BATAM PRACTICALITIES

Batam is one of the largest islands of the Riau Archipelago in Indonesia, located east of the island of Sumatera and south of Malaysia and Singapore.
Batam island is separated from the island of Singapore by only 20 km by the Strait of Singapore. Batam island is 30 km lenght by 20 km width with a land area of 415 sq km. The maximal altitude is not higher than 160 meters

36 years ago, Batam hard population of only 30.000 people. in 2008. the official population reached 729.000 inhabitants with a density of 1000 people/sq km.
The siland gradually became a tourist destination not only from Singapore but also for Indonesians. Batam owes its name "boom city" to industrial, commercial, and residential growth.

Prior 1975 Batam was a sleeply backwater mostly covered with jungle and mangrove swamps. there were only a few Malay villages ( Kampung Melayu )along coast. The main industries were exporting timber and fish to Singapore.
Visiting Batam and other riau island was difficult because of restrictions remaining after the confrontation betwen Indonesia and Malaysia-Singapore during the 1960's.

The history of Batam is closely linked to the neighbor island of Bintan and the Riau Archipelago. According to Chinese chronicels, batam was already inhabited by 231 A.D when Singapore was still called Pulau Ujung ( Island of Ujung ). Located by the Kingdom of Malacca in the 13th century, Batam island was then governed by the Sultan of Johor until the 18th.
It is said that in olden times fishing villages facing Singapore sheltered the pirates who watched. The strait to attack and pluneder the commercial ships. Later, batam and the surrounding islands become port of Kingdom of Riau Lingga, which lasted untill 1911 when the Dutch colonial administration of Indies succeeded.

The inhabitants of Batam are of Malay origin, but to the growth and fast development, various Indonesian ethnic groups moved to the island in search of jobs and a better life. Traditionally most of population lived in the fishing villages, except the Orang Laut ( Man of the Sea )who still continue to line of boats and survive on fishing. Most of the fishing harvest is sold to Singapore.

Then in 1973 the batam industrial project was started and in 1978 the whol island was declared on industrial free port zone and Indonesia Goverment through Batam Industry Development Authority ( BIDA ) built up this region.
Modern development exploded during the 1980'swith the construction of higways, industrial, and housing estates, and modern towns. Visiting Batam become easy when visa restrictions were removed in 1983.