Batam Island is one of the islands in the Riau Archipelago
Batam is one of the islands in the cluster of Riau Islands and is among 329 islands located between the Straits of Malacca and Singapore which, as a whole, form the region of Batam. The written records of Batam are scarce, with only one document that mentions Batam’s name, namely the Treaty of London which regulated the division of the territory between the Netherlands and England. However, according to travellers from China, this island has been inhabited since 231 AD, when Singapore was still called Ujung Island.
Before receiving special attention from the central government, Batam was an empty island covered by wilderness almost devoid of life. However, there were several groups of indigenous people inhabiting the island. They were living as fishermen and farmers. They were not much involved with changing the physical form of the island.
Various progress has been achieved so far, such as the availability of different business fields that can accommodate a workforce from most areas of the country. Likewise, the number of regional and central revenues continues to increase. This is the result of the increasing number of industrial activities, trade, transfer of ships, and tourism. However, as a rapidly growing area, Batam is not problem-free. For this reason, improvements are being made to the development of Batam Island to correct existing shortcomings.
Population
According to Statistics Indonesia’s 2020 census, Batam had a municipal population of 1,196,396,[6] making it the third largest city in the region of Sumatra, after Medan and Palembang.[7] The official estimated population as of mid-2023 was 1,256,610 (comprising 636,280 males and 620,340 females).[1] It is the closest part of Indonesia to Singapore, at a minimum distance of 5.8 km across the Singapore Strait.
Demographics
Today, Batam is inhabited by a heterogeneous mixture of people due to labour migration and the desire to be close to Singapore; it is very diverse, and two-thirds of the population are migrants. The predominant ethnicities are Malays, Javanese, Batak, Minangkabau, and Chinese.
Famous Places to Visit as a Tourist
- Batam Adventure Park
- Grand Batam Shopping Centre
- Tua Pek Kong Temple
- Batam Miniature Park
- Maitreyawira Temple
Famous Places to Visit as Investor
- Batamindo Industrial Park
- Panbil Industrial Estate
- Bintang Industrial Park II
- Latrade Industrial Park
- Puri Industrial Park 2000
- Tunas Industrial Estate
- Union Industrial Park
- Kabil Integrated Industrial Park
How to get there :
List Flights to / from Batam:
Batavia Air: Bandar Lampung, Jakarta, Medan, Padang, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Pontianak, Surabaya, Yogyakarta.
FireFly: Subang (Malaysia).
Garuda Indonesia: Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan.
Citilink: Jakarta, Surabaya. Lion Air: Jakarta, Medan, Pekanbaru, Surabaya.
Sriwijaya Air: Jakarta, Jambi, Medan, Surabaya, Padang.
Sky Aviation: Tanjung Pinang, Matak, Dumai, Rengat, Pangkal Pinang.
Wings Air: Natuna, both Palembang, Pekanbaru.
List crossing ferry to / from Batam:
From Singapore:
Harbourfront Ferry Terminal to Batam Center Ferry Terminal and the Sekupang Ferry Terminal.
Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal to Nongsapura.
From Malaysia:
Johor Bahru Ferry Terminal to Batam Center Ferry Terminal
Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal to Batam Center Ferry Terminal
