It is from this period that the sites of Borobudur and Prambanan date. Indonesia's golden age begins with the Naval Kingdom of Srivijaya which developed through trade and Buddhist and Hindu influences. The current populations (of the Melanesian type) arrived here around 2000 years before Jesus Christ. Homo Sapiens are considered to have occupied the archipelago as early as 43,000 BC. 500,000-year-old Homo Erectus fossil bones have been found. The archipelago has been inhabited for a very long time. It is the largest of the Muslim countries. The country has more than 267 million inhabitants. The main islands are Sumatra, Java, Borneo (Kalamatan), Sulawesi and Papua New Guinea, although the best known among tourists is Bali. White pepper is also produced in large quantities on the island.The archipelago formed by the Republic of Indonesia is made up of some 17,000 islands.

Tin production is monopoly of the Indonesian government. Since 1710, the island is one of the world's principal tin-producing centers. Other large towns are Koba (tin mining town, on the island's southern part), Toboali and Belinyu. Sungai Liat is the island's 2nd largest city. The largest town (Pangkal Pinang) serves as capital of Bangka-Belitung province.

Bangka Island's scenery features beautiful beaches, swamps, lower plains, small hills, white pepper fields, tin mines. To the east (across Gaspar Strait) is Belitung, to the south is Java Sea, to the north is South China Sea. Bangka Island has 4 seaports - Belinyu (far north), Mentok (far west), Sadai (far south) and Pangkal Balam (closest to Pangkal Pinang).īangka Island's provincial capital and largest city is Pangkal Pinang (population around 330,000). The province consists of Pulau Bangka and Pulau Belitung. The island covers a total area of approx 11694 km2 (4515 mi2) and has population around 1 million. Pulau Bangka Island (aka Banka Island) is located east of Sumatra (mainland Indonesia).

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