geo.wikisort.org - Island

Belitung (local name: Belitong, English name: Billiton) is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. It covers 4,800.6 km² (1,853.5 sq mi), and had a population of 309,097 at the 2020 Census.[1] Administratively, it forms two regencies (Belitung Regency and East Belitung Regency) within the province of Bangka-Belitung Islands. The island is known for its pepper and for its tin. It was in the possession of the United Kingdom from 1812 until Britain ceded control of the island to the Netherlands in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824. Its main town is Tanjung Pandan. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has declared 17 tourist attractions in the Belitung Geopark as world geoparks.

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Belitung
بليتوڠ‎ (Jawi)
勿里洞 (Chinese)

Native name: Belitong
Belitung Show map of Sumatra Belitung Show map of Indonesia
Geography
Location	South East Asia
Coordinates	2°50′S 107°55′E
Area	4,800.6 km2 (1,853.5 sq mi)
Highest elevation	500 m (1600 ft)
Highest point	Mount Tajam
Administration
Indonesia
Province	Bangka Belitung Islands
Regency	Belitung Regency, East Belitung Regency
Largest settlement	Tanjung Pandan
Demographics
Population	309,097 (2020 Census)
Pop. density	64.39/km2 (166.77/sq mi)

Demography

The population was 262,357 at the 2010 Census[2] and 309,097 at the 2020 Census.[3] The population is centred in several small towns; the largest are Tanjung Pandan in the west and Manggar in the east, which are the respective capitals of the two Regencies (Belitung and Belitung Timur) into which the island is administratively divided. While ethnic Bangka Malays people make up the largest percentage along with Chinese 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 of Madurese who were settled there in the Suharto era transmigration.

Religion

Before the arrival of Dutch missionaries, the island's inhabitants and most of the Indonesian archipelago had already converted from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Animism to Islam 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 practised religion, with sizeable minorities of Buddhists, Christians and Confucianists.^{[citation needed]}

Transportation

On Belitung island, the only airport is in Belitung Regency; that is, the H.A.S. Hanandjoeddin International Airport maintains a series of connecting flights to Pangkal Pinang Airport, as well as a plane to Soekarno-Hatta International Airport. International flights via Singapore's Changi International Airport are through Garuda 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 as Gojek and Grab) are available, as well as standard taxicabs, the taxi bandara (airport taxi) and commonly-hailed street taxis.

Geography

Belitung is a medium-sized island (at about 1,840 square miles (4,800 km²)), also encompassing smaller adjacent islands, of which Mendanau Island to the west is the largest. Belitung consists of moderately-rugged terrain, and several hills. The highest point is Mount Tajam, with a height of less than 500 metres (1,600 ft). The maritime boundaries of the province include Bangka Strait to the west, Karimata Strait to the east, Natuna Sea to the north, and the Java Sea to the south. The Gaspar Strait runs north-south (between the islands of Bangka and Belitung), connecting the Java Sea to the Natuna Sea and, further north, the South China Sea. Its surrounding turquoise blue seas are moderately calm and shallow, making for great sailing, snorkeling and swimming. Belitung is popular for its abstract granite boulders and brilliant, white-sand beaches in Tanjung Tinggi, Tanjung Kelayang, Tanjung Binga and Lengkuas island.

Economy

Belitung is a source of tin, clay, iron ore and silica sands. The Dutch mining company NV Billiton Maatschappij derives its name from the island's name. Billiton merged with BHP in 2001 to form BHP Billiton.

The island is also a producer of fishery products, pepper, coconut, and palm oil. People work as farmers, fishermen and miners. The island is easily accessible with eight daily 1-hour flights from Jakarta and 2 daily flights, with duration of 30 minutes and 50 minutes each, from Pangkal Pinang.

The white sand beaches and offshore islands are helping tourism to become a larger part of the economy.

Tourist destinations

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 a tidal island made of sand (= pasir in Indonesian language), Bird Islet (Pulau Burong, which one can access from Tanjung Binga beach by walking at low tide, Lengkuas Island, which is the home of a 129-year-old lighthouse and a good place for snorkeling, and Babi Island and Kelayang Islet.[4][5][6]

See also

• Belitung shipwreck
• Indonesia AirAsia Flight 8501

References

External links

• Belitung travel guide from Wikivoyage
• Tempat Wisata DI Belitung
• Pantai Tanjung Tinggi

На других языках

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[de] Belitung

Belitung (auch Billiton) ist eine östlich von Sumatra in der Karimata-Straße gelegene indonesische Insel.

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- [en] Belitung

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[es] Isla de Belitung

Belitung (en indonesio, Pulau Belitung y en inglés, Billiton) es una isla de Indonesia localizada en la costa oriental de Sumatra, en el mar de Java. La isla es famosa por sus pimientos y por su estaño. Fue posesión de los británicos desde 1812 hasta que cedió el control británico a los neerlandeses por el tratado anglo-neerlandés de 1824. Su principal ciudad es Tanjung Pandan.

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[fr] Belitung

Belitung, connue autrefois sous son nom anglais et néerlandais de Billiton, est une île d'Indonésie située au large de la côte orientale de Sumatra, dans la mer de Java. L'île était réputée pour son poivre et son étain.

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[it] Belitung

Belitung (chiamata precedentemente Billiton) è un'isola indonesiana del Mar di Giava situata tra l'isola di Bangka ed il Borneo da cui è separata dallo Stretto di Karimata.

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[ru] Белитунг

Белиту́нг[1] (устар. Биллитон[2]; индон. Belitung, Billiton) — остров в Малайском архипелаге. Принадлежит Индонезии.

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