Muara Badak (Indonesian pronunciation:[muˈ(w)araˈbadaʔ]) is a district of Kutai Kartanegara Regency, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. As of 2023, it was inhabited by 50,435 people, and currently has the total area of 781.52 km2.[2] Its district seat is located at the village of Muara Badak Ulu.[2]
Muara Badak borders Samarinda (specifically the district of North Samarinda) to the southwest. Natural gas reserve was discovered by Huffco in 1972, and as a result, the district gave its name to state-owned corporation Badak LNG, who is active at Bontang.[4]
History
Although the name Muara Badak literally translates to "Rhinoceros Estuary", some theories disputed this etymology, due to the fact that there is no clear evidence about the existence of rhinoceros there. Some connected instead to the tree tempura badak (now extinct), or the phrase attributed to the sultan of Kutai when first visiting this region in 1806 or 1825, "Badak leh... bagus beneh tempat ini yo!".[1]
On 1 December 1989, at the same time when Bontang was formed as an administrative city, three villages, namely Central Santan (Santan Tengah), Santan Ilir, and Santan Ulu were transferred from the former district of Bontang to Muara Badak.[5] Seven years later on 11 June 1996, the northern parts of Muara Badak (consisting of 3 previously-mentioned villages, Sabuntal, and Kersik) were separated to form the new district of Marang Kayu.[6]
In recent years, local organizations such as Muara Badak Youth Movement (GPMB), have demanded to secede from Kutai Kartanegara, due to resource curse issues.[7]
Governance
District head office at Batu-Batu, Muara Badak.
Villages
Muara Badak is divided into the following 14 villages (desa):[2]
The village of Badak Makmur was only created from parts of Muara Badak Ulu on 29 November 2023. Because of this, the regional code is yet to be released for this village.[8]
References
^ ab"Sejarah Muara Badak". smanegeri1muarabadak.sch.id. 16 October 2024. Retrieved 23 October 2024.
