Tarakan, Indonesia
Tarakan is a town of 255,310 people in North Kalimantan, Indonesia, founded in December 15, 1997.
Why visit Tarakan
Townapedia lists 7 museums and landmarks, 5 parks and trails, 8 places to eat, 14 places to stay and 4 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Borneo Tarakan University, Museum Sejarah Perminyakan Kota Tarakan and Museum Sejarah Perang Dunia II Kota Tarakan.
Weather in Tarakan
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Tarakan
Tarakan is an island and co-extensively the sole city within the Indonesian province of North Kalimantan. The island city is the largest urban area in North Kalimantan population-wise and is located in northern Borneo, midway along the coast of the province. The city boundaries are co-extensive with the island (including a couple of small islands off the coast of the Tarakan Barat District). Once a major oil-producing region during the colonial period, Tarakan had great strategic importance during the Pacific War and was among the first Japanese targets early in the conflict.
From the Wikipedia article Tarakan (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Tarakan on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Things to do4
Borneo Tarakan University
School · 6.5 km
Higher education institution in Tarakan, Indonesia
Museums and landmarks7
Museum Sejarah Perminyakan Kota Tarakan
Museum · 3.6 km
Jalan Sei Sesayap, Tarakan
Mo-Su 08:00-16:00
Museum Sejarah Perang Dunia II Kota Tarakan
Museum · 3.6 km
Jalan Sei Sesayap, Tarakan
Mo-Su 08:00-16:00
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Parks, trails and playgrounds5
Restaurants and cafes8
Firsthand Coffee Bar
Cafe · Coffee Shop · 1.0 km
55 Jalan Yos Sudarso, Karang Balik
Where to stay14
Churches and places of worship43
Shopping3
Gas and EV charging4
Schools, colleges and libraries20
Healthcare8
Map of Tarakan
117 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Juwata Airport (TRK) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 3 km away.
- Pelabuhan Tengkayu map
- Tanjung Selor 59 km southwest, about 59 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Islamic Center Tarakan, Si Gam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tarakan, Tarakan City, East Kalimantan, Indonesia - panoramio, abas kayan, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Masjid Agung Tarakan, Si Gam, CC BY 4.0
- Mencari Makan Bersama di Kawasan Konservasi Mangrove Tarakan, Ryan Hidayat Alwi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Islamic Center Tarakan (cropped), Si Gam, CC0
- Gedung Rektorat Universitas Borneo Tarakan, Ezagren ( bicara / talk ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- SMA Negeri 1 Tarakan, Ezagren ( bicara / talk ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museum Flora dan Fauna Kota Tarakan, Ezagren ( bicara / talk ), CC BY-SA 4.0
- This is my world, Ade Putri Amelia Az-Zahra, CC BY-SA 4.0
- And this is the heaven of the world for all of us, Ade Putri Amelia Az-Zahra, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Jaga Kami Agar Tetap Lestari, Ryan Hidayat Alwi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bahaya Radiasi, Edysupryady, CC0
- Susi Air PK-BVT at TRK 25-03-2026, Griff88, CC BY-SA 4.0
- WALR-04, Eporefani98 at Indonesian Wikipedia, Public domain
- Juwata Airport 25 March 2026, Griff88, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Susi Air PK-VVU at TRK 25-03-2026, Griff88, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Super Air Jet PK-SJS at TRK 19-03-2026, Griff88, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Super Air Jet PK-SJP at TRK 25-03-2026, Griff88, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Australian RAAF 1st Tactical Air Force insignia, c1945 (26782556914), State Library of South Australia from Australia, Public domain
- Gedung Rektor Universitas Borneo, Si Gam, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Bekantan Yang Hampir Punah, Fahrian Naufal Rastandi, CC BY-SA 4.0
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