AsiaIndonesiaEast Kalimantan
Balikpapan
East Kalimantan, Indonesia · Asia
About Balikpapan
Balikpapan sits on the route: 15 minutes from Penajam.
Balikpapan is in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, with about 700,000 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Penajam, about 7 km away.
Balikpapan is a port city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, on the eastern coast of Borneo. An important oil-refining, commercial and transport centre, it is often called Kota Minyak ("Oil City"). The city had 688,318 residents at the 2020 Indonesian census and an estimated population of 766,052 in mid-2025, making itRead more
one of East Kalimantan's largest cities alongside Samarinda. Separate civil-registration records listed 770,047 inhabitants in the first half of 2026; the registration total is not a census count.
Balikpapan is served by Sultan Aji Muhammad Sulaiman Sepinggan International Airport, Port of Semayang and the Balikpapan–Samarinda Toll Road. It is also an access point for the developing Indonesian capital, Nusantara, situated to its north in East Kalimantan.
Balikpapan was originally a fishing village built by Buginese people in the 19th century. The first oil drilling began in Balikpapan on 10 February 1897, which was later set as the anniversary of the city. In 1899, the Dutch East Indies colonial administration granted a township status to Balikpapan. In 1907, Bataafsche Petroleum Maatschappij (BPM) made the city as its headquarters and imported skilled laborers, engineers, and managers from overseas. Subsequently, numerous multi-national companies came to Balikpapan to invest in the oil industry. This resulted in the economic boom of Balikpapan and attracted many migrants and expatriates.
During World War II, the Empire of Japan occupied the city in 1942, as part of the occupation of the Dutch East Indies, and it was bombed by the Allies in the first Balikpapan Battle in 1942 and second battle in 1945. The battles impacted critical infrastructure, including the oil refinery stations and seaport which were completely burned to the ground. Upon Indonesia's independence, BPM extended its activities in Balikpapan until 1965 when Pertamina, the Indonesian state-owned oil company, took control over the ownership of BPM and its oil exploration activities.
The city's petroleum sector underwent a major expansion in January 2026, when the Indonesian government inaugurated Pertamina's Balikpapan refinery modernization project.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Balikpapan?
Balikpapan is in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, about 7 km from Penajam.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 695,287
- Continent
- Asia
- Country
- Indonesia
- Region
- East Kalimantan
- Timezone
- Asia/Makassar
- Coordinates
- -1.2675, 116.8289
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When to drive here
Year-round
Tropical latitude: plan around the wet season rather than temperature.
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