Bengkulu | |
|---|---|
| City of Bengkulu Kota Bengkulu | |
     Clockwise from top left :Fort Marlborough, At-Taqwa Grand Mosque,Thomas Parr Monument, Aerial view of Bengkulu City, andBung Karno Seclusion House | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location withinBengkulu Province | |
| Coordinates:3°47′44″S102°15′33″E / 3.79556°S 102.25917°E /-3.79556; 102.25917 | |
| Country |  Indonesia |
| Province |  Bengkulu |
| Founded | 18 March 1719 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dedy Wahyudi [id] (PAN) |
| • Vice Mayor | Ronny Tobing [id] |
| • Legislature | Bengkulu City Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 151.70 km2 (58.57 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 2 m (6.6 ft) |
| Population (mid 2024 estimate) | |
• Total | 397,321 |
| • Density | 2,619.1/km2 (6,783.5/sq mi) |
| [1] | |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnic groups | Rejang Bengkulu Malays Serawai Javanese Batak Minangkabau Chinese |
| • Religion[2] | Islam 95.43% Christianity 2.96% Catholic 0.81% Buddhism 0.35% Hinduism 0.06% Confucianism 0.01% Others 0.00% |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time) |
| Area code | (+62) 736 |
| Website | www |
Bengkulu, formerlyBencoolen (Dutch:Benkoelen) is the capital of theIndonesianprovince ofBengkulu. The city is the second largest city on the west coast of Sumatra Island afterPadang. Previously this area was under the influence of the kingdom ofInderapura and theSultanate of Banten. The city also became the place of exile ofSukarno from 1939 to 1942. It covers an area of 151.70 km2 and had a population of 308,544 at the 2010 Census[3] and 373,591 at the 2020 Census;[4] the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 397,321 (comprising 200,601 males and 196,720 females).[1] The city is the only city inBengkulu Province.
The British East India Company founded Bengkulu (namedBencoolen by the British), in 1685, as their new commercial centre for the region. In the 17th century, the BritishEast India Company controlled thespice trade in the Lampung region of southern Sumatra from a port inBanten, in the northwest of the neighbouring island ofJava. In 1682, a troop of theDutch East India Company attacked Banten. The local crown prince submitted to theDutch, who then recognised him as Sultan. The Dutch expelled all other Europeans present in Banten, leading theBritish to establish Bengkulu. In 1714, the British builtFort Marlborough at Bengkulu.
The trading centre was never financially viable, because of its remoteness and the difficulty in procuringpepper. Despite these difficulties, the British persisted, maintaining a presence there for over a century, ceding it to theDutch as part of theAnglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to focus their attention onMalacca.Edmund Roberts, the firstU.S. envoy to the Far East, visited Bengkulu in 1832.[5] Like the rest of present-day Indonesia, Bengkulu remained a Dutch colony untilWorld War II.
Sukarno (later the first president ofIndonesia) was imprisoned by the Dutch in the 1930s, including a brief period in Bengkulu. Sukarno met his future wife,Fatmawati, during his time in Bengkulu.
The region is at low elevation and can haveswamps. In the mid-19th century,malaria and related diseases were common.[6] Bengkulu lies near the Sunda Fault and is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. The June2000 Enggano earthquake killed at least 100 people. A recent report predicts that Bengkulu is "at risk of inundation over the next few decades from undersea earthquakes predicted along the coast of Sumatra"[7]A series of earthquakes struck Bengkulu in September 2007, killing 13 people.[8]Bengkulu City has an area of 151.70 km2 and is located on the west coast of Sumatra island, with the province having a coastline of about 525 km in length. The area of this city lies parallel to the mountains ofBukit Barisan and face to face with theIndian Ocean.
The City of Bengkulu comprised eight administrativedistricts (kecamatan) at the time of the 2010 Census, but subsequently, a ninth district (Singaran Pati) was formed out of the northwest half of the existing Gading Cempaka District. The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census[3] and the 2020 Census,[4] together with the official estimates as of mid-2024.[1] The table also includes the numbers ofadministrative villages (all classed as urbankelurahan) in each district and its postcodes.
| Kode Wilayah | Name of District (kecamatan) | Area in km2 | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n Estimate mid 2024 | No. of villages | Post codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17.71.01 | Selebar | 46.36 | 46,211 | 79,498 | 94,911 | 6 | 38211, 38213, 38214, 38216 |
| 17.71.05 | Kampung Melayu | 23.14 | 28,372 | 43,986 | 50,442 | 6 | 38215, 38216 |
| 17.71.02 | Gading Cempaka | 14.42 | 78,767 | 38,848 | 37,595 | 5 | 38221, 38225, 38229 |
| 17.71.06 | Ratu Agung | 11.02 | 49,255 | 50,562 | 49,552 | 8 | 38223, 38224, 38227, 38228 |
| 17.71.07 | Ratu Samban | 2.84 | 24,624 | 21,344 | 20,656 | 9 | 38221, 38222, 38223, 38227 |
| 17.71.09 | Singaran Pati | 14.44 | (a) | 41,304 | 40,678 | 6 | 38221, 38224, 38226, 38229 |
| 17.71.03 | Teluk Segara | 2.76 | 23,998 | 22,041 | 21,330 | 13 | !38113 - 38119 |
| 17.71.08 | Sungai Serut | 13.53 | 21,981 | 25,255 | 25,790 | 7 | 38119 |
| 17.71.04 | Muara Bangka Hulu | 23.18 | 35,336 | 50,663 | 56,367 | 7 | 38121, 38122, 38125, 38126 |
| Totals | 151.70 | 308,544 | 373,591 | 397,321 | 67 |
Note: (a) the 2010 population of the new Singaran Pati District is included in the figure for Gading Cempaka District, from which it was later split off.
Bengkulu has atropical rainforest climate (Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Bengkulu (Fatmawati Soekarno Airport) (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1999–2023) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 34.2 (93.6) | 35.9 (96.6) | 34.9 (94.8) | 36.3 (97.3) | 35.6 (96.1) | 35.2 (95.4) | 35.0 (95.0) | 34.0 (93.2) | 33.9 (93.0) | 35.8 (96.4) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.2 (93.6) | 36.3 (97.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) | 31.5 (88.7) | 31.9 (89.4) | 31.6 (88.9) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.2 (88.2) | 31.1 (88.0) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.0 (87.8) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.3 (88.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.9 (80.4) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.2 (81.0) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.2 (81.0) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.6 (79.9) | 26.7 (80.1) | 26.5 (79.7) | 26.4 (79.5) | 26.8 (80.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.8 (74.8) | 23.4 (74.1) | 22.7 (72.9) | 22.6 (72.7) | 22.8 (73.0) | 23.3 (73.9) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.1 (73.6) | 23.2 (73.8) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 20.9 (69.6) | 20.4 (68.7) | 21.0 (69.8) | 21.1 (70.0) | 20.1 (68.2) | 20.6 (69.1) | 19.8 (67.6) | 18.6 (65.5) | 17.6 (63.7) | 20.5 (68.9) | 20.4 (68.7) | 20.6 (69.1) | 17.6 (63.7) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 322.6 (12.70) | 243.3 (9.58) | 266.6 (10.50) | 274.1 (10.79) | 223.8 (8.81) | 157.2 (6.19) | 165.8 (6.53) | 197.4 (7.77) | 176.5 (6.95) | 276.3 (10.88) | 368.0 (14.49) | 404.1 (15.91) | 3,075.7 (121.1) |
| Average precipitation days | 16.4 | 14.0 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 11.6 | 8.9 | 9.2 | 8.8 | 9.7 | 13.9 | 17.7 | 20.0 | 159 |
| Source: Starlings Roost Weather[9] | |||||||||||||
Based on Emergency Law Number 6 Year 1956, Bengkulu was one of the Small Town with an area of 17.6 km2 in South Sumatera province. The mention of this Small Town then changed to Kotamadya based on Law No. 1 of 1957 on the subject of local government. After the issuance of Law Number 9 Year 1967 regarding the establishment of Bengkulu Province, Bengkulu Municipality as well as being the capital of the province. However, the law only came into force on 1 June 1968 after the issuance of Government Regulation No. 20/1968.
Based on the Decree of the Provincial Governor of Bengkulu No. 821.27-039 dated 22 January 1981, the Municipality of Bengkulu was subsequently divided into two districts namely Teluk Segara District and Gading Cempaka District. With the enactment of the Decree of the Mayor of Bengkulu Region No. 440 and 444 of 1981 and reinforced by the Decree of the Governor of Bengkulu No. 141 of 1982 on 1 October 1982, the mention of the territory of Kedatukan was erased and Pemangkuan becamekelurahan. Furthermore, based on Government Regulation No. 41 of 1982, Bengkulu Region Second Level Region consists of 2 Definitive Districts with Teluk Segara District overseeing 17 villages and Gading Cempaka District overseeing 21 urban villages. Then based on Government Regulation No. 46 of 1986, the area of Bengkulu Municipality was increased to 151.7 km2 and consisted of four districts, comprising 38 urban villages (kelurahan) and 17 rural villages (desa). Another five districts were later added by splitting these four.
Historically, there was acourt where all legal investigations passed through. Criminals who weresentenced to death had copies of their trials sent toJava for review.[6]
Bengkulu is connected by road, air and sea. There are several public transportation modes in Bengkulu such as taxis, angkot (mini-van),ojek (motorcycle taxi).
The city is served by the newly renovatedFatmawati Soekarno Airport. There is one terminal building for both international and domestic flights.
Bengkulu's harbour, known locally as Pulau Bai, serves inter-island as well as International routes. The ferry terminal is the access point toEnggano Island.
The oldest newspaper in the Bengkulu region isRakyat Bengkulu, part of the Jawa Pos Group. Several other newspapers such asBengkulu Ekspress andRadar Bengkulu are also available.
The privately owned RBTV and BETV are the local TV stations based in Bengkulu. The publicTVRI Lampung has also covered the city.
As of 1832, the population of Bengkulu, and its surrounding area, was estimated at 18,000 people. During that time, the region had a varied population:Dutch,Chinese,Javanese,Indians, and more.Chinatown was located in the centre of the city.[6]
When under Dutch rule, Bengkulu hadplantations.Parsi people harvested and processednutmeg andmace. The nutmeg would be processed intoconfectionery products.Pepper was a large export, too. The area also produced smaller amounts ofcoffee and rice, however, both were primarily imported fromPadang. Fruit and animal production was also significant.[6]
In this city, there are several British heritage buildings and fortresses, includingFort Marlborough, founded in 1713 on Long Beach, Hamilton Monument andThomas Parr Monument in the downtown area,Sukarno's exile house on Soekarno-Hatta Street, and Jamik Mosque designed by Ir. Sukarno.Bengkulu City also has several other mainstay attractions, such as Chinatown, Tapak Paderi Beach, Jakat Beach, Dendam Tak Sudah Lake, and Pulau Baai Harbor. This area has been set by the local government into a typical souvenir center.And for those of you who love durian, Bengkulu City also has a variety of durian-processed hunting spots. This can be found in Pondok Durian Bengkulu. In this outlet, travelers can enjoy processed Durian ranging from durian ice cream and a variety of variants, durian toast, pancake durian, durian pancakes, and so forth.
Each year, in the Muslim month ofMuharram, Bengkulu hosts the ceremonyTabot. The two centuries-old ritual was made by artisans fromMadras in India for the construction of Fort Marlborough. It celebrates the martyrdom of Imam Shiite Hussein's death at theBattle of Karbala. The Tabot is an opportunity for a grand procession, accompanied by songs and traditional dance performance.
As of 1832, the city had twoLancasterian method Dutch schools. At one school, students were taughtmath,religion, and theMalay language. The students frequently used a Malay version ofThe New Testament to learn Malayan, which was created byRobert Boyle when the British occupied Bengkulu. The other school was at anorphanage.[6]
In this town lies the only state university in the province of Bengkulu, theUniversitas Bengkulu (UNIB).
Provincial capitals inIndonesia | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sumatra |  | |
| Java | ||
| Kalimantan | ||
| Lesser Sunda | ||
| Sulawesi | ||
| Maluku | ||
| Papua | ||
| Former provincial capitals | ||
| 2,000,000 and above | |
|---|---|
| 1,000,000–1,999,999 | |
| 500,000–999,999 | |
| 300,000–499,999 | |
| 200,000–299,999 | |
Note:Bold indicates provincial capital | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
| Other | |
