Introduction

Introduction to Sumatera Selatan

As fine veins the vast network of rivers in southern Sumatera cross an area as big as Ireland ( 104,000 sq.km. ). Five mighty rivers, a dozen important side rivers and a thousand small streams connect the scattered settlements in this vast and low populated province. Near Palembang, most big rivers come together in the slow flowing Musi River, the biggest and widest of all. The Musi springs at the (...)

Palembang	Lively city along the Musi

Palembang is a sissling hot, lively industrial and communicational centre which is hardly visited by foreigners, but is working on it's image. With over one milion residents it's, besides Medan, the biggest city of Sumatera and the sixth city of Indonesia, after Semarang. The growing economy is based on coal, plantations, oil raffination and production of fertilizer. Palembang spreads towards (...)

Getting around	Trip to the western highlands

Tourism on Sumatera Selatan is still developed, roads and facilities outside Palembang are poor. The province however, does have many places of interest which can be reached in an easy way by public transport, hired car or minivan. Climaxes are Pasemah Plateau with it's old megalyths, and the beautiful Danau Ranau, a big crater lake on the border with Lampung. Both are in the rough vulcanis highla (...)

Pasemah	Mysterious megalythical culture

The remote Pasemah plateau, a wide, fertile plain, surrounded by an almost impassible wall of mountains, in the west of the provice contains several of the most remarkable megalythical remains of Sumatera. The 70 km long plateau stretches along a canyon in Bukit Barisan, at the foot of the sleeping Gunung Dempo (3159 metres).This was the region where the first bronzeage megalyth culture was locate (...)

Pulau-Pulau	Tin islands in a blue sea

Bangka and Belitung (Billiton) are located in Laut Cina Selatan (South China Sea) east of Sumatera. In geological view they are more closely related with Malaysia and Borneo than Sumatera, because they are part of a non-vulcanic core of the Sunda Shell. However they are hardly visited, they offer very nice beaches, said to be the most beautifull of Southeastern Asia, and a refreshing sea wind. It' (...)

Belitung	Island in Selat Karimata

Belitung is an Island in South East Asia a part of Nusantara archipelago. Belitung rules by Indonesia since 1950 and became a district of South Sumatera province. Effective November 21st, 2000 Belitung together with Bangka Island has been approved to became the 31st province of Indonesia separated from South Sumatera. The new province called Kepulauan Bangka Belitung province. Belitung is placed a (...)