The Barito River or Sungai Dusun is the name of a river that originates in the Schwaner mountains in Central Kalimantan province, entering the city of Marabahan, this river meets the mouth of the Negara river in the province of South Kalimantan, Indonesia, about 900 km northeast of the capital city of Jakarta. The flow that goes downstream of the river is called the Banjar River or the Banjarmasin River or the Banjar Besar river (groote rivier Bandjer), although this name is rarely used.
The name Barito is taken based on the name Tanah Barito or Onder Afdeeling Barito or Barito Regency which used to be a capital city in Muara Teweh City which administratively belongs to the province of Central Kalimantan, but is often used to name the entire river basin to its mouth in the Java Sea in Kalimantan province. South which is called Muara Banjar or Kuala Banjar.
The Barito River is the largest and longest river in South Kalimantan. The upstream of the Barito river is in the Schwaner mountains, stretching from the Central Kalimantan region in the northern part of Kalimantan Island to its mouth in the Java Sea, along approximately 1,000 kilometers. The Barito River has an average width of between 650 and 800 meters with an average depth of 8 meters. The width of the river in the mouth that is shaped like a funnel reaches 1,000 meters, so the Barito River is the widest river in Indonesia. The longest part of the Barito River starting from the headwaters is located in the Central Kalimantan region, while the rest to the river mouth is in the South Kalimantan region.
South Kalimantan is an archipelago characterized by a large number of river systems that flow from the interior to the ocean. According to Hall, such a situation is a privilege that has a significant influence on the social and economic development of the region concerned. From time to time people settled among the various river systems, resulting in population concentrations in the large delta area at the mouth of the river.
So important is the meaning of river networks, so that regional rulers always try to control the entire river network within their territory to implement their political hegemony. However, it is not easy to exercise direct economic control over the inhabitants of the upstream rivers and migrants on the coast. Therefore, usually the regional rulers rely on physical strength and the formation of alliances to control the interior areas.
A large river that originates from the foot of the Muller mountains to reach its mouth in the Java Sea, the length of the Barito River reaches 909 km, with a width of between 650 m to 1000 m which makes Barito the largest river in Indonesia.
