East Kalimantan is the largest province in Kalimantan with area over than 202.000 sq km with population over than 2 million and consider as the richest province in Indonesia as a major producer of oil and timber. East Kalimantan is at present the most industrially advanced province of the island. More than 80% of the area or over 17 million hectares is covered by forest, where the black orchid and many other orchid varieties grow within the sheltered continues of nature reserve. The Banjarese & Kutainese are mostly the coastal population which is living in towns and cities. The Dayak peoples from the overwhelming majority of the population of the hinterland, who live in longhouses called umaq daru. It is customary for one whole extended family or even one clan to occupy one longhouse. Samarinda is known for its fine sarong cloth. The city chows some signs of being the capital of a properous province. New government offices and public buildings are rising everywhere. Samarinda has a number of modest but comfortable hotels. Balikpapan as the center of Kalimantan's oil industry is also the gateway to East Kalimantan with air or sea connections to Jakarta and other major city in Indonesia. Balikpapan's oilfields made it a strategic target in the Javanese invasion of 1941 and again in the allied advances in 1944-1945. Australians occupied a bloody invasion and suppressed anti colonial unrest. The landmark if the beach front Balikpapan center on the corner of Jl. Sudirman and Jl. Ahmad Yani. Along this street is the place for the center of Balikpapan Shopping and hotels for your accommodation when visiting this place. Along Jl. Ahmad Yani you are very easy to find good restaurant and government and immigration offices. There are numbers of good international hotels in Balikpapan offer international standard class hotel such as Dusit Inn Balikpapan, Hotel Benakutai Balikpapan, Hotel Bahtera Balikpapan and Blue Sky Hotel (Bahana Surya). Derawan island is around 3 hr by a long boat from Tanjung Redep the capital of Berau regency or via Tarakan. In Derawan island you can find many rare animals such as the green turtle, the scarlet turtle, star fruit turtle and sea cow, other are rare species of marine plants, coral reefs, iguanas, sea birds, crab and the location for pearl diving. Derawan island is east Kalimantan is good base for scuba diving, fishing, swimming and other kind of water sports. Bontang is the regency of Kutai covering area of 200.000 ha, Bontang has a rare flora & fauna. The Kutai National Park near Bontang is worth visiting to see sceneries especially those at Beras basah. Tenggarong up the Mahakam river from Samarinda as the capital of Kutai regency and was once the seat of the Kutai Sultanate. The Sultan's palace on the river-side is now as a museum where the old royal paraphernalia are kept, as well as an excellent collection of antique Chinese ceramic. Dayak staues can be admired in the yard. Tanjung Isuy is a little settlement around Lake Jempang in the Lake-Studded East Kalimanatn hinterland, has a traditional Dayak longhouse which has been turned into lodges for visitors. The trip to Tanjung Isuy over the Mahakam river is a long but interesting one past floating villages and forest scenery. Melak is laos a little village further upstream on the Mahakam river in heart of the land of Tanjung Dayak. Not far from the village is the Kersik Luway nature reserve, where the Black Orchid grows as one of protected flower in the world.