Pangkal Pinang is the capital and largest city of the Bangka Belitung Islands Province in Indonesia. It is located on Bangka Island's east coast, the city is divided into seven districts (kecamatan) and has 42 wards (kelurahan). It covers an area of and it had a population of 216,893 at the 2020 Census. The city's population density is about 2,426 per square kilometre in 2020. Muhammad Irwansyah is the mayor; he was preceded by Zulkarnain Karim, who served for two terms (2003–2013). The Rangkui River divides the city into two parts, and Jalan Merdeka is its geographic center. Pangkal Pinang's population consists largely of ethnic Malays and Chinese Hakka who came from Guangzhou. There are also smaller immigrant communities of other ethnic groups, such as Batak and Minangkabau. Landmarks in the city include the Timah Museum, a Chinese temple, the Cathedral of St. Joseph, the Bangka Botanical Garden, and the Pasir Padi beach. Etymology Pangkalpinang is derived from the local words pengkal ("base") and pinang (Areca catechu, a species of palm tree widely grown on the island of Bangka). History Pre-colonial rule As part of Srivijaya, Pangkalpinang was inhabited by Hindus. In addition to being a territory of Sriwijaya, it was also a territory of Majapahit and the Mataram Kingdom. In all three kingdoms, Pangkalpinang received little attention despite its proximity to international shipping routes and became a hideout for pirates preying on ships in the South China Sea To secure the shipping routes around the Strait of Malacca, the Johor Sultanate sent troops to Pangkalpinang and began spreading Islam in the region. However, the pirates soon returned. Years later, in another attempt to rid the area of piracy, the Sultan of Banten sent a regent of the Indonesian archipelago to eradicate the pirates. The regent established control and ruled Bangka until his death, when his authority passed to his only daughter. Colonial rule Around 1709, tin was found on the banks of the Olin River in Toboali District. With the discovery of tin, merchants from China and elsewhere flocked to the region; the Sultan of Palembang sent representatives to China in search of tin experts. In 1717, the Palembang Sultanate began developing trade relationships with the Dutch East India Company (VOC). With the company's help, the sultan attempted to eradicate piracy and tin smuggling. The Netherlands was occupied by France at the height of the Napoleonic Wars, and the