Bangka Island

Infobox Islands
name = Bangka

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image caption = Topogoraphy of Bangka island
locator

native name =
native name link =
location = South East Asia
coordinates= coord|2|15|S|106|00|E|region:ID_type:isle|display=inline,title
archipelago =
total islands =
major islands =
area = convert|11910|km2|sqmi|abbr=on
rank = 68th
highest mount =
elevation =
country = Indonesia
country admin divisions title = Province
country admin divisions = Bangka-Belitung Islands
country largest city = Pangkalpinang
country largest city population = 134,082
population = 626,955
population as of = 1990
density = 52.64
ethnic groups = Malay Indonesians and Chinese, mostly Hakkas

Bangka (or sometimes Banka) is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. Population (1990) 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi (11,910 km²).

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 which also serves as the capital of Bangka-Belitung province. Sungailiat 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. Three are 3 sea ports in Bangka; Muntok on the far west, Belinyu on the far north, Sadai on the far south, and Pangkal Balam are the closest one to Pangkal Pinang.

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.

In 1930 Bangka had a population of 205,363. [Columbia-Lippincott Gazetter]

Bangka is also home to a number of communist Indonesians who have been under house arrest since the 1960's anti-Communist purge and are not permitted to leave the island.Fact|date=June 2008

ee also

*Islands of Indonesia

References