997) 567,402.
