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Bengkulu (city)
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Bengkulu (city)
Bengkulu , formerly Bencoolen (Dutch: Benkoelen) is the capital of the Indonesian province of Bengkulu. The city is the second largest city on the west coast of Sumatra Island after Padang. Previously this area was under the influence of the kingdom of Inderapura and the Sultanate of Banten. The city also became the place of exile of Sukarno from 1939 to 1942. It covers an area of 151.70 km2 and had a population of 308,544 at the 2010 Census and 373,591 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 397,321 (comprising 200,601 males and 196,720 females). The city is the only city in Bengkulu Province.
The British East India Company founded Bengkulu (named Bencoolen by the British), in 1685, as their new commercial centre for the region. In the 17th century, the British East India Company controlled the spice trade in the Lampung region of southern Sumatra from a port in Banten, in the northwest of the neighbouring island of Java. In 1682, a troop of the Dutch East India Company attacked Banten. The local crown prince submitted to the Dutch, who then recognised him as Sultan. The Dutch expelled all other Europeans present in Banten, leading the British to establish Bengkulu. In 1714, the British built Fort Marlborough at Bengkulu.
The trading centre was never financially viable, because of its remoteness and the difficulty in procuring pepper. Despite these difficulties, the British persisted, maintaining a presence there for over a century, ceding it to the Dutch as part of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to focus their attention on Malacca. Edmund Roberts, the first U.S. envoy to the Far East, visited Bengkulu in 1832. Like the rest of present-day Indonesia, Bengkulu remained a Dutch colony until World War II.
Sukarno (later the first president of Indonesia) was imprisoned by the Dutch in the 1930s, including a brief period in Bengkulu. Sukarno met his future wife, Fatmawati, during his time in Bengkulu.
The region is at low elevation and can have swamps. In the mid-19th century, malaria and related diseases were common. Bengkulu lies near the Sunda Fault and is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. The June 2000 Enggano earthquake killed at least 100 people. A recent report predicts that Bengkulu is "at risk of inundation over the next few decades from undersea earthquakes predicted along the coast of Sumatra" A series of earthquakes struck Bengkulu in September 2007, killing 13 people. Bengkulu City has an area of 151.70 km 2 and is located on the west coast of Sumatra island, with the province having a coastline of about 525 km in length. The area of this city lies parallel to the mountains of Bukit Barisan and face to face with the Indian Ocean.
The City of Bengkulu comprised eight administrative districts (kecamatan) at the time of the 2010 Census, but subsequently, a ninth district (Singaran Pati) was formed out of the northwest half of the existing Gading Cempaka District. The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid-2024. The table also includes the numbers of administrative villages (all classed as urban kelurahan) in each district and its postcodes.
Note: (a) the 2010 population of the new Singaran Pati District is included in the figure for Gading Cempaka District, from which it was later split off.
Bengkulu has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.
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Bengkulu (city)
Bengkulu , formerly Bencoolen (Dutch: Benkoelen) is the capital of the Indonesian province of Bengkulu. The city is the second largest city on the west coast of Sumatra Island after Padang. Previously this area was under the influence of the kingdom of Inderapura and the Sultanate of Banten. The city also became the place of exile of Sukarno from 1939 to 1942. It covers an area of 151.70 km2 and had a population of 308,544 at the 2010 Census and 373,591 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid-2024 was 397,321 (comprising 200,601 males and 196,720 females). The city is the only city in Bengkulu Province.
The British East India Company founded Bengkulu (named Bencoolen by the British), in 1685, as their new commercial centre for the region. In the 17th century, the British East India Company controlled the spice trade in the Lampung region of southern Sumatra from a port in Banten, in the northwest of the neighbouring island of Java. In 1682, a troop of the Dutch East India Company attacked Banten. The local crown prince submitted to the Dutch, who then recognised him as Sultan. The Dutch expelled all other Europeans present in Banten, leading the British to establish Bengkulu. In 1714, the British built Fort Marlborough at Bengkulu.
The trading centre was never financially viable, because of its remoteness and the difficulty in procuring pepper. Despite these difficulties, the British persisted, maintaining a presence there for over a century, ceding it to the Dutch as part of the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 to focus their attention on Malacca. Edmund Roberts, the first U.S. envoy to the Far East, visited Bengkulu in 1832. Like the rest of present-day Indonesia, Bengkulu remained a Dutch colony until World War II.
Sukarno (later the first president of Indonesia) was imprisoned by the Dutch in the 1930s, including a brief period in Bengkulu. Sukarno met his future wife, Fatmawati, during his time in Bengkulu.
The region is at low elevation and can have swamps. In the mid-19th century, malaria and related diseases were common. Bengkulu lies near the Sunda Fault and is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. The June 2000 Enggano earthquake killed at least 100 people. A recent report predicts that Bengkulu is "at risk of inundation over the next few decades from undersea earthquakes predicted along the coast of Sumatra" A series of earthquakes struck Bengkulu in September 2007, killing 13 people. Bengkulu City has an area of 151.70 km 2 and is located on the west coast of Sumatra island, with the province having a coastline of about 525 km in length. The area of this city lies parallel to the mountains of Bukit Barisan and face to face with the Indian Ocean.
The City of Bengkulu comprised eight administrative districts (kecamatan) at the time of the 2010 Census, but subsequently, a ninth district (Singaran Pati) was formed out of the northwest half of the existing Gading Cempaka District. The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as of mid-2024. The table also includes the numbers of administrative villages (all classed as urban kelurahan) in each district and its postcodes.
Note: (a) the 2010 population of the new Singaran Pati District is included in the figure for Gading Cempaka District, from which it was later split off.
Bengkulu has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with very heavy rainfall year-round.
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