'Bangka Island' is an
island lying east of
Sumatra,
Indonesia. Population (1990) 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi (11,910 km²). Occasionally Bangka is misspelt "Banka" island but officially the name is "Pulau Bangka".
There is an additional small island named Pulau Bangka in northern
Sulawesi,
Indonesia.
Geography
Bangka is an island province together with
Belitung Island. Bangka lies just east of
Sumatra, separated by the
Bangka Strait; to the north lies the
South China Sea, to the east, across the
Gaspar Strait, is the island of
Belitung, and to the south is the
Java Sea. The size is about 12,000 km². Most of the geographical faces of the island consists of lower plains, swamps, small hills, beautiful beaches, white pepper fields and tin minings.
The largest town is
Pangkalpinang in Chinese
Hakka "Pinkong", also as the capital of
Bangka-Belitung,
Sungailiat in Chinese Hakka dialect "Liatkong" is the second largest city in
Bangka island.
Muntok is the principal port in the west. The other important town are
Toboali in the southern region,
Koba an important tin mining town, also located on the southern part of the island, and
Belinyu a town famous for its seafood products.
Economy
Since c.
1710, Bangka has been one of the world's principal
tin-producing centers. Tin production is an Indonesian government
monopoly, and there is a smelter at Muntok.
Pepper is also produced on the island.
Demographics
The majority of the inhabitants are Malay Indonesians and
Chinese, mostly Hakkas. The population is split between those who work the pepper farms and those who work on the tin mines.
History
Bangka was ceded to
Britain by the sultan of
Palembang in
1812, but in
1814 it was exchanged with the
Dutch for
Cochin in
India. The island was occupied by the
Japanese from
1942 to
1945. It became part of independent Indonesia in
1949. The island, together with neighboring Belitung, was formerly part of
South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) province, but in 2000 the two islands became the new province of Bangka-Belitung. Bangka is famous for two other events; the
Banka Island Massacre in WWII by the Japanese of Australian Nurses and as reputedly the setting for the book "
Lord Jim" by
Joseph Conrad. Bangka is also home to a number of
communist Indonesians who have been under house arrest since the 1960's and are not permitted to leave the island.
Tourism
Bangka is also known for its white-sand beaches : Parai beach and Matras beach located near Sungailiat city. Pangkalpinang city contains both Pasir Padi & Samfur beaches.
See also
★
Islands of Indonesia
External links
★
Pictures of Bangka
★
More snapshots
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