Murung Raya Regency is the most northerly of the thirteen regencies (districts) which comprise the province of Central Kalimantan

Central Kalimantan

Central Kalimantan is a province of Indonesia, one of four in Kalimantan - the Indonesian part of the island of Borneo. Its provincial capital is Palangka Raya.The province has a population of just over 2.2 million at the 2010 Census...

 on the island of Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. The capital of the district is Puruk Cahu. Prior to the 2002 reorganization, this district was a division of the North Barito Regency

North Barito Regency

North Barito Regency is one of the thirteen regencies which divide the island of Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan Province, Indonesia. Muara Teweh is the capital of North Barito Regency. The population of North Barito Regency is 122,929 ....

. The district had a population of 97,029 inhabitants at the 2010 Census.

Subdivisions

This district consists of 10 sub-districts (divisions), 124 villages and 9 villages:

Murung Tanah Siang Laung Tuhup Permata Intan Sumber Barito

Sungai Babuat Tanah Siang Selatan Barito Tuhup Raya Seribu Riam U’Ut Murung

Geography

The district has an area of 38,617 km² and it lies between 114°27'00 to 115°49'00 East longitude and 0°58'30 North latitude to 1°26'00 South latitude. It occupies the valleys and foothills of the southern slopes of the and the eastern slopes of the Müller Mountains, and rises to 1730 m. at Mount Lesung on it northern border. Most of the riverine area lies at an altitude of 100 to 200 m above sea level while the foothills are mostly at an altitude of 400-500 m.

The Betikap and Sepathawung valleys, in the northwest part of the district have been declared protected areas for orangutan

Orangutan

Orangutans are the only exclusively Asian genus of extant great ape. The largest living arboreal animals, they have proportionally longer arms than the other, more terrestrial, great apes. They are among the most intelligent primates and use a variety of sophisticated tools, also making sleeping...

s. The Tumbang Topus caves have been the source of discovery of a number of new species.

Economy

Most of the population lives along rivers and relies on them for transportation, food, and agriculture. Aside from the predominant subsistence fishing and farming, the biggest contributors to the economy are forestry and mining. Timber, including high value trees such as Ulin (Eusideroxylon zwageri)

Eusideroxylon zwageri

Eusideroxylon zwageri, the Ulin, is native to the Malesia region. It is one of the four species of the genus Eusideroxylon. It is known colloquially in English as Borneo ironwood and occasionally bilian ironwood or bilian...

 and Meranti (genus Shorea), has been commercially extracted since the 1920s, while the mining sector, such as gold and tin mining, has developed since World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

. In the 1990s coal exploration began, and in the 2000s the Haju coal mine started to be developed.