Penajam

Penajam
District
Ferry port at Penajam, with services across Balikpapan Bay to Balikpapan city and to Kariangau.
Ferry port at Penajam, with services across Balikpapan Bay to Balikpapan city and to Kariangau.
Interactive map of Penajam
Penajam is located in Kalimantan
Penajam
Penajam
Location
Penajam is located in Indonesia
Penajam
Penajam
Penajam (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 1°18′07″S 116°44′07″E / 1.301967°S 116.735195°E / -1.301967; 116.735195
Country Indonesia
ProvinceEast Kalimantan
RegencyPenajam North Paser
District seatNipah-Nipah
Area
 • Total
1,207.37 km2 (466.17 sq mi)
Population
 (2023)
 • Total
95,358
 • Density78.980/km2 (204.56/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+8 (WITA)
Postal code
76141–76146
Regional code64.09.01
Villages23

Penajam (Indonesian pronunciation: [pəˈnadʒam], formerly known as Balikpapan Seberang between 1969 and 1987), is an administrative district (kecamatan) of East Kalimantan province of Indonesia; it includes the administrative capital of Penajam North Paser Regency on Kalimantan, Indonesian Borneo. As at mid 2025, it was inhabited by 100,053 people, and currently has a total land area of 1,207.37 km2. Its district seat is located at the village of Nipah-Nipah.

The district borders Sepaku District to the north, Waru District to the southwest, and Long Kali District (Paser Regency) to the west. It is also separated from Balikpapan (of which the district was formerly part until 1987) by Balikpapan Bay to northeast.

History

Etymology

According to local legends, a group of robbers from this town were defeated by another group of robbers from Sangkulirang. This situation forced them to stop (Buginese: pajan) becoming robbers. This word eventually evolved into its current form, Penajam. The district's former name before 1987, Balikpapan Seberang, simply refers to its location separated by Balikpapan Bay from the city's mainland.

Modern history

On 24 April 1969, Penajam was transferred from Kutai Regency to Balikpapan by gubernatorial decree 55/TH-Pem/SK/1969. Since that date, the district had been known as Balikpapan Seberang (lit. "opposite of Balikpapan") until 13 October 1987, when it was transferred again to Pasir Regency by government regulation number 21, and the name change was reverted. On 11 June 1996, the northern parts of the district (consisting of twelve villages) were separated off to form Sepaku District. This latter district would eventually become the location of newly-built national capital Nusantara.

On 16 October 2019, riots sparked at Penajam following an assault case at Nipah-Nipah Beach, causing damages on nearby buildings.

Geography

Climate

Penajam has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

Climate data for Penajam
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 29.5
(85.1)		 30.0
(86.0)		 30.0
(86.0)		 29.7
(85.5)		 29.8
(85.6)		 29.2
(84.6)		 28.6
(83.5)		 29.2
(84.6)		 29.3
(84.7)		 29.9
(85.8)		 29.7
(85.5)		 29.6
(85.3)		 29.5
(85.2)
Daily mean °C (°F) 26.1
(79.0)		 26.4
(79.5)		 26.4
(79.5)		 26.3
(79.3)		 26.6
(79.9)		 26.2
(79.2)		 25.8
(78.4)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.3
(79.3)		 26.6
(79.9)		 26.3
(79.3)		 26.2
(79.2)		 26.3
(79.3)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.8
(73.0)		 22.9
(73.2)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.4
(74.1)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.0
(73.4)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.0
(73.4)		 22.9
(73.2)		 23.1
(73.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 223
(8.8)		 191
(7.5)		 248
(9.8)		 224
(8.8)		 230
(9.1)		 195
(7.7)		 182
(7.2)		 161
(6.3)		 144
(5.7)		 140
(5.5)		 180
(7.1)		 224
(8.8)		 2,342
(92.3)
Source: Climate-Data.org

Governance

District head office at Nipah-Nipah, Penajam .

Villages

Map of villages in Penajam, before 2010
Map of villages in Penajam, after 2010

Penajam is divided into the following 23 villages (nineteen classed as urban kelurahan, four as rural desa, the latter are marked by a grey background), listed with their areas and their estimated populations as at mid 2024:

Regional code
(Kode wilayah)		 Name Area
(km2)		 Pop'n
(2024)		 RT
(rukun
tetangga)
64.09.01.1001 Tanjung Tengah 22.20 2,738 17
64.09.01.1002 Salo Loang 20.21 2,237 7
64.09.01.1003 Petung 10.23 10,263 11
64.09.01.1004 Giri Mukti 16.00 8,296 14
64.09.01.1005 Lawe-Lawe 60.08 2,962 18
64.09.01.1006 Pejala 20.45 1,255 13
64.09.01.1007 Kampung Baru 31.57 653 14
64.09.01.1008 Sesumpu 17.88 952 8
64.09.01.1009 Sungai Parit 19.62 3,964 8
64.09.01.1010 Nipah-Nipah 70.51 4,061 12
64.09.01.1011 Nenang 25.13 7,446 10
64.09.01.1012 Gunung Seteleng 22.18 7,272 12
64.09.01.1013 Penajam 46.23 14,458 10
64.09.01.1014 Buluminung * 70.86 3,414 10
64.09.01.1015 Sotek * 157.96 6,755 10
64.09.01.1016 Sepan * 109.40 2,282 10
64.09.01.1017 Riko * 347.09 2,247 10
64.09.01.1018 Pantai Lango * 44.24 2,690 10
64.09.01.1019 Gersik * 41.51 2,073 10
64.09.01.2020 Jenebora * 45.02 3,475 10
64.09.01.2021 Bukit Subur * 9.60 982 10
64.09.01.2022 Sidorejo 8.96 3,085 10
64.09.01.2023 Giri Purwa 13.47 4,827 10
Totals 1,207.37 98,387 253

The northern 8 villages (indicated by asterisks * in the table above) cover 825.68 km2 and had 23,918 inhabitants in 2024; the southern 15 villages cover 381.69 km2 and had 74,469 inhabitants in 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 27 February 2026, Kabupaten Penajam Paser Utara Dalam Angka 2026 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.6409)
  2. ↑ Mustikawati, Aquari (2019), "Jejak Budaya Penajam Paser Utara dalam Cerita Asal Usulnya", LOA, 14 (1)
  3. ↑ Soetoen, Anwar (1979). "Pertumbuhan Pemerintahan Daerah Kabupaten Kutai dan Beberapa Faktor yang Mempengaruhinya". Dari Swapraja ke Kabupaten Kutai. Proyek Penerbitan Buku Bacaan dan Sastra Indonesia dan Daerah. pp. 286–287.
  4. ↑ "PP No. 21 Tahun 1987". peraturan.bpk.go.id. Retrieved 2024-08-23.
  5. ↑ "PP No. 38 Tahun 1996". peraturan.bpk.go.id. Retrieved 2024-08-25.
  6. ↑ "BNPB: 146 Rumah Terbakar Akibat Rusuh di Penajam Paser Utara". detik.com. 18 October 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  7. ↑ "Climate: Penajam". Climate-Data.org. Retrieved 24 November 2020.
  8. ↑ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2025, Kecamatan Penajam Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.6409030)