Tanjung

Tanjung is a common place-name element in Malay and Indonesian, meaning cape or headland. Derived from the local languages of the Malay archipelago, the term is widely used to describe coastal or promontory features and has become a recurring toponym component in cities, districts, and localities across the region.

In Indonesia and neighboring countries, Tanjung appears in many geographic names, often as part of longer names that identify a coastal position. Notable examples include Tanjung Pinang, the capital of the Riau Islands province, which sits on Bintan Island; and Tanjung Priok, a major port district in North Jakarta. Tanjung Balai is a city in North Sumatra, named for its coastal location. The element also shows up in urban subdistricts such as Tanjung Duren in West Jakarta, reflecting the continued use of the term in contemporary administrative geography.

Because it denotes a geographic feature, Tanjung is found across much of maritime Southeast Asia—from Indonesia to Malaysia—and persists in local usage and signage. It does not typically refer to a single, standalone entity but rather functions as a descriptive component within many place names. The prevalence of Tanjung in toponyms highlights the historic and ongoing importance of coastal landscapes in the region’s settlement and urban development.