Gaspar Strait separates Belitung

Belitung

Belitung, , is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. The island is known for its pepper and for its tin. It was in the possession of the British from 1812 until the British ceded control of the island to the Dutch in the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824...

 and Bangka

Bangka Island

Bangka is an island lying east of Sumatra, Indonesia. Population 626,955. Area: c.4,600 sq mi .There is an additional small island named Pulau Bangka in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia.-Geography:...

 islands in Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. It connects the Java Sea

Java Sea

The Java Sea is a large shallow sea on the Sunda Shelf. It was formed as sea levels rose at the end of the last ice age. The Java Sea lies between the Indonesian islands of Borneo to the north, Java to the south; Sumatra to the west, and Sulawesi to the east...

 to the South China Sea

South China Sea

The South China Sea is a marginal sea that is part of the Pacific Ocean, encompassing an area from the Singapore and Malacca Straits to the Strait of Taiwan of around...

.

These straits, formed between the large islands Banca and Billiton, are generally called Gaspar Straits, after the Spanish captain from Manila

Manila

Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...

, who passed through them in 1724; but Captain Hurle, returning from China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

 in the English ship Macclesfield, had previously passed through them, in March 1702. Pulo Leat, or Middle Island, separates these straits into two principal branches; that to the westward, between it and the S.E. part of Banca, is often called Macclesfield Strait; and the eastern branch, situated between Middle Island, and Long Island, near Billiton, is generally called Clements' Strait, after Captain Clements, who commanded the fleet from China, that went through this branch in July 1781. Gaspar Island, or Pulo Glassa, 2°24′42"S 107°4′10"E, lies approximately 24 miles north of Middle Island 2°52′0"S 107°4′0"E and approximately 18 miles from Tanjong Brekat 2°34′21"S 106°50′43"E.

Current names

Gaspar Strait is now Selat Gelasa,

Banca is now Bangka,

Billiton is now Belitung,

Pulo Leat is Pulau Liat, Long Island is Pulau Mendanau, Macclesfield Strait is Selat Lepila, Clements' Strait is Selat Limendo, Pulo Glassa is Pulau Gelasa, and Tanjong Brekat is Tandjung Berikat on the east coast of Bangka.