Batam Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...
Geography
Location	Southeast Asia
Archipelago	Riau Archipelago
Area	415 km²
Administration
Indonesia
Demographics
Population	713.960 (as of 2006)

The Batam island in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for a free trade zone as a part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located 20 km (12.5 miles) off Singapore's south coast. The 415 km² (160 miles²) island has a population of 713,960 in December 2006^[1], most of whom are Malays (85%) and Chinese (14%). A few indigenous Orang Laut tribes still live in the island. It is also a managed as a city (kota) in Riau Islands province. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Location of Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is a subregion of Asia. ... The Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau (Kepri for short) or sometimes Riau Kepulauan in Bahasa Indonesia) are a province and a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, off the eastern coast of Riau province on Sumatra island. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... Riau Islands (Indonesian: Kepulauan Riau (Kepri or Riau Kepulauan) is a province of Indonesia, consisting of Riau Archipelago, Natuna Islands, Anambas, and Lingga Islands. ... The SIJORI growth triangle is a partnership arrangement between Singapore, Johore (in Malaysia), and Riau (in Indonesia) that combines the competitive strengths of the three areas to make the subregion more attractive to regional and international investors. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Orang Laut are a group of Malay people living in the Riau Islands of Indonesia. ...

In 1970s, the island underwent a major transformation from topologically forest area into a major harbor and industrial zone. The population drastically grew from a few thousand in the 1960s into the hundreds of thousands.^{[citation needed]} Located in the direct proximity of Singapore and provided with cheaper labour forces, several Singaporean companies have established factories in Batam. The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, also called The Seventies. ...

The official language on the island is Indonesian, but due to major Chinese population, Chinese dialects like Teochew and Mandarin are widely spoken, particularly in businesses. Apart from industrial zones, the islands have several resorts and tourist destinations. The Chaozhou language, also called Teochew, Teochiu, Tiuchiu, or Diojiu, is a dialect of the Chinese spoken variant of Minnan 閩南, spoken in the Chaoshan 潮汕 region of eastern Guangdong 廣東. // Chaozhou is a member of the Southern Min or Minnan dialect group, which in turn constitutes one of the seven major dialect... This article is on all of the Northern and Southwestern Chinese dialects. ...

SEZ - Special Economic Zones

Since 2006 the Indonesian Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun as well as Singapore benefit from the new SEZ scheme introduced by Indonesia and Singapore. Under this rule there will be no tax paid for shipments between these islands. This was introduced to help the economy in this region.

FTZ - Free Trade Zone

Since 29 June 2007 Indonesian government give full free trade zone status for Batam and enclave status for Bintan and Karimun. This is to address the issue of legal certainty for the investors.

According to the plan, Batam will be transformed into shipyard, electronic, and mecatronic industrial development centers; Bintan into textile, footwear, and tourism industrial development centers; and Karimun into shipyard, metal, component, agricultural, and marine produce industrial development centers.

Geography

Batam is West of Karimun and Bulan Island, and East of Bintan, and North of Rempang, and South of Singapore. Riau Strait(Selat Riau) separates Batam and Bintan. There are 3 major reservoirs. Karimun is one of the islands in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia. ... Bulan can refer to: Bulan, a Khazar ruler of the eighth or ninth century, who converted to Judaism. ... Bintan Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island of 1,866 square kilometer located about 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Singapore. ... Rempang is a island, located 2,5 Km South-East of Batam, 165. ...

Communities

• Northwest : Sekupang
• North Central : Jodoh, Nagoya, Sungai Panas, Batam Centre, Baloi, Batu Ampar, Bengkong

Transport

Batam can be reached by regular ferries from the islands of Singapore, Bintan and Karimun as well as Johor State in Malaysia. There are 3 ferry-ports in Batam but the main one is at Batam Center having shifted there from Batu Ampar. The one-way fare between Singapore (Harbourfront) and Batam Center is about US$17. There is no car ferry between Singapore and Batam.

Batam's air travel is handled at the Hang Nadim Airport. The only international flights are to Senai in Johor State, Malaysia. Most flights from Batam are to Jakarta. Hang Nadim Airport is an airport in Batam, Riau Islands (part of Sumatra), Indonesia (IATA: BTH, ICAO: WIDD). ...

The Indonesian government is planning to build a bridge linking the islands Batam and Bintan. This has not yet been approved. Once built, perhaps with road and rail links, the two main Riau Islands are expected to see an economic boom. Currently the Barelang Bridge or series of bridges links the three islands of Batam, Rempang and Galang, as well as smaller islands Tonton and Nipah. These bridges are spectacular and worth visiting. Rempang and Galang are relatively undeveloped. The Barelang Bridge (Jembatan Barelang) is a chain of 6 bridges of various types that connect the islands of Batam, Rempang, and Galang, giving the system its name. ... Rempang is a island, located 2,5 Km South-East of Batam, 165. ... For the island, see Pulau Galang. ...

See also

• Bintan

Bintan Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island of 1,866 square kilometer located about 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Singapore. ...

External links

• Official website
• Official tourism site
• Batam travel guide from Wikitravel

Coordinates: 1°04′N, 104°01′E Wikitravel is a project to create an open content, complete, up-to-date, and reliable world-wide travel guide. ... Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...

v • d • e Main Islands of Riau Islands province (Propinsi Kepulauan Riau)

Riau Archipelago: Bintan | Batam | Rempang | Galang | Bulan | Combol | Kundur | Karimun (Riau Is) The Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau (Kepri for short) or sometimes Riau Kepulauan in Bahasa Indonesia) are a province and a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, off the eastern coast of Riau province on Sumatra island. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... The Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau (Kepri for short) or sometimes Riau Kepulauan in Bahasa Indonesia) are a province and a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, off the eastern coast of Riau province on Sumatra island. ... Bintan Bintan Island or Negeri Segantang Lada is an island of 1,866 square kilometer located about 48 km (30 miles) southeast of Singapore. ... Rempang is a island, located 2,5 Km South-East of Batam, 165. ... Galang (Indonesian: Pulau Galang), is a island, 80 sq km located 350 m southeast of Batam[1], belonging to a group of three islands called Barelang. ... Bulan Island or Bulang is the island located 2. ... According to ibn Fadlan, the Kündür was an official in the Khazar government under the command of the Khagan Bek. ... Karimun is one of the islands in the Riau Islands province of Indonesia. ... Natuna Islands: Natuna Besar | South Natuna archipelago | Tambelan archipelago The Natuna Islands are a 272-island archipelago of Indonesia, located in the Natuna Sea between east and west Malaysia and Kalimantan. ... Natuna Besar (or Great Natuna) is the main island of the Natuna Islands, which are part of the Riau Islands Province, Indonesia. ... South Natuna is an archipelago near the northern tip of West Kalimantan province of Indonesia. ... Tambelan archipelago is a group of islands off the west coast of West Kalimantan (Borneo), Indonesia, just north of the equator, separated but sometimes considered part of the Natuna Islands of Riau Islands Province. ... Anambas: Tarempah | P. Matak | Jemaja Andriabu Anambas archipelago (Kepulauan Anambas in Indonesian) is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located in the South China Sea between east and west Malaysia and Kalimantan. ... Lingga Islands: Lingga | Singkep | Sebangka | Bakung | P. Selayar (Riau Is) | Posik | P. Serak | Lalang | Temiang | Mesawak Port of Jago on the northern coast of Singkep, close to the island of Lingga. ... Lingga Island is the largest and most populated of the Lingga Islands, Indonesia. ... Singkep is an island in the Lingga Archipelago. ...

v • d • e Cities and regencies of Riau Islands province

Cities: Batam | Tanjung Pinang The Riau Islands (Kepulauan Riau (Kepri for short) or sometimes Riau Kepulauan in Bahasa Indonesia) are a province and a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, off the eastern coast of Riau province on Sumatra island. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Indonesia. ... Tanjung Pinang is the capital of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. ... Regencies: Karimun | Bintan | Lingga | Natuna The Bintan Regency is the administrative centre of the island of Bintan in the Riau province of Indonesia. ...