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Banjarbaru is the capital city of South Kalimantan, one of the provinces in Indonesia. It is located southeast of Banjarmasin, the largest city of the province. The city had a population of 199,627 as of the 2010 Census, and 253,442 at the 2020 Census, and the official population estimate as at mid 2025 was 293,332 (comprising 147,053 males and 146,279 females). The large town of Martapura, with 161,290 inhabitants in 2025 (in Martapura and Martapura Timur Districts), lies immediately to the north of Banjarbaru in Banjar Regency, and in effect constitutes an extension of the city. The second largest city in the province after Banjarmasin, it is also part of Banjarbakula metropolitan area.

Kampung Pelangi, Banjarbaru Inside of QMall Banjarbaru, the only mall in the city as of 2019. There is only one shopping mall in the city, QMall, which is located in the North Banjarbaru district, located on a 40 hectare plot of land. It is integrated with one hotel, Grand Dafam Q Hotel, which is connected to the mall itself. Several entertainment & amusement parks exist in the city, such as Amanah Borneo Park, Banua Labyrinth Park, Aquatica Waterpark, and QMall Waterboom. The city also has a public swimming pool owned by the city government named Idaman Public Swimming Pool. Mentaos Pine Forest, a 1,000 square kilometer city forest located in the North Banjarbaru district, is also a popular tourist destination.

"Kampung Pelangi" (lit: rainbow village) has become a major tourist spot in the city. It is located on the edge of the Kemuning river, South Banjarbaru district. Previously a slum, it has been upgraded to showcase a waterfront, a better housing complex with parks, a pedestrian area, and WiFi corners.

There is only one museum in the city, Lambung Mangkurat Museum, and it has several historical collections from the Banjar Sultanate era to the National Revolution.

Banjarbaru was previously only a temporary name used by governor Dr. Murdjani to differentiate it from Banjarmasin, as "baru" means "new" in Indonesian. However, the name stuck among people living there and gradually became the official name of the city. The area which became Banjarbaru previously consisted of a series of hills known as Mount Apam.

Diamond mining in Cempaka during colonial era Diamond mines in Cempaka have existed since the 15th century under the Hindu-Buddhist kingdom Negara Dipa. In the era of the Banjar Sultanate, there was a royal edict stating that diamonds of four carats or higher should be sold only to the sultan. The place was mostly uninhabited except for resting places of diamond mine laborers from Cempaka, now also part of the city. Cempaka diamond mines under the colonial era were regulated under Ordonantie 25 Nopember 1923 Staatblast 1923 No. 174 together with Pelaihari and Martapura.

Dr. Murdjani, 3rd governor of Kalimantan province In the 1950s, because of frequent floods that disrupted government activities in Banjarmasin, it was suggested to relocate the capital of what was then a single Kalimantan province to a new city. The construction and city planning was assisted by a Dutch-descendant architect named D.A.W. Van der Pijl based on the European city concept, which explains the abundance of city parks and a city hall in the center of the city. However, the plan to relocate the provincial government was never realized fully. only the South Kalimantan governor's office has been relocated, while the parliament is still in Banjarmasin.

The city was previously intended by Sukarno to be new center of the steel industry in Kalimantan with assistance from the Soviet Union to develop it. Cooperation between the two was formalized on 11 September 1956. However, the plan to construct steel factories was never realized until after the 30 September Movement and subsequent purge of communism in Indonesia. Traces of Soviet projects can be seen in the city such as with Mess L.

On 20 April 1999, Banjarbaru was separated from Banjar Regency (of which it had previously been a part) and gained the status of an independent city, although it was still recognized as part of the Banjarbakula metropolitan area. The city legally became capital of the South Kalimantan province on 15 February 2022 following updates of laws concerning the legal basis of several provinces, which were passed by the People's Representative Council.

Banjarbaru is located at the foot of the Meratus Mountains, with 80% of the city area elevated between 0 and above sea level, but it also includes areas up to high. In the North, East, and West it borders Banjar Regency, while in the South it borders Tanah Laut Regency. Podzol dominates the city soil, with a concentration of as much as 63.82%. However, Landasan Ulin District's soil is instead dominated by peat and alluvium.

Compared to other regencies and cities in the province, Banjarbaru is also the second smallest second-level administrative division in the province after Banjarmasin city, covering around 0.88% of province territory.

Banjarbaru has a tropical rainforest climate (Af according to the Köppen classification) with significant rainfall in all months, although June to October is comparatively drier and August nearly dry enough for tropical monsoon (Am) classification. Banjarbaru receives of rain annually. Temperatures are uniform in all months due to its equatorial location, with the average annual temperature being. On 16 August 1997, Banjarbaru recorded a temperature of, which is the highest temperature that has ever been recorded in Indonesia.