ABSTRACT
The Province of Bengkulu is located on the southern part of the west coast of Sumatra (Sumatera). The shore runs from north-west to south-east, with West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) further north along the coast and Jambi north and inland. South-east down the coast is Lampung, while to the east is South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan). The Indian Ocean lies to the south-west. Most of the province occupies the narrow lowlands between the western coast of Sumatra and the mountainous backbone of the island, although the border crosses the watershed in places. Bengkulu (also spelt Bangkulu and, in the colonial period, Benkoelen by the Dutch and Bencoolen by the British) covers an area of 19,919 sq km and includes Mega, Enggano and four smaller islands to the west in the Indian Ocean.
