Pontianak Equator Monument Tour, West Kalimantan - Just Menong

The beginning of 2017 was a memorable experience because I had the opportunity to tour the Pontianak equator monument, West Kalimantan. And of course the Equator Monument was the first thing I imagined before setting foot in this city. Not many people know the meaning of the equator monument for us as people who are blessed to live along the equator. Come on, see!

Pontianak

Pontianak, the capital of West Kalimantan Province, a city crossed by the Kapuas and Landak rivers, was built in 1771 AD by Syarif Abdurrahman Alkadrie. Located on the imaginary line 0° 02' 24” N – 0° 01' 37” S 109° 16' 25” – 109° 23' 04” E, this city has many tourist attractions to be proud of.

Equator Monument 

It's incomplete if you don't have time to visit the Equator Monument. Located ± 30 minutes away by motorbike from downtown Pontianak --yes...that's right...motorcycles driven by students who are rented for the whole day--, the Equator Monument is the first destination to visit. There are 12 countries that the equator passes through, but there is only 1 city that exactly separates the northern and southern hemispheres, namely the city of Pontianak, really proud, isn't it??

Pride Monument

This monument, the pride of Pontianak residents, was founded in 1928 by the Dutch Geographical Expedition Team. Initially in the form of only a milestone but perfected in 1930. And now the Equator Monument has been transformed into a monument that has become a destination for domestic and foreign tourists.

The Equator Monument inside the Monument

 Visitors can also see an information board that explains the history of the Equator Monument and science related to the equator.

Quoted from the page https://kebudayaan.kemdikbud.go.id/dpk/tugu-khatulistiwa/, in 1930, the simple monument which was built in 1928 was perfected by changing the arrows to circles. And this refinement was continued in 1938 by an architect named Silaba by changing the monument building into four pillars of ironwood/wood with a diameter of 0.30 m with a height of the front pillars (two pillars) as high as 3.05 m from the ground. The back pillar where the circle and the direction arrows are 4.40 m high.

The Equator Monument was renovated again in 1990. In March 2005, the Team for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) made corrections to determine the location of the zero point of the equator in Pontianak City which shows the current position of the Equator Monument:

0° 0' 3,809” N and 109° 19' 19,9” BT

Zero point

Now besides the monument, at this location there is also a museum that explains the meaning of the equator monument and a gift shop. Have a nice tour in Pontianak equator monument, West Kalimantan!