Pongok (
Indonesian: ''Pulau Pongok''), sometimes known as Liat, is an Indonesian island which is part of the Pongok Islands District of the
South Bangka
South Bangka Regency () is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Bangka Belitung Islands Province, Indonesia, with the town of Toboali as its regency seat. It also includes several small islands off the coast of Bangka in the Gaspar Strait, such as Lepar ...
Regency,
Bangka Belitung Province. It comprises over 95% of the district's area and most of its population, with an area of 48.3 square km. It is the 5th largest island in the province, being far smaller than
Bangka and
Belitung
Belitung ( Belitung Malay: ''Belitong'', formerly Billiton) is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. It covers , and had a population of 309,097 at the 2020 Census. Administratively, it forms two regencies ( Beli ...
in addition to the islands of
Lepar and
Mendanau.
The smaller island of
Celagen, off the western coast of the island, holds the remaining population of the district. Before its division in 2012, the island was part of the Lepar Pongok District.
Geography
The island is located approximately halfway between Bangka and Belitung, in the middle of the
Gaspar Strait
The Gaspar Strait ( id, Selat Gaspar) is a strait separating the Indonesian islands Belitung ( en, Billiton, link=no) and Bangka. It connects the Java Sea with the South China Sea.
Etymology
The strait is named after a Spanish captain, who ...
, resulting in it sometimes being referred to as "Middle Island".
The island stretches approximately 10 km north–south and 8.5 km east–west. Several small streams flow in the island. The terrain is largely flat with little prominent elevations, the highest point on the island being only 125 m above sea level. The island is accessible by boat, with a three-hour journey from mainland Bangka.
Demographics
The island, as Pongok Village, has a population of 5,377 with a sex ratio of 1.14 and divided into 916 households (5.8 persons per household).
Economy and administration
The island is part of the Pongok Village in the district (Celagen Viullage, on the island of that name, comprises the other part of the district), and is further subdivided into 7 hamlets (''dusun''). A solar power plant with a peak capacity of 125 kilowatts was established on the island in 2015.
A stark majority of the labor force are engaged in fisheries and agriculture, with a fish production of about 6,850 tonnes throughout 2016. Several public-funded schools are present on the island, ranging from kindergarten (''TK'') to senior high school (''SMA'').
References
External links
* {{Commons category-inline, Pongok Island
Bangka Belitung Islands