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Native name: Belitong | |
|---|---|
  Belitung  Belitung | |
| Geography | |
| Location | Southeast Asia |
| Coordinates | 2°50′S107°55′E / 2.833°S 107.917°E /-2.833; 107.917 |
| Area | 4,859.11 km2 (1,876.11 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 500 m (1600 ft) |
| Highest point | Mount Tajam |
| Administration | |
| Province | Bangka Belitung Islands |
| Regency | Belitung Regency,East Belitung Regency |
| Largest settlement | Tanjung Pandan |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 320,500 (mid 2023 estimate) |
| Pop. density | 66/km2 (171/sq mi) |
Belitung (Belitung Malay:Belitong, formerlyBilliton) is an island on the east coast ofSumatra, Indonesia in theJava Sea. It covers 4,859 km2 (1,876.1 sq mi) (including offshore islands such asMendanau Island), and had a population of 309,097 at the 2020 Census;[1] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 320,500.[2] Administratively, it forms two regencies (Belitung Regency andEast Belitung Regency) within the province ofBangka-Belitung Islands. The island is known for itspepper and for itstin. It was in the possession of theUnited Kingdom from 1812 until Britain ceded control of the island to theNetherlands in theAnglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Its main town isTanjung Pandan. TheUnited Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has declared 17 tourist attractions in the Belitung Geopark as world geoparks.
The population was 262,357 at the 2010 Census[3] and 309,097 in the 2020 Census;[1] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 320,500.[2] The population is centered in several small towns; the largest areTanjung Pandan in the west andManggar in the east, which are the respective capitals of the two Regencies (Belitung andBelitung Timur) into which the island is administratively divided. While ethnic BangkaMalays people make up the largest percentage along withChinese people, Belitung has significant populations of Bugis, Sundanese, and Javanese people who formerly worked for the Dutch, mining tin. There is also a small population ofMadurese who were settled there in theSuharto era transmigration.
Before the arrival of Dutch missionaries, the island's inhabitants and most of the Indonesian archipelago had already converted fromHinduism,Buddhism, andAnimism toIslam due to the work of Chinese Muslim traders. As a result,Christian churches were unable to gain considerable numbers of followers.[citation needed]Today, Belitung is a religiously diverse island.Sunni Islam is the most widely practiced religion, with sizeable minorities ofBuddhists,Christians andConfucianists.[citation needed]
On Belitung island, the only airport is in Belitung Regency; that is, theH.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport maintains a series of connecting flights toPangkal Pinang Airport, as well as a plane toSoekarno-Hatta International Airport. International flights via Singapore'sChangi International Airport are throughGaruda Indonesia airlines.
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia has four direct flights from Singapore. The Singapore-Tanjung Pandan direct flight operates four times weekly – departing at 5:20 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and 5:30 pm on Sundays.
Belitung Island has four ports; three in Belitung Regency and one in East Belitung Regency, serving cargo ships and ferry ships.
Online taxi services (such asGojek andGrab) are available, as well as standard taxicabs, the taxi bandara (airport taxi) and commonly-hailed street taxis.
Belitung is a medium-sized island (at about 1,876 square miles (4,860 km2)), also encompassing smaller adjacent islands, of whichMendanau Island to the west is the largest. Belitung consists of moderately-rugged terrain and several hills. The highest point isMount Tajam, with a height of less than 500 metres (1,600 ft). The maritime boundaries of the province includeBangka Strait to the west,Karimata Strait to the east,Natuna Sea to the north, and theJava Sea to the south. TheGaspar Strait runs north–south (between the islands of Bangka and Belitung), connecting the Java Sea to the Natuna Sea and, further north, theSouth China Sea. Its surrounding turquoise blue seas are moderately calm and shallow, making for greatsailing,snorkeling andswimming. Belitung is popular for its abstractgranite boulders and brilliant, white-sand beaches inTanjung Tinggi,Tanjung Kelayang,Tanjung Binga andLengkuas island.
Belitung is a source oftin,clay,iron ore andsilica sands. The Dutch mining company NV Billiton Maatschappij derives its name from the island's name.Billiton merged withBHP in 2001 to form BHP Billiton.
The island is also a producer offishery products,pepper,coconut, andpalm oil. People work as farmers, fishermen and miners. The island is easily accessible with eight daily 1-hour flights fromJakarta and 2 daily flights, with duration of 30 minutes and 50 minutes each, fromPangkal Pinang.
The white sand beaches and offshore islands are helping tourism to become a larger part of the economy.
The main tourist destinations are beaches and offshore islands/islets. The beaches are Tanjung Tinggi Beach and Tanjung Kelayang Beach, both of which have clear blue water, sand, and rocky beaches. The islands/islets are Batu Berlayar Island, which is mostly granite,Pasir Island, which is atidal island made of sand (= pasir in Indonesian), Bird Islet (Pulau Burong, accessed from Tanjung Binga beach on foot at low tide,Lengkuas Island, which is the home of a 129-year-oldlighthouse and a good place forsnorkeling, andBabi Island andKelayang Islet.[4][5]
Belitung travel guide from WikivoyageRegencies and cities of theBangka Belitung Islands | ||
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Capital:Pangkalpinang | ||
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