Confluence on The Barito, South Kalimantan, Indonesia
12 September 2010

Note: The area of coverage in this GEOEYE-1 image is approximately 2.5 km x 2.5 km.
The reduced resolution image on display has undergone compression and so does not represent the true resolution of the original satellite image.

The Barito flows south through the swamplands of south Kalimantan to the Java Sea. The old town of Marabahan is on the meander cliff of the Barito, facing its confluence with the Negara River. The chocolate-brown waters of the Barito, carrying a heavy load of fine sediment, contrast with the darker tannin-rich waters of the Negara that are backed up inside its channel. There is very little diffusion at the confluence. On the riverbank, houses with brightly coloured sloping roofs contrast with older, smaller dwellings of wood. The low flat lands are heavily farmed, with the entire point bar of the Barito in paddy. Several boats ply on the rivers and the area is also served by a road system branching out of a north-south main road. The crossing of the rivers, however, requires the use of ferries.