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Concept
Bangka Belitung Islands
Summary
The Bangka Belitung Islands (Kepulauan Bangka Belitung) is a province of Indonesia. Situated off the southeastern coast of Sumatra, the province comprises two main land masses — Bangka and Belitung — and numerous smaller islands. Bangka Belitung is bordered by the Bangka Strait to the west, the Natuna Sea to the north, the Java Sea is to the south and the Karimata Strait to the east. The province's capital and largest city is Pangkalpinang. The province shares maritime borders with South Sumatra to the west, Riau Islands to the north, Banten, the Special Capital Region of Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java to the south, and West Kalimantan to the east. Bangka Belitung covers a land area of and had a population of 1,455,678 according to the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 1,494,621.
Bangka Belitung has an equatorial climate with tropical rainforests, which, however, are disappearing due to deforestation. Mount Maras, located on the island of Bangka, is the province's highest point, with a height of . There are several rivers in the province, such as the Sebuku River, Baturusa River and Mendo River. Bangka Belitung is ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse; major ethnic groups including Malays, Chinese and Javanese. Indonesian is the official language, while the local Malay dialect and Hakka serves as the lingua franca of the province.
Historically, Bangka Belitung has been part of the kingdoms of Sriwijaya, Majapahit and Palembang, before becoming a colony of foreign empires (Dutch, British and Japanese). Bangka Belitung was a residency within the Dutch East Indies. Upon the independence of Indonesia, the region was administered as part of the province of Sumatra and subsequently of South Sumatra. Bangka Belitung officially became the 31st province of Indonesia in 2000.
The name "Bangka" is derived from the word wangka (वन्च, 'vanca') meaning "tin" in Sanskrit, because this region is indeed rich in tin mining. The name "Wangka" first appeared along with the name "Swarnabhumi" in the Indian literary book Milindrapantha from the 1st Century BC.
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