Few weeks ago, President Joko Widodo had officially announced the area chosen as candidates for the new capital of Indonesia. These locations are in parts of Penajam Paser Utara District and in parts of Kutai Kartanegara, both in East Kalimantan Province.

The two regions were chosen because after being studied for around three years, the two regions are far from the potential for natural disasters. In addition, the location of both is fairly strategic because it’s located in the middle of Indonesia, and is quite close to the developing city areas, such as Balikpapan and Samarinda.

For those who don't know about one of Indonesia's new capitals, here are the facts of Penajam Paser Utara which Alinear Indonesia summarized from some sources.

1. Has Many Natural Resources
As a candidate for the new capital city, Penajam Paser Utara District has enough natural resources, such as forest resources, plantations, agriculture, fisheries, animal husbandry, mining and forestry. The economic potential can be an opportunity to increase income and improve people's welfare.

2. Once a Kingdom
Penajam Paser Utara were once inhabited by the Paser Tunan Tribe and the Paser Balik Tribe. These tribes live scattered. Each tribe established a small kingdom called the Kerajaan Adat. They live a tradition that has been passed down for generations, one of which has a livelihood as fishermen and farmers.

Many of these tribes are extinct but still keep a legend that lives in the community until now. Unfortunately, there are no official records that tell of a small kingdom that had once triumphed. Since the Paser Kingdom was established, the area owned by the Tunan and Penajam tribes was part of the kingdom's territory.

3. Tourism Potential
Tourist attractions in Penajam Paser Utara may not be popular and well-managed. However, tourism potential in the prospective new capital city is starting to exist. Like, a beautiful hidden waterfall Tembinus Waterfall, an extensive deer breeding, coastal tourism and mangrove forest park.

4. Territory
Penajam Paser Utara District is located in East Kalimantan Province. The regency is led by Regent Abdul Gafur Mas'ud, who was elected for the period 2018 - 2023. According to data from the Central Statistics Agency, Penajam Paser Utara District has an area of ​​3,333.06 km², consisting of 3,060.82 km² land area and 272.24 km² is the sea area.

5. Local Residents
The majority of Penajam Paser Utara people are transmigrants from Java, with around 60%, while the rest are from Sulawesi and South Kalimantan. It’s estimated that the population of Penajam Paser Utara currently amounts to 157,711 people, and has four sub-districts, those are Babulu, Waru, Penajam, and Sepaku.

Top Photo Source: id.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pengguna:Ezagren