Bangka-Belitung Islands

Bangka-Belitung Islands Province
Provinsi Kepulauan Bangka Belitung
Province
Other transcription(s)
  Jawi بڠک بليتوڠ
  Chinese 邦加-勿里洞
Clockwise, from top left : Parai beach, Fuk Tet Che temple, Lengkuas Island, Tanjung Pesona beach

Flag

Seal
Motto: Serumpun Sebalai (Malay)
(The same root, the same place)

Location of Bangka-Belitung in Indonesia
Coordinates: 2°8′S 106°7′E / 2.133°S 106.117°E / -2.133; 106.117Coordinates: 2°8′S 106°7′E / 2.133°S 106.117°E / -2.133; 106.117
Country  Indonesia
Capital Pangkal Pinang
Government
  Governor Rustam Effendi
  Vice Governor Hidayat Arsani
Area
  Total 16,424.14 km2 (6,341.40 sq mi)
Population [1]
  Total 1,223,048
  Density 74/km2 (190/sq mi)
Demographics
  Ethnic groups Malays (52.5%), Chinese (29.1%), others.
  Religion Muslim (60%), Buddhist (22.2%), Confucianism (8.3%), Protestantism (4.8%), Roman Catholicism (1.2%), Hindu (0.1%)[2]
  Languages Indonesian, Bangka Malay, Hakka
Time zone WIB (UTC+7)
Vehicle registration BN
HDI Increase 0.682 (Medium)
HDI rank 15th (2014)
Website babelprov.go.id

The Bangka-Belitung Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Bangka Belitung, Jawi: بڠک بليتوڠ, Chinese: 邦加-勿里洞; pinyin: Bāng jiā - wù lǐ dòng) is a province of Indonesia, previously a part of South Sumatra Province. Lying off Sumatra, the province comprises two main islands, Bangka and Belitung, and several smaller ones. In 2010 its population was 1,223,048.[1] The capital is Pangkal Pinang.

The Bangka Strait separates Sumatra and Bangka, and the Gaspar Strait separates Bangka and Belitung. The South China Sea is to the north, the Java Sea is to the south, and the province is separated from Borneo in the east by the Karimata Strait.

History

Most of the first Chinese workers who came to Indonesia were men (mainly Hakka people). They began assimilating with local people and intermarriages followed, residents coexisting peacefully in spite of differences in religion and ethnicity. When anti-Chinese riots occurred in some parts of Indonesia at the end of the Soeharto regime in 1998, local people and those of Chinese descent lived peacefully in the Bangka Belitung province.[3]

The province was formerly part of South Sumatra, but became a separate province along with Banten and Gorontalo in 2000.

Economy

These islands are the largest producer of tin in Indonesia. White pepper is also produced.

The main airports serving the islands are Depati Amir Airport in Pangkal Pinang (Bangka Island), and H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin Airport in Tanjung Pandan (Belitung Island).

Health

According to the Indonesian Health Department, Bangka-Belitung is highly malarious area, with an annual malaria incidence rate of 29.3/1000 population.[4]

Administrative divisions

Bangka-Belitung is divided into six regencies and one city, below with their (provisional) populations at the 2010 Census and at the most recent (January 2014) estimates.

Name Area
(km2)
Population
Estimate 2005
Population
Census 2010
Population
2014 Estimate
Capital
Pangkal Pinang City118.80145,945174,838159,689 Pangkal Pinang
Bangka Regency2,950.69246,579277,193312,886 Sungailiat
Central Bangka Regency (Bangka Tengah)2,126.36133,380161,075152,645 Koba
South Bangka Regency (Bangka Selatan)3,607.08148,912172,476164,867 Toboali
West Bangka Regency (Bangka Barat)2,820.61147,855175,110164,555 Muntok
Total Bangka 11,623.54822,671960,692954,642
Belitung Regency2,293.69132,777155,925176,041 Tanjung Pandan
East Belitung Regency (Belitung Timur)2,506.9187,380106,43295,827 Manggar
Total Belitung 4,800.60220,157262,357271,868

Tourism

Bangka-Belitung Islands have many beaches and several small islands. Some beaches are famous for their natural attractiveness with blue sea waters, variety of coral reefs, white sand, and giant granite rock formations. Thus, Bangka-Belitung beaches have attracted tourists from around the world. The most well known beaches in Bangka Island are Pasir Padi, Matras, Parai Tenggiri, Tanjung Pesona, Rambak, Teluk Limau, Teluk Uber, Tanjung Penyusuk,Tanjung Kalian, and Tanjung Kerasak.[5]

Whereas Belitung Island beaches are Tanjung Kiras, Tanjung Pendam, Tanjung Tinggi, Tanjung Kelayang Beach, Tanjung Binga, Panyaeran Beach, Tanjung Kubu, Teluk Gembira, and Tanjung Ru Beach. Most of the beaches in Belitung features the sites for diving, scuba, snorkeling, fishing and sailing.[6]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1971 507,231    
1980 653,897+28.9%
1990 822,900+25.8%
2000 900,197+9.4%
2010 1,223,296+35.9%
Source: Statistics Indonesia 2010. Bangka-Belitung part of South Sumatra Province until 2000

References

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 12/4/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.