Waru is a district of Penajam North Paser Regency, in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. As of 2023, it was inhabited by 20,965 people, and currently has a total area of 553.38 km2. Its district seat is located at the village of Waru.
The district borders Penajam to the north, Babulu to the southwest, and Long Kali (Paser) to the west. It is also named after the tree Hibiscus tiliaceus (waru), for being abundant along what is now the Penajam–Babulu provincial road. Along with Babulu, this modern-day region originally belonged to Kotabaru of South Kalimantan until 1959, and remained as part of Pasir before joining the newly-formed regency of Penajam North Paser in 2002.
Contents
Governance
Villages
Waru is divided into the following 4 villages (the rest are rural desa, urban kelurahan is marked by grey background):
The village of Bangun Mulya was split from Waru on 14 April 2010.
Places of interest
Deer breeding park
Located on the 32nd kilometer of State Road, at the village of Api-Api, Waru, this sambar deer breeding park was established in 1991 with only 80 individuals. Nowadays, this number has increased up to 217 individuals as of 2024. The local government had announced plans to develop this tourist attraction, by reducing the deer pen's area from 18 hectares down to 6 hectares, while also adding new facilities and special areas such as a fishing pond.