or Belitung
Island west-central, Indonesia.
Lying on the Karimata Strait (which separates it from Borneo to the northeast), it is situated between the South China Sea (north) and Java Sea (south). It is 55 mi (88 km) long and 43 mi (69 km) wide, with an area of 1,866 sq mi (4,833 sq km). The main town and port is Tanjungpandan. Billiton was ceded to the British in 1812 by the sultan of Palembang, Sumatra , but Britain recognized the Dutch claim in 1824. The island became part of Indonesia after World War II. It is important for its tin mines, discovered in 1851.