with the other, Bangka Belitung present marine tourism (diving, scuba, snorkeling, fishing and sailing). There are approximately 55 Chinese or Buddhist temples on Bangka alone which are still in use. The Chinese make up at least 20% of the population of Babel. The majority of the Chinese are direct descendants of the coolies who worked the tin mines. The oldest temple is in Batu Rusa, a village along the road from Pangkalpinang to Su ngai Liat. A beautifully decorated temple is found near Tayu in the north of Bangka Island.

GETTING THERE

By Garuda Indonesia Airlines from Soekarno Hatta Airport or by boat and plane from Palembang. 

PLACES OF INTEREST

Belitung Island has stayed natural and unspoilt. Coming here is a bit of an adventure where the tourist has to be more self-sufficient and adaptable. Visitors have to come prepared, bring things like swimwear, diving equipment, medicines, cosmetics, sunglasses and sun cream.

Tanjung Pandan is the capital city of Babel. The topography consists of lowland and some small areas of swamp while in the middle part there is highland in groups of 150-200 meters above the sea level. It is the second biggest tin producer in Indonesia.

Mount Menumbung (355 m) a rather high hill in the neighbourhood of Mentok (North West Bangka) stands as a memorial to the history of the Indonesian nation. A guest house which was built here by the Dutch in 1932 was used to house the former President Soekarno and Vice-President Hatta during their imprisonment from February to July 1949.

The name Bangka is derived from the word “WANGKA”, which means tin. This word was also written in a Sriwijaya stone inscription dated 686AD and discovered near the town of Kota Kapur in West Bangka. Today this inscription is kept in the National Museum in Jakarta. Bangka is the main tin producer in Indonesia and is also well-known for its white pepper. The group of islands making up the Babel province is almost located on the equator with latitude of 1 degree 30 to 3 degree 07 and a longitude of 105 to 107 degrees east..

For more places of interest, please visit
http://www.my-indonesia.info/page.php?ic=1122&prov=9

TOURIST OFFICE

Jl. Merdeka (ex. Wisma Timah IV)
Pangkalpinang 33121,
Phone. (0717)437705, 437442 Ext.124
Fax. (0717) 437442