Pangkalan Bun is the capital of West Kotawaringin Regency in Central Kalimantan Province, on Borneo, Indonesia. It is an agglomeration of seven urban villages (kelurahan) plus one nominally rural village (desa), all of which are part of South Arut District (kecamatan Arut Selatan), with a combined population of 108,814 in mid 2024.This is the official estimate. Various media reports mention a figure of around 200,000, but the total district population, which includes 12 other rural villages (desa) outside of the agglomeration, was 127,569 in mid 2024. The total population of the entire Regency, of which Pangkalan Bun is the capital, was 235,803 at the 2010 Census, 270,388 at the 2020 Census, and was officially estimated at 285,737 in mid 2025. The majority of the population of the district are believed to live in or nearby to Pangkalan Bun. It is also the administrative headquarters of South Arut District (Arut Selatan).

The town is mostly situated on the east bank of the Arut River, although the kelurahan of Menawai Seberang and Raja Seberang lie on the west bank of the river ("Seberang" in Indonesian means "across" or "on the other side of" [the river]). The seven kelurahan (urban villages) of the district have a land area of 652 km2 and a population of 94,114 according to the official estimates for mid 2024; in addition to these, Pasir Panjang (which is technically classed as a rural village (desa), but is an urbanised part of the agglomeration) has a further 14,700 inhabitants in 2024. All these are listed below, together with the rural villages in the district,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Arut Selatan Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.6201050) together with their postcodes.

KodeWilayah Name of kelurahan or desa Area in km2 Pop'nEstimatemid 2024 Postcodes 62.01.02.1002 Mendawai Seberang 26.00 2,337 74117 62.01.02.1003 Mendawai 469.00 12,853 74115 62.01.02.2004 Pasir Panjang 162.00 14,700 74117 62.01.02.1005 Madurejo 26.00 24,681 74112 62.01.02.1006 Sidorejo 6.00 19,086 74111 62.01.02.1007 Raja 1.50 6,727 74114 62.01.02.1008 Raja Seberang 115.00 2,602 74116 62.01.02.1009 Baru 8.50 25,828 74113 62.01.02 Pangkalan Bun Totals 814.00108,814 62.01.02.2001 Tanjung Putri 19.00 850 74117 62.01.02.2010 Rangda 51.00 1,144 74117 62.01.02.2011 Kenambui 150.00 671 74117 62.01.02.2012 Runtu 504.00 1,927 74117 62.01.02.2013 Umpang 609.00 1,114 74117 62.01.02.2014 Kumpai Batu Bawah 18.25 2,163 74117 62.01.02.2015 Kumpai Batu Atas 30.00 3,932 74117 62.01.02.2016 Natai Raya 6.20 2,035 74117 62.01.02.2017 Medang Sari 9.00 1,504 74117 62.01.02.2018 Natai Baru 7.30 1,400 74117 62.01.02.2019 Tanjung Terantang 12.25 1,209 74117 62.01.02.2020 Sulung 170.00 805 74117 62.01.02 Rural villages of Arut Selatan District 1,586.0018,755

Pangkalan Bun is served by Iskandar Airport. Several airlines (which is Nam Air, Citilink, and Batik Air) fly to this airport. Shipping services provide connections to Jakarta, Surabaya, and Semarang.

Birutė Galdikas established her base, Camp Leakey, for the study and conservation of orangutans about from Pangkalan Bun up the Sekonyer River. The site was expanded from the original hut in 1971. Its facilities, supported by the Orangutan Foundation International, are a part of the Tanjung Puting National Park.

Crash of AirAsia QZ 8501

Iskandar Airport was one of the operation centres being used to support search operations following the crash of AirAsia QZ 8501 on 28 December 2014 in nearby Karimata Strait. Shortly after the crash, the Indonesian National Search and Rescue Agency (BASARNAS, or Badan SAR Nasional) established a post in Iskandar airport to coordinate the search. The head of the agency, Air Marshal Bambang Sulistyo, took close personal command of operations.Indra Harsaputra and Wahyoe Boediwardhana, 'Hope fades as debris found', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014.

Following confirmation of the crash, Indonesian agencies prepared over 160 coffins in Pangkalan Bun to be ready, following Indonesian practice, to take care of those who died as quickly as possible.'Six AirAsia bodies recovered, says Basarnas', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014. After a reception in Pangkalan Bun, the plan was to return the bodies of the people who died to their families, mostly in Surabaya in East Java where Flight QZ 8501 originated from.'Two bodies of AirAsia victims arrive in Surabaya', The Jakarta Post, 31 December 2014.

Geography Pangkalan Bun is above sea-level.

Climate Pangkalan Bun has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

References