Bengkulu, Southwestern Sumatra, Indonesia
7 August 2014

Note: The area of coverage in this WorldView-2 image is 1.75 km x 1.75 km.
The reduced resolution image on display has undergone compression and so does not represent the true resolution of the original satellite image.

Bengkulu (formerly written in English as Bencoolen) was one of Britain’s prized bases in the1700s but is a quiet coastal town in southwest Sumatra now, relatively isolated from the rest of the country by the Bukit Barisan Mountains to the east. Several of its buildings and monuments carry evidences of past history and conflict it has seen from the eighteenth century. Benteng Marlborough, on a grass-covered hill towards the north is the best known of these monuments. The British built it as a strong base for colonial wars, and it was later used by the Dutch, the Japanese, and the Indonesian armies: it is now a heritage site. Several monuments of the colonial times and centres of present administrative can be seen south of the fort, often identifiable by grassy enclosures. In spite of its location on the Indian Ocean, Bengkulu has limited connection with the sea; it is a coast of strong currents and surf, breaking waves seen even on the image. A number of small boats are, however, in water. Bengkulu has also a museum to the former President Soekarno who was once exiled there by the Dutch.