Bangka–Belitung Islands is a
provinceThe province is the highest tier of local government subnational entity in Indonesia. Each province has its own local government, headed by a governor, and has its own legislative body...
of
IndonesiaIndonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
. The province includes two main islands,
BangkaBangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. Population 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi .There is an additional small island named Pulau Bangka in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.-Geography:...
and
BelitungBelitung, , is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. The island is known for its pepper and for its tin. It was in the possession of the British from 1812 until the British ceded control of the island to the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824...
, and several smaller ones that lie east of the
SumatraSumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
n mainland and northeast of
South SumatraSouth Sumatra is a province of Indonesia.-Geography:It is on the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of Lampung to the south, Bengkulu to the west, and Jambi to the north...
province. The
Bangka StraitBangka Strait is a strait which separates the island of Sumatra and Bangka Island in the Java Sea, Indonesia.-See also:* Japanese cruiser Ashigara* List of straits...
separates Sumatra and Bangka, and the
Gaspar StraitGaspar Strait separates Belitung and Bangka islands in Indonesia. It connects the Java Sea to the South China Sea.These straits, formed between the large islands Banca and Billiton, are generally called Gaspar Straits, after the Spanish captain from Manila, who passed through them in 1724; but...
separates Bangka and Belitung. The
South China SeaThe South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...
is to the north, the
Java SeaThe Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...
is to the south, and the province is separated from
BorneoBorneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
in the east by the
Karimata StraitThe Karimata Strait is the wide strait that connects the South China Sea to the Java Sea, dividing the islands of Sumatra from Borneo , both in Indonesia....
.
The province was formerly part of South Sumatra, but became a separate province along with
BantenBanten is a province of Indonesia in Java. Formerly part of the Province of West Java, it was made a separate province in 2000.The administrative center is Serang. Preliminary results from the 2010 census counted some 10.6 million people.-Geography:...
and
GorontaloGorontalo is a province of Indonesia on the northern part of Sulawesi. The province was established in December 2000 after being split from North Sulawesi province...
in 2000. In 2010 its population was 1,223,048. The capital is
Pangkal PinangPangkal Pinang is the largest town on the Indonesian island of Bangka and the capital of the province of Bangka-Belitung. It is located on Bangka's eastern coast at .Landmarks in the city include the Timah Museum, a Chinese temple, and the Pasir Padi beach....
.
These islands are the largest producer of
tinTin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
in Indonesia. They also produce white pepper.
Bangka Belitung Islands has many beaches and smaller islands with beaches having blue sea waters, coral reefs, fine white sand, and giant granite rock formations which have attracted tourists from around the world.
The most well known beaches in Bangka Island are Matras, Parai, Tanjung Pesona, Batu Bedaun, Remodong, Pasir Padi, Tanjung Kelian, Rebo, and Telok Uber Beach.
Whereas Belitung Island exotic beaches are Tanjung Kiras Beach, Tanjung Pendam Beach, Tanjung Tinggi Beach, Tanjung Kelayang Beach, Tanjung Binga fisherman village Beach, Panyaeran Beach, Tanjung kubu Beach, Gembira Bay and Tanjung Ru Beach, which are ideal sites for diving, scuba, snorkeling, fishing and sailing.
According to Health Department of Indonesia (DEPKES), Bangka Belitung is highly malarious area. Annual Malaria Incidence rate at Bangka Belitung is reported as 29.3/1000 population. (Indonesia Health Map 2007, DEPKES, RI)
Bangka-Belitung is divided into six regencies (
kabupaten) and 1 city (
kota):
- Bangka (regency seat: Sungailiat (town))
- West Bangka
West Bangka Regency is a regency of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Which Muntok as its regency seat....
(regency seat: MuntokMuntok or, more commonly, Mentok is a town in the Indonesian province of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Muntok is the capital of the West Bangka Regency...
)
- South Bangka
South Bangka Regency is a regency of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia, with Toboali as its regency seat....
(regency seat: ToboaliToboali is a town in the Indonesian province of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Toboali is the capital of the South Bangka Regency.-Demographics:The majority of the people in Toboali are Hakka Chinese and Malay. Majority of Chinese are Buddhist, Catholic or Protestant....
)
- Central Bangka
Central Bangka Regency is a regency of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Which Koba as its regency seat.- External links :...
(regency seat: KobaKoba is a town in the Indonesian province of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Koba is the capital of the Central Bangka Regency.-Demographics:The majority of the people in Koba are Hakka Chinese and Malay. Majority of Chinese are Buddhism, Catholic and Protestant....
)
- Belitung
Belitung Regency is a regency of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia, with Tanjung Pandan as its capital.- External links :...
(regency seat : Tanjung PandanTanjung Pandan is the largest town on the island Belitung in the Indonesian province of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Tanjung Pandan is the capital of the Belitung Regency.-Demographics:The majority of the people in Tanjung Pandan are Hakka Chinese and Malay...
)
- East Belitung
East Belitung Regency is a regency of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Its capital is Manggar....
(regency seat: ManggarManggar is a town in the Indonesian province of Bangka-Belitung, Indonesia. Mangar is the capital of the East Belitung Regency.-Demographics:...
)
- Pangkal Pinang
Pangkal Pinang is the largest town on the Indonesian island of Bangka and the capital of the province of Bangka-Belitung. It is located on Bangka's eastern coast at .Landmarks in the city include the Timah Museum, a Chinese temple, and the Pasir Padi beach....
(city)
Further reading
- Somers Heidhues, Mary F.(1992)Bangka tin and Mentok pepper : Chinese settlement on an Indonesian island Singapore : Social Isuues in Southeast Asia, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. ISBN 9813035994