It was in the possession of the United Kingdom from 1812 until Britain ceded control of the island to the Netherlands in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.

Before the arrival of Dutch missionaries, the island's inhabitants and most of the Indonesian archipelago had already converted from Hinduism, Buddhism, and Animism to Islam due to the work of Chinese Muslim traders.

As a result, Christian churches were unable to gain considerable numbers of followers.

Sunni Islam is the most widely practiced religion, with sizeable minorities of Buddhists, Christians and Confucianists.

Its surrounding turquoise blue seas are moderately calm and shallow, making for great sailing, snorkeling and swimming.

Belitung is a source of tin, clay, iron ore and silica sands.

The island is also a producer of fishery products, pepper, coconut, and palm oil.

The white sand beaches and offshore islands are helping tourism to become a larger part of the economy.