Bangka Belitung Islands Province (abbreviated as Babel) is located close to Sumatra Island. Other than the two big islands – Bangka and Belitung- It consists of 470 islands, of which only 50 islands are inhabited. It is bordered by the South China Sea in the northern part, the Java Sea in the south and Kalimantan Island in the east. It spans over a total area of16,424.06 Km2 with a population of around 1,277,586 inhabitants.
Bangka Belitung is known as a tin-producing area. It has beautiful beaches and a multiethnic culture. The capital of the province is Pangkal Pinang.
The Bangka Belitung Islands community consists of several ethnic groups such as the Malays (native tribes), Javanese, Sundanese, Buginese, Banten, Palembang, Banjar, Madura, Aceh, Minang, Flores, Maluku, Manado and China. The people of the Bangka Belitung Islands follow various religions with the majority of Muslim population (81.83%), Buddhists (8.71%) Kong Hu Cu (5.11%) Christians (2.44%) Catholic Christians (1.79%) and Hindus (0.13%)
Bangka Island and Belitung Island are the territories of the Kingdom of Srivijaya, Majapahit, and Mataram. Then, Bangka Belitung became a British and Dutch colony until the 19-20th century, before the independence of the Republic of Indonesia in 1945.