The Province of West Kalimantan is located on the island of Kalimantan. The capital of the Province of West Kalimantan is Pontianak. The area of West Kalimantan is precisely crossed by the Equator line (Zero latitudes) above the Pontianak city. The province of West Kalimantan is bordered by Sarawak (Malaysia) to the north, the Java Sea and Central Kalimantan to the south, East Kalimantan to the east, and the Natuna Sea and Karimata Strait to the west. Kalimantan spans over a total area of 146,807 km², with a total population of 5,427,075 people in 2018.
According to history, the indigenous tribes in West Kalimantan have established trade relations with India, China, and the Middle East in the 5th Century. There were at least 13 kingdoms existed in the region, namely Tanjungpura, Sukadana, Simpang, Mempawah, Sambas, Ismahayana Landak, Tayan, Meliau, Sanggau, Sekadau, Sintang, Kubu, and Pontianak, which once existed in West Kalimantan. Among others, the Ismahayana Landak kingdom is the oldest kingdom in West Kalimantan, which existed in the Pontianak region since the late 13th to 18th centuries. The Royal Palace of Ismahayana Landak is located in Pontianak city. Since the 16th Century until the late 19th Century Kalimantan was under Dutch colonial rule.
The most dominant ethnic groups in West Kalimantan are Dayak (34.93%) and Malay (33.84%). The Dayaks mostly inhabit the countrysides while the majority of Malay ethnic lives in the coastal area. The other ethnic groups are Javanese, Chinese, Madurese and Bugis. Chinese ethnic inhabits some cities like Singkawang and Pontianak. The official religions of the region are Islam (59.22%) Christian (Catholic and Protestant) (34.32%), and Buddhist (5.41%).
One of the characteristics of West Kalimantan Culture is the Tiang Sandung. The Tiang Sandung is a pole measuring about 1-2 meters long and made of belian wood. This pole is part of the Sandung House, which is a place for storing ashes or bones of the ancestors according to Dayaks tradition. The size and number of poles in the Sandung House represent social status and the wealth level of the family.