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 kmē
(276 milesē) island has a population of
949,775 (June 2010).
The indigenous community of Batam are ethnic
Malays and they speak Malay in the
Riau-Lingga accent which is also the accent
of the Malays in Singapore and the Malaysian
states of Pahang, Johor and Selangor.
Geography
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. The
biggest community on the island is Nagoya.
Other main communities include Sekupang,
Jodoh, Sungai Panas, Batam Centre, Baloi,
Batu Ampar, and Bengkong.
Economy
Beginning in the 1970s, the island underwent
a major transformation from a largely
forested area into a major harbor and
industrial zone. 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.
At the end of 2010 almost 58 percent of
foreign tourists came from Singapore,
followed by Malaysia at 13 percent. Most of
the foreign tourists entered Batam through
Singapore using ferry services as Batam has
limited international flights.
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.
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,
in addition to direct flights to Medan and
Kuala Lumpur.
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, and 3 more
smaller islands. The bridges were
constructed under Habibie as the Minister
for Research and Technology with funding
from the German government.
Twin Cities
Singapore
