Pangkalpinang

Pangkalpinang stands on the eastern side of Bangka, an island whose tin brought it under the close attention of the rulers of Palembang. Its name combines pangkal, a centre or gathering place, with pinang, the areca palm. Like other centres on the island, it served to collect the output of mines and to organize its passage across the Bangka Strait.

In 1757 Sultan Ahmad Najamuddin of Palembang ordered the establishment of centres from which his officials could supervise tin workings. They oversaw miners from China, Siam, Cochinchina and Malay communities, as well as the distribution of the metal to the sultanate. Pangkalpinang grew within this network of mines and administrative posts, its fortunes tied to a commodity much sought after throughout maritime Southeast Asia.