The name Putussibau originated from the words putus (to break/split) and Sibau, which is the name of a nearby tributary of the Kapuas which in turn derives its name from the a tree from the Nephelium genus.

Initially a small state, the kingdom slowly grew to cover one-fifths of modern West Kalimantan (about 30,000 km2) by the late 19th century.

[3] In 1823, the authorities of Dutch East Indies based in Batavia signed a treaty with Selimbau which recognized the latter's sovereignty over what is today Kapuas Hulu Regency.

Later on, the colonial authorities began meddling in the kingdom's internal affairs and eventually seized power, with a formal annexation complete by 1925.

[6] During the period, at the late 19th century Putussibau was a remote village under threat by headhunters and visited by Chinese and Malay merchants.

The territory administered by the kelurahan measures 139.3 square km, excluding other villages that also form parts of the urban settlement but also covers much larger amounts of jungle and farmland.

[1] With its source nearby, Kapuas flows south of the town proper and splits the urban area into a northern and southern portion, which are connected by a bridge across the large river.

[1] However, urban sprawl spreads to other areas on both sides of the Kapuas, in total forming part of 6 villages within the North and South Putussibau districts with a population sum of about 29,000.