The history of Lampung had been started since Hindu period. Which continuously up to the early of XVI century. The system of culture came from the outside include Hindu and Buddha but domination got from original tradition that Malaya Polynesia era. According to the news from china at VII century said that the south region (Namphang) had been found empire, named Talang p'ohwang. (To = person: lang p'ohwang = Lampung) in the other region had treasure that signed Lampung in a great maritime empire's hand, that name was Sriwijaya. Moslem era marked by Banten influence in Lampung at VII century, Lampung have got a tough hero who fought colonial Dutch (Dutch and the name was Raden Intan) Another opinion said that Moslem came in first time at lampung from west Sumatra in XIV century until XV century Before Moslem / religion coming to Lampung, people have been Hindu, Buddhist and veneration of spirit forefathers (sites pugung & kebon tebu).
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As a part of the Nation archipelago, Belitung or also known as Biliton, was a part of Sriwijaya kingdom in 7th century and a part of Majapahit kingdom in 10th century. The latest rules before occupied by European, the island is a part of Palembang sultanate. There was small sultanate in this island, which is Balok sultanate in South and Sijuk sultanate in North. But the documents about these 2 sultanates are less. This area has valuable tin mines and worked chiefly by the Chinese labor. In 1812 British ceded Belitung but in 1824 the British recognized Dutch claims to Belitung. It was formerly known and called as Biliton. During Dutch occupation the tin mining industry was began. Most of Belitung residence worked in the tin mining industry and some of the workers emigrated from China. The mining industry is still continuing until now. In 1950 Belitung became a part of Indonesia and became one among 8 district in South Sumatra province with Palembang as the capital. The main city and port is stay at Tanjungpandan.
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During the 17th Century, Hindu people from Siantan and Johor of Malaysia inhabited Bangka Island. Subsequently it was occupied by Sriwijaya Kingdom (686 AD) who was written "Wangka" which means "Tin" on a stone, that's why Bangka Island is also called "Tin Island", the stone was found in the Western part of the island, near Kota Kapur, now the stone still can be seen at the National Museum in Jakarta.
Bangka was ceded to Britain by sultan of Palembang in 1812, but in 1814 it was exchanged with the Dutch for Cochin in India. The Japanese from 1942 to 1945 occupied the island. It became part of Indonesia independent in 1949. The island, together with neighboring Belitung, was formerly part of South Sumatra province, but in 2000 the two islands became the new province of Bangka-Belitung. Bangka is famous for two other events; the Banka Island Massacre in WWII by the Japanese of Australian Nurses and as reputedly the setting for the book "Lord Jim" by Joseph Conrad. Bangka is also home to a number of Indonesians communist that has been under house arrest since the 1960's and are not permitted to leave the island.
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This city was traditionally a trade center, and, for about 500 years up to the 13th Century, Palembang was one of the principal ports of the world, meaning a central point for the bulk of the Indonesian islands' trade. Mahayana Buddhism came here around in the 7th century. A Chinese-Buddhist pilgrim, I Tsing, who was going to India, arrived at Sriwijaya University in 671 A.D., and spent 6 months studying Sanskrit. And when he was returning home in 68E A.D., he stayed here for 4 years, writing his memoirs and giving a valuable description of the city.
Palembang was believed to be the predatory power, and was once the capital of Sriwijaya Empire. There were regular ships that laid their anchor here and it sent its mercenaries as far as Mesopotamia. There were many scholars and monks, and perhaps thousands of them, who learned Buddhist teachings and translated Sanskrit texts here. When the 13th century was begins to end, Sriwijaya had splintered into 8 smaller kingdoms, the largest of which, Malayu, was centered on Jambi and became a strong power. But finally, with the rise of Melaka in the 14th Century, Sriwijaya became a remote backwater. The region around Palembang still produces fine woven fabrics and performs unique Hindu-like dances.
It can be seen that this city had a long association with many countries of world and it had a great past and great history to beckon. The tourists enjoy visiting this place, which has seen so much of variation in its fortune and destiny.
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In the past, a kingdom named Selebar existed in this area. A vassal state of Banten, it was the latter's main source of pepper, cloves, nutmeg and coffee, the trade commodities on which the Javanese Kingdom thrived. On July 12, 1685, Selebar signed a treaty with the British East India Company, gave the latter the right to establish a warehouse and fortification. First, the British built Fort York. Then, another one arose, located more to the north. Built in 1713-1719, this latter fortification was named Fort Marlborough. It was the British power seat and influence in these western parts of the archipelago until 1825, when under the terms of the London Treaty, England handed over the Dutch territory in exchange for others, ended 139 years of British power in Bengkulu.
Bengkulu had used to be the only British colony in Southeast Asia for over 140 years. It was founded as an alternative source for pepper, after the Dutch got rule over Banten in the 17th century. This small British outpost along a low populated shore however has never been of much value: the importance of pepper on the world market was rapidly descending and Bengkulu was too far away from the main trade routes to mean anything. From 1685 to 1825 the books of the British East Indian Company reports very bad trade, boredom and early death because of malaria.
Fortress York, the first British base, was founded in 1685, followed by the construction of Fortress Marlborough two kilometers ahead in 1715. The British thought that the local population was 'indolent' and it was usual to punish their leaders. When William Dampier was in Bengkulu in 1690, he found two of those leaders chained because 'they didn't bring in the demanded amount of pepper to the Fortress'. Outside protests of the British government, this form of punishment was common into the beginning of the 19th century. Bengkulu was awakened from apathy during Raffles reign (1818 - 1824), but in 1825 the colony was transferred to the Dutch, in trade for the acknowledgement of the British influence on the Malaysian peninsula and Singapore. During his stay in Singapore, Raffles started to explore the sea, what eventually ended in the foundation of Singapore. His enjoyment over the booming economy of his new colony was overshadowed by the sad fact that three of his four children died in Bengkulu. The British influence was kept limited to the small coastal planes. The Dutch annotated the mountainous hinterlands in the 19th century after a number of military expeditions. Shortly before the turn to the 20th century the Dutch discovered that the mountains near Bengkulu contained tremendous gold deposits and the province soon became the biggest gold-producing province of the Dutch Indies.
Bengkulu population consists of four main groups. The Rejang are the mountain people and form the majority. They are divided into two groups: the highland Rejang and the coastal Rejang, which have moved to the western lowlands. In the south live Serawai, which are related with the Pasemah in the highlands around Pageralam and Mount Dempo. In the capital, there are many Malay people. Bengkulu province has been inhabited ever since the pre-historic times, which is proved in the findings of stone tools in the northern area, and the discovery of megalith constructions and old drums from the Dongson type in the south. The isolated Enggano Island just of the southern beach, living another group habitat. For a long time the Engganese were protected by influences from outside, because of their remoteness, but eventually pocks and other diseases, which were brought to the island by Western expeditions at the end of the 19th century, struck them. Around the end of the 19th century it is tried to bring fresh blood into the group, but that didn't succeed as well. During the reign of Soekarno, the island has temporarily been a prison island as well.
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The river port of Jambi, the capital province name, is situated in the central region of Sumatra on Batanghari River, which flows east into Berhala Straits. Jambi is positioned on the busy sea route between China and India, and the region played a major part in early maritime trade. The Tang Annals record that as early as the seventh century A.D. and again in the ninth century Jambi sent ambassadors to the court of Chinese emperor. These earliest records of Jambi show to have been the original capital of Malay (Malaya Kingdom). The ancient Hindu - Buddhist Kingdom of Sriwijaya also had its capital in Jambi at that time.
Muaro jambi, a large temple complex several kilometers downstream from the present capital may well have been the center of Buddhist learning referred to the Chinese monk I-Tsing, who traveled from and to India in 671. He studied in Sriwijaya for four years, and then returned in 689 with four collaborators, to write two books in the Buddhist pilgrims and Buddhism of his time. It is during they stay that he noted that Malayu ", now is Sriwijaya country".
Scholars have differed in their interpretations of this remark; certainly the relationship between Melayu and Sriwijaya was a very close one, although there were some clearly period of Malay independence when Sriwijaya was based in nearby Palembang. In 11 century, the capital had moved to Jambi. As well as functioned as a Centerport, Jambi also produced its own exports include a variety of tree resins for use as license, as well as cloves, tortoise-shell, gardenia flowers and cardamom. From Arab traders it imported cotton, fabrics and sword blades; from China silk gauzes and thread, the latter possibly used in the manufacturer of silk brocades decorated in gold supplementary weft, the "songket" for which the Malay world later became famous one.
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The 3,000 islands of Riau province straddle Malacca Straits, one of the oldest and business trading routes in the world. For centuries the islands have provided a safe haven to traders and sailors from Europe, India and China and as a result they have strong foreign historical links. Riau, which includes a large part of East Sumatra, is the heartland of the Malays and the source of Indonesia's Malay-based national language. The first book of Malay grammar, called Bustanul Katibin, was written and published here in 1857 and foreign seafarers and traders also adopted Malay in the 14th and 15th centuries so that they could communicate and be successful, effectively creating a language of trade and power.
The Malacca Kingdom played a leading role in the history of the area since it's founding in 1402 by Parameswara. With the arrival of the Portuguese however, a period of wars for control of the Malay states around the Straits, began. The situation was aggravated with the arrival of the Dutch and British in the early 17th century. A turbulent conflict followed which was partially resolved by the Treaty of London in 1824, which gave the Dutch control of all territories claimed by European countries south of Singapore. This area included Riau, and effectively severed its links with Johor and the mainland. The Dutch subjugated and dissolved the rebellious Riau Sultanate in 1911, but the province's influence remained strong.
Pekanbaru, the provincial capital lies in Sumatra, just east of Bukit Barisan mountain range and is developing quickly. It only became the provincial capital in 1959.
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North Sumatera is a large province stretching from the indian Ocean in the west to the Straits of Malaka in the East and from Aceh in the north to West Sumatra in the south. It is thick with virgin forests, lush vegetation and jungle covered hills, terraced ricefields, cool mountain streams, strong rivers, beautiful waterfalls, peaceful white sandy beaches and large ancient lakes.
The people of the region are hospitable and warm and can be divided into five main ethnic groups; the Coastal Malays living along the Malaka Straits; the Bataks consisting of the sub-tribes of Toba, Simalungun, Pak Pak (Dairi) and Karon of the highlands around Lake Toba and Samosir Island; the Pesisirs of Central Tapanuli along the Indian Ocean coastline; the Mandailings and Angkolas from southern Tapanuli and Nias Islanders off the western coast of the province.
These groups each have their own dialects, religious beliefs and traditional arts, customs and culture. There are also several ethnic groups who live in Medan and other towns of North Sumatra, the largest of these being Chinese and Indian. Other parts of archipelago are represented, but non more strongly than the Acehnese, Minangkabau and Javanese who now live in many parts of the area. As a result the area is often regarded as constituting a natural museum of Indonesia's proto-Malay heritage in which ancient customs and traditions have been preserved.
The diversity of arts and cultures literally make this region a Garden of Eden for social scientists and culture seekers. It is a treasure chest of culture and tradition waiting to be explored, with ancient graves of Batak kings, unique dances and ceremonies, and beautiful arts and crafts. North Sumatra is also one of the riches provinces in Indonesia for flora and fauna with a wealth of birds, butterflies, buffalo and deer. The province proudly boats of its Orang Utan Rehabilitation Center in the Gunung Leuser National Park which is bordered by the fast flowing Bohorok River and some delightful countryside and of course lake Toba, legendary birthplace of the mountain-dwelling Bataks and the largest inland lake in Southest Asia.
The region also produces more than 30% of Indonesia's export commodities and handles about 60% of them, making it vital cag in the Indonesian economy. Tabacco, palm oil, tea and rubber are produced in large quantities, particulary around Medan in the north of the province.