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Batam

Coordinates: 1°04′N 104°01′E / 1.067°N 104.017°E / 1.067; 104.017
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Batam
Map
Geography
LocationSoutheast Asia
ArchipelagoRiau Archipelago
Administration
Indonesia
Demographics
Population915.882
Additional information
Official websitehttp://www.batamkota.go.id/

Batam is an island and city in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for its free trade zone area as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located 20 km (12.5 miles) off Singapore's south coast. The 715 km² (276 miles²) island has a population of 791,605 (2008).[1].

The official language on the island is Indonesian, but due to the sizeable Chinese population, Chinese languages including Teochew, Hokkien and Mandarin are also spoken.

Geography

Due to Batam's location of just north of the equator, it is tropical and humid, with a year round temperature range of 24 deg C to 33 deg C. The monsoon season is from December until Febuary, when it can rain quite heavily on an almost daily basis. Batam is a fairly low lying island, with only small hills, and no mountains as in other parts of Indonesia. There are only small rivers, and some man-made dams, which are used for the local water supply. Batam is located east of Karimun and Bulan Island, west of Bintan, north of Rempang, and south of Singapore. The Riau Strait (Selat Riau) separates Batam and Bintan

Major communities on Batam are Sekupang, Jodoh, Nagoya, Sungai Panas, Batam Centre, Balai, Batu Ampar, and Bengkong.

Pompong boat for short distance connections in Batam and nearby islands



History

Chinese traders settled in Batam and some of its neighboring islands as early as 231 A.D, due to its location along important trade routes. Batam and the surrounding region has been ruled by several different leaders, beginning with the Malacca Kingdom from the thirteenth century and later, in 1824, the Dutch and the English split the area and ruled it until it came under the power of the Riau Lingga Kingdom.

During the World War II Batam was occupied by the Japanese, hence the name for Batam’s main city is Nagoya. Several other names of regions in Batam reflect the occupation of the Japanese.

Economy

Beginning in the 1970s, the island underwent a major transformation from a largely forested area into a major harbor and industrial zone. The population grew from a few thousand in the 1960s into hundreds of thousands.[citation needed] The island's economy benefits from being close to Singapore, and, with lower labour costs and special government incentives, is the site of many factories operated by Singaporean companies. Shipbuilding and electronics manufacturing are major industries on the island; there are also several resorts and tourist destinations on the island.[2]

Under a framework signed in June 2006, Batam, along with parts of neighboring Bintan and Karimun, are a part of a Special Economic Zone with Singapore; this zone eliminates tariffs and value-added taxes for goods shipped between Batam and Singapore.[3].

Transport

The island is connected by several ferry services to nearby cities, including Bintan, Karimun, Singapore and Johor Bahru (Malaysia); the trip to Singapore takes less than one hour.

Hang Nadim Airport is the island's airport, and has the longest runway in Indonesia; Jakarta is the most important destination.

Batam Center Harbour from a ferry

The "Barelang" bridges are a major landmark on Batam. The name is an abbreviation of Batam-Rempang-Galang, the three major islands connected by the bridges. The bridges were constructed under Habibie as the Minister for Research and Technology with funding from the German government.

See also

References

  1. ^ Batam Industrial Development Authority
  2. ^ "Indonesia President inaugurates Batam free trade zone". Xinhua General News Service. Jan 19 2009. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Teo, Laurel (May 19 2007), "Indon SEZ rules ready by end-May; Setting of a deadline likely to please potential investors", The Business Times Singapore {{citation}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)

See also

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Batam.

1°04′N 104°01′E / 1.067°N 104.017°E / 1.067; 104.017

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