Mahakam is the name of a province's largest river which empties into the East Kalimantan in the Makassar Strait. River with a length of about 920 km across the region was the West Kutai District in the upstream, until the District Kukar and Samarinda in the downstream. On the river mammal species live freshwater fish threatened with extinction, the Irrawaddy Dolphin Mahakam.

Mahakam River from the past until now has an important role in the life of surrounding communities as a source of water, as well as fisheries potential transportation infrastructure.