Batam

Batam

Geography
Location	Southeast Asia
Archipelago	Riau Archipelago
Administration
Indonesia
Demographics
Population	713.960
Additional information
Official website	pemko-batam.go.id

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, 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.

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. Located in the direct proximity of Singapore and provided with cheaper labour forces, several Singaporean companies have established factories in Batam.

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.

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 East of Karimun and Bulan Island, and West of Bintan, and North of Rempang, and South of Singapore. Riau Strait(Selat Riau) separates Batam and Bintan. There are 3 major reservoirs.

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.

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.

See also

• Bintan

External links

• Official website
• Batam Industrial Development Authority website
• Official Public Relation site
• Official tourism site
• No.1 portal in batam island
• Template:Wikitravel

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