Rafflesia

Lampung (ꤾꤸ꥓ꤶꥈꥏ), South Sumatra (ꤼꥈꤸꤳꥉꤽꤼꥉꤾꤳꥐ), and Bengkulu (ꤷꥉꥏꤰꥈꤾꥈ) are three provinces in the southern part of Sumatra (ꤼꥈꤸꤳꥉꤽꤷꤱꥇꥆꥐꤼꥉꤾꤳꥐ), Indonesia (ꥆꥇꥐꤴꥋꤵꥎꤼꥇꤿ). Lampung is located at the southern end of the island, facing the Sunda Strait. South Sumatra lies to the north of Lampung, with Palembang as its capital. Bengkulu is situated on the western coast of Sumatra, facing the Indian Ocean. Several names frequently appear in relation to this region: “Lampung,” “Bandar Lampung,” “Palembang,” “Musi,” “Bengkulu,” “Rejang,” “Komering,” “Ogan,” “Barisan,” and “Sunda Strait.”

The geography of the region includes coastal areas, river basins, lowlands, hills, and parts of the Barisan Mountains. Lampung covers 33,570.76 km²; Bengkulu covers 20,128.25 km². Lampung lies between about 6°45′–2°45′S and 103°40′–105°50′E, while South Sumatra is commonly described as lying between about 1°–4°S and 102°–106°E. The region includes the Sunda Strait, the Indian Ocean coast, the Musi River system, and upland areas connected with the Barisan range.

The provinces have different historical backgrounds. The Palembang area is historically associated with Srivijaya, a maritime polity active in Sumatra and nearby regions. Bengkulu was historically connected with trade on the western coast of Sumatra. Lampung has long been connected to movement between Sumatra and Java through the Sunda Strait.

Administrative boundaries have changed over time. Lampung became a separate province in 1964; Bengkulu became a separate province in 1967. These dates—1964 & 1967—refer to modern provincial administration, not to the beginning of local communities or regional histories. A later map may show 3 provinces, but older records may use different divisions (residentie, afdeling, district, or marga).

The region includes many ethnic, linguistic, and cultural communities. Lampung is associated with Lampung-speaking communities and other populations living in the province. South Sumatra includes Palembang, Komering, Ogan, and other communities. Bengkulu includes Rejang, Serawai, Malay-speaking communities, and others. Indonesian is widely used as the national language.

For a demographic example based on ethnicity, the 2010 census data for Lampung recorded Javanese as 64.17% of the province’s population, Lampung people as 13.56%, Sundanese as 11.88%, Malay as 5.64%, Balinese as 1.38%, and other groups as 3.37%. In fractional terms, Javanese made up nearly 2/3 of the population, while Lampung people made up a little more than 1/8. These figures refer to the 2010 census category of ethnic groups, not to language use, place of birth, or customary affiliation.

For a commodity example, BPS reported that Bengkulu Province’s exports in May 2024 reached US$9.31 million. The same release listed coal at US$7.69 million, or 82.56% of the total; rubber at US$1.43 million, or 15.31%; leeches at US$6.21 thousand, or 0.07%; and other commodities at US$0.19 million, or 2.06%.