Situated between the Kayanan and the Sabangau rivers, Palangkaraya is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Central Kalimantan. Tjilik Riwut airport is located 9 km from the city.
Kalimantan Tengah (Central Kalimantan) province was established on 23 May 1957. It was Sukarno, the proclaimer of Indonesian independence, who initiated construction of the city of Palangkaraya as the capital of the new province. Today, the majority of the population of the city is Muslim although there are Christian and Dayak people among them. Many people in Palangkaraya speak Bahasa Indonesia and the Banjar language, as well as other regional dialects such as Dayak Ngaju and Dayak Maayan.
Palangkaraya is one of the most well constructed and best planned cities in Indonesia. Initially, it was intended to replace Jakarta as the capital of Indonesia. To support this idea, many iconic building were erected to reflect the staus of the city, including Bundaran Besar which is a junction of eight crossroads that symbolise the eight great islands of Indonesia, namely Java, Sumatra, Sulawesi, Kalimantan, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, and Papua. This makes
The city is famous for its local dish of Patin Bakar (Grilled River Fish), Nasi Kuning (Yellow Rice) and Sop Rotan (Rattan Soup). Some the city's popular delicacies, such as Soto Banjar and Ketupat Kandangan, originated in the neighbouring province of South Kalimantan. The city's two main traditional markets, Pasar Besar and Pasar Kahayan offer many types of goods. Palangka Raya Mall is a modern shopping centre located in the city centre at Bundaran Besar. There are also abundant mini markets, as well as supermarkets.
