Bangka Island

Encyclopedia : B : BA : BAN : Bangka Island

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 mispelt "Banka" island but officially the name is "Pulau Bangka".

Contents

1 Geography
2 Economy
3 Demographics
4 History
5 Tourism
6 External links
7 See also

Geography

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.

Pangkalpinang is the largest town and the capital of Bangka-Belitung, the city called Sungailiat is the second large city in Bangka island. One village, called Kampung Kim Hin, lies to the south of Sungailiat, this village is known for a type of alcohol called arak, which is produced from fermented rice. Muntok is the principal port.

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 one of the most beautiful beaches in the world: Parai Matras.

External links

[Dive the World Indonesia - Bangka Island Dive Sites]