 Topography of Belitung island |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | South East Asia |
| Coordinates | 2°50′S 107°55′E / 2.833°S 107.917°E |
| Highest point | Mount Tajam (500 m (1,600 ft)) |
| Country | |
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Indonesia
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| Province | Bangka-Belitung Islands |
| Largest city | Tanjung Pandan |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 200,000 |
Belitung, (or in English, Billiton), is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. The island is known for its pepper and for its tin. It was in the possession of the British from 1812 until the British ceded control of the island to the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Its main town is Tanjung Pandan.
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Geography
It is a medium sized island of about 3000 sq miles, it consists of moderately rugged terrain with several hills. The highest one is Mount Tajam with the height of only less than 500 meters (1,640 ft). Belitung is bordered by the Gasper Straight, the South China Sea and the Java Sea. Its tourquise blue sea is moderately calm and shallow making for great sailing, snorkeling and swimming. Belitung is popular for its abstract granite boulders and brilliant white sand beachs in Tanjung Tinggi, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Binga and Lengkuas island.
Demography
The population is centered in several small towns, populated by approximately 200,000 inhabitants. The largest is Tanjung Pandan in the west and Mangar in the east. While ethnic Malay people make up the largest percentage Belitung has large populations of Bugis, Sundanese, and ethnic Chinese people who formerly worked for the Dutch, mining tin. There are also sizeable populations of Balinese and Maduranese who were settled there in the Soharto era transmgration.
Economy
Belitung is a source of tin, clay, iron ore and silica sands. Australian mining company BHP Billiton derives its name from this island. It also is a producer of fishery products, pepper, coconut, and palm oil. People work as farmers, fishermen and miners. The island is easily accessible with 4 daily 50-minute flights from Jakarta. Due to the fantastic white sand beaches and pictuesque off shore islands tourism is starting to become a larger part of the local economy.
See also
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