Ball or Little Java, an island of the Malay archipelago, the westernmost of the Little Sunda islands, situated between Java and Lombok, 70 m. long by 35 m. average breadth; area about 2,200 sq. m.; pop. about 600,000. The geology resembles that of Java, from which it is separated by a narrow strait. The island is traversed E. and W. by mountain ranges, which terminate in a volcanic peak over 11,000 ft. high. The eruption in 1815 of another volcano, Gunung Batur, 7,000 ft. high, caused great loss of life. The coast is rugged, and has few harbors. The land is productive, and abundantly watered. The chief products in the south are grain and sweet potatoes, and in the north rice. The imports are opium, betel, ivory, gold, and silver; and the exports include hides, oil, edible birds' nests, and other articles. The natives are skilful artificers in gold and iron, and manufacture firearms. They are supposed to be descended from Hindoo colonists of Java, and are with those of Lombok the only people in the archipelago who observe Hindoo rites. The Kavi is the religious language, and the Sunda is spoken by the masses. Widows are killed by their nearest relatives, and their bodies burned. Among the nobles the practice of burning the dead also prevails to some extent.

Many of the higher classes are fond of letters, and have large collections of MSS., chiefly translations from Javanese and Malay. There are in the island about 4,000 Mohammedans and 8,000 Chinese. The island was divided in 1815 into nine principalities or rajahships, the village administration being about the same as in Java. The prince of Klongkong has a theocratic supremacy over all the islands by virtue of his reputed descent from Deva Agung, the deified progenitor of the Balinese. The most powerful of all the principalities is Karang Assam, in the northeast, which is dynastically united with the neighboring island of Lombok. The Dutch in 1846 resented an alleged insult to one of their diplomatic agents by capturing the chief fortress, Baliling, and extorting a treaty, the violation of which led to a new expedition in 1847, in which they were defeated with considerable loss. Subsequent expeditions were more successful, both in checking the Bali pirates and inducing the ruling princes to make important concessions.

The Dutch have a settlement at Badong on the S. coast.