Batam | |
|---|---|
| City of Batam Kota Batam | |
| Regional transcription(s) | |
| • Jawi | باتم |
| • Chinese | 巴淡 Bā dàn(Pinyin) |
 Aerial view of Downtown Batam  Harbour bay  Great Mosque of Batam  Nagoya Hill Shopping mall | |
 Coat of arms | |
| Nickname(s): Kota Industri ("The Industrial City") | |
| Motto: Bandar Dunia Madani | |
 Location withinRiau Islands | |
| Coordinates:01°07′48″N104°03′11″E / 1.13000°N 104.05306°E /1.13000; 104.05306 | |
| Country |  Indonesia |
| Region | Sumatra |
| Province |  Riau Islands |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Muhammad Rudi |
| • Vice mayor | Amsakar Achmad |
| Area | |
• City | 1,915 km2 (739 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,034.73 km2 (399.51 sq mi) |
| • Water | 880 km2 (340 sq mi) |
| Population (mid 2023 estimate[1]) | |
• City | 1,256,610 |
| • Density | 660/km2 (1,700/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 1,256,610 |
| Time zone | UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time) |
| Postal code | 29453 |
| Area code | (+62) 778 |
| Vehicle registration | BP |
| NominalGDP[2] | 2023 |
| - Total |  Rp 216.098 trillion (8th)US$ 14.178 billionUS$ 45.406 billion (PPP) |
| - Per capita | Rp 171,968 thousand (7th)US$ 11,282US$ 36,133 (PPP) |
| - Metro | Rp 281.732 trillionUS$ 18.484 billionInt$ 59.196 billion (PPP) |
| - Growth | 6.0% |
| HDI (2023) | 0.826 (25th) –very high |
| Website | batam |
Batam, officially theCity of Batam (Indonesian:Kota Batam, not to be confused withBatam Kota, adistrict within this city), is the largestcity in theIndonesian province ofRiau Islands. The city administrative area covers three main islands of Batam,Rempang andGalang (collectively calledBarelang), as well asBulang to the west and several smaller islands. Batam Island is the coreurban andindustrial zone, while both Rempang Island and Galang Island maintain their rural character and low-densitypopulation; they are connected to Batam Island by short bridges.Bulang Island and the islands to its north forming Belakang Padang District lie to the west of Batam Island but are also administratively within the city. Batam is an industrialboomtown, an emerging transport hub and part of afree trade zone in theIndonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle, located 20 km (12 mi) offSingapore's south coast.[3][4][5]
According toStatistics Indonesia's 2020 census, Batam had a municipal population of 1,196,396,[6] making it the third largest city in the region ofSumatra, afterMedan andPalembang.[7] It is the closest part ofIndonesia toSingapore, at a minimum distance of 5.8 km across theSingapore Strait. Batam was the fastest-growing municipality inIndonesia during the decade prior to 2010, with apopulation growth rate of 11% per year;[8] however, there were setbacks during the subsequent decade. In 2017, the island suffered severe job losses; some 300,000 workers were laid off.[9] The official estimated population as of mid-2023 was 1,256,610 (comprising 636,280 males and 620,340 females).[1]
The first recorded inhabitants at Batam Island areMalays known asOrang Laut, from the year 231 AD.[10] The island group once served as the field of struggle of AdmiralHang Nadim, against Portuguese invaders in the 16th century, and was utilised by the Indonesian government in the 1960s, who maintained a petroleum logistics base onSambu Island, one of the minor islands in the Batam group of islands.
In the 1970s, according to Presidential Decree No. 41/1973,Batam Island was designated as a working environment of an industrial area supported byBatam Island Industrial Development Authority or better known asBatam Authority Board (BOB, nowBatam Development Board (Indonesian:Badan Pengusahan Batam orBP Batam) as the driving force for the development of Batam, with the initial aim of making Batam the "Indonesian version of Singapore". With the rapid development of the island, based on Government Regulation No. 34/1983, the Batam District (which is part of Riau Islands Regency) was upgraded to municipality status which has the duties to run government administration and society and support the development ofBP Batam.
In theIndonesian Reformation era in the late 1990s, with Act No. 53/1999, the Batam administrative municipality changed its status to an autonomous region, namely Batam CityGovernment to carry out governmental and developmental functions by involvingBP Batam.
Batam is a roughly oval island with many bays, islets, and peninsulas, located west ofBintan Island, south of Singapore, north of Rempang Island and Galang Island, and east of Bulang Island. TheSingapore Strait separatesSingapore and Batam, while theRiau Strait separates Batam andBintan island. Batam Municipality covers 3,869 km2, of which 1,034.73 km2 is land, a figure which includes someland reclamation. However,Barelang Island (not actually one but three, see above) covers roughly 715 km2 of that 1,034.73 km2, and Batam island itself covers only about 410 km2 out of the total. The bulk of the municipal population resides on Batam Island.
Batam has atropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.
| Climate data for Batam (Hang Nadim International Airport) (1991–2020 normals) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.4 (86.7) | 30.7 (87.3) | 31.5 (88.7) | 32.1 (89.8) | 32.0 (89.6) | 31.6 (88.9) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.3 (88.3) | 31.4 (88.5) | 31.6 (88.9) | 30.9 (87.6) | 30.4 (86.7) | 31.3 (88.3) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.9 (82.2) | 28.1 (82.6) | 28.0 (82.4) | 27.8 (82.0) | 27.6 (81.7) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.4 (81.3) | 27.5 (81.5) | 27.1 (80.8) | 27.0 (80.6) | 27.5 (81.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.9 (76.8) | 24.9 (76.8) | 25.0 (77.0) | 24.8 (76.6) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.6 (76.3) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.6 (76.3) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 201.5 (7.93) | 83.2 (3.28) | 143.9 (5.67) | 150.0 (5.91) | 197.6 (7.78) | 173.2 (6.82) | 168.6 (6.64) | 174.1 (6.85) | 167.5 (6.59) | 202.8 (7.98) | 266.1 (10.48) | 286.2 (11.27) | 2,214.7 (87.2) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 9.2 | 5.6 | 8.1 | 11.4 | 14.1 | 12.7 | 12.5 | 11.9 | 12.3 | 12.4 | 15.8 | 14.3 | 140.3 |
| Source: Starlings Roost Weather[11] | |||||||||||||
The Batam city government takes care of allpopulation administration and civil registration as well as human resources. The current mayor isMuhammad Rudi who has served since 2016, accompanied by Amsakar Ahmad as deputy mayor.[12]
The Agency forFree Trade Zone andFree Port of Batam, often abbreviated as BP Batam, is a government nonstructural body under theChairmanship of the Board of Regions (DK) Batam Central Government, which is chaired by aCoordinating Minister for Economic Affairs. BP Batam plays a role in land governance and investment in theSpecial Economic Zone (SEZ) of Batam.
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Batam city is divided into twelvedistricts (kecamatan) – which include several adjacent islands such asBulang to the west, andRempang andGalang to the south, as well as Batam Island itself. Batam Island is connected by bridges toRempang andGalang, and this group is thus often known by the abbreviation ofBarelang. The districts are tabulated below with their areas, 2010 census populations[13] and 2020 census populations,[6] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023.[1] The table also includes the number of administrative villages within eachdistrict, all classed as urbankelurahan,[1] and its postal codes.
| Name of District (kecamatan) | Area in km2 | Pop'n Census 2010 | Pop'n Census 2020 | Pop'n estimate mid 2023 | No. of villages | Postal codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belakang Padang(a)[14] | 601.54 | 18,508 | 22,439 | 21,148 | 6 | 29412, 29413 29414, 29416 |
| Bulang(b)[15] | 463.14 | 9,531 | 10,707 | 12,197 | 6 | 29471 - 29476 |
| Galang(c)[16] | 2,018.49 | 14,983 | 16,989 | 19,821 | 8 | 29481 - 29487 |
| Sei Beduk[17] (Sungai Beduk) | 106.0 | 80,349 | 96,193 | 98,099 | 4 | 29433 & 29437 |
| Sagulung[18] | 63.86 | 149,727 | 209,306 | 218,933 | 6 | 29439 |
| Nongsa(d)[19] | 290.36 | 49,828 | 81,451 | 96,037 | 4 | 29465 - 29468 |
| Batam Kota[20] (Central City) | 46.81 | 162,238 | 198,617 | 198,877 | 6 | 29431 - 29433, 29461, 29464 |
| Sekupang(e)[21] | 106.78 | 100,108 | 156,283 | 174,680 | 7 | 29425 - 29428 |
| Batu Aji[22] | 61.94 | 127,455 | 139,512 | 142,499 | 4 | 29422, 29424 & 29438 |
| Lubuk Baja[23] | 36.12 | 80,780 | 84,533 | 89,670 | 5 | 29432, 29441, 29443 - 29445 |
| Batu Ampar[24] | 40.00 | 58,745 | 60,450 | 61,882 | 4 | 29452 - 29454 |
| Bengkong[25] | 19.26 | 92,033 | 119,836 | 126,942 | 4 | 29432 & 29458 |
Notes:
At the 2020 census, Batam had apopulation of 1,196,396 inhabitants. Thepopulation was increasing rapidly, with apopulation growth rate of more than 8% per year between 2001 and 2012, but the increase has subsequently slowed.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1971 | 6,000 | — |
| 1978 | 34,000 | +466.7% |
| 1988 | 88,000 | +158.8% |
| 1992 | 123,000 | +39.8% |
| 1998 | 294,000 | +139.0% |
| 2005 | 616,088 | +109.6% |
| 2010 | 944,285 | +53.3% |
| 2020 | 1,196,396 | +26.7% |
| 2023 | 1,256,610 | +5.0% |
| sources:[26][27] | ||
| Ethnic groups in Batam, 2000[28] | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Percentage |
| Malay | 26.78% |
| Javanese | 17.61% |
| Batak | 14.97% |
| Minangkabau | 14.93% |
| Chinese | 6.28% |
| Buginese | 2.29% |
| Banjarese | 0.67% |
| Others | 16.47% |
Today, Batam is inhabited by a heterogeneous mixture of people due to labor migration and desire to be close toSingapore; it is very diverse, two-thirds of the population are migrants.[26] The predominant ethnicities areMalays,Javanese,Batak,Minangkabau andChinese. As a municipality it exemplifies the national motto of "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity). The location of Batam, which is close toSingapore, is conducive to the development ofeconomic,sociopolitical, andcultural aspects of thelocal community.
| Religion in Batam (2023)[29] | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| religion | percent | |||
| Islam | 72.16% | |||
| Christianity | 21.14% | |||
| Buddhism | 6.52% | |||
| Confucianism | 0.92% | |||
| Hinduism | 0.58% | |||
| Others | 0.24% | |||
Islam is the majority religion in Batam, followed byChristianity,Buddhism andHinduism. Most of those who followIslam areJavanese,Malays andMinangkabaus. The Great Mosque of Batam, located in the city center adjacent to the main square, the mayor's office and the provincial Parliament, is an important symbol of Islamic religious life in Batam. Christianity is also widely embraced by the people of Batam, especially those from theBatak andNias people of North Sumatra (Protestantism) and migrants fromFlores island inNusa Tenggara Timur province,East Indonesia (Roman Catholicism) as well as Javanese Catholics fromYogyakarta andCentral Java who emigrated to this province along with a minority of Chinese Indonesians and internal migrantIndian Indonesians from Medan,North Sumatra. The majority of theChinese population practisesBuddhism. A number ofViharas are located in Batam, of which Vihara Duta Maitreya is one of the most frequented, and is the largestVihara inSoutheast Asia with an area of 4.5 hectares. In addition, Hinduism in practiced by a quarter of its small ethnic Indian Indonesian minority as well as by itsBalinese emigrant minority ethnic populace who migrated from the tourist island ofBali and are resident for business purposes in this city.
Indonesian is the common lingua franca of Batam in daily use. Other languages such as localMalay (similar to theMalaysian standard as spoken in neighbouringMalaysia andSingapore) since both varieties coexist with each other as the former is the official and national language widely spoken and used like in the rest of Indonesia whilst the latter is a trade language and widely spoken byMalaysian Malay expatriates fromJohor,Malaysia as well asMalay Singaporeans from Singapore who reside for business purposes and also forhistorical purposes. Other ethnic minority languages such asMinangkabau,Batak,Javanese andChinese ethnic dialects likeHokkien,Cantonese,Teochew andHainanese are also widely used owing to the city's ethnolinguistic diversity in addition to the dominant ethnic Malay populace. The usage ofMandarin andEnglish are trending due toSingaporean influence, especially by expatriates living in Batam.
Based on Presidential Decree No. 41/1973, the Batam Industrial Development Authority (BP Batam) was established to manage 415 square kilometers of industrial complex in Batam City for heavy industry. Previously onlyPertamina, theIndonesian state oil company, settled there with only 6,000 inhabitants.[30]Shipbuilding and electronics manufacturing are important industries on the island. Being located close to the ports of Singapore, the speed of goods shipping and product distribution is increased, benefiting the island'seconomy. With lower labor costs and special government incentives, it is the site of many factories operated by foreign companies.[31]
Under a framework signed in June 2006, Batam, along with parts of neighbouringBintan andKarimun, are a part of aSpecial Economic Zone withSingapore; this zone eliminatestariffs andvalue-added taxes for goods shipped between Batam andSingapore.[32] In 2007, Law No. 44 was enacted to supplement Law No. 36/2000 in establishing Batam as a free trade zone for 70 years. BP Batam still manages the industrial complex. And in 2016, the responsibility of industrial complex changed from the governor ofRiau IslandsProvince to the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister as per Presidential Decree No. 8/2016.[30]
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Over 1.5 million tourists visited the city in 2015.[33] Batam is the third-busiest entry port toIndonesia next toBali andJakarta.[34] In 2014, around 58.8% of foreign tourists came fromSingapore, 12.8% fromMalaysia and 4.2% fromSouth Korea.[35][36] Popular tourism spots in Batam include the Maha Vihara Duta Maitreya Temple,shopping malls (including Grand Batam Mall, Mega Mall Batam Centre, Nagoya Hill Shopping Centre, etc), Jabal Arafah Mosque and theBarelang Bridge.
In the first semester of 2023, the value of foreign investment reached US$1.2 billion, while domestic investment was recorded at US$168 million. Most of the foreign investment came fromSingapore.[37] Foreigners are allowed to buy apartments with limited leases but not landed homes inIndonesia.[38] In 2021, a group ofSingaporeans were forcibly evicted after their 30-year property leases expired in Sekupang.[39]
Ferries connect Batam toSingapore,Bintan, andJohor Bahru (Malaysia). Five ferry terminals are on theisland:Batam Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal, Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, Sekupang, Waterfront City andBatam Center Ferry Terminal. Connections toSingapore are by way ofHarbourfront andTanah Merah Ferry Terminals run bySingapore Cruise Centre (SCC).
The most recent incident happened on 29 November 2015 when a ferry, 'Sea Prince', hit floating object(s) while en route toSingapore from Batam and began leaking. A total of 97 passengers were rescued on life rafts.[40][41]
Signs showing a picture of a raised finger over a pair of lips have been placed in August 2014 at the Batam Centre International Ferry Terminal to request silence while queuing forimmigration to hear names being called and clearly hear instructions given by the immigration officer. Some visitors have been sent back immediately on the first ferry available for flouting this rule. The signs are also applicable at other terminals, but are not strictly enforced.[42]
Trans Batam is the most reliable and the cheapest public transportation in Batam. It began to operate in 2005. Trans Batam is the second BRT system inIndonesia, afterJakarta'sTransJakarta. The price for one ride is Rp2,000 for students and Rp4,000 for the public. Trans Batam operates from 05:30 to 19:00.
Trans Batam serves nine corridors of route:
| Corridor | Origin & destination |
|---|---|
| 1 | Sekupang–Batam Centre |
| 2 | Tanjung Uncang–Batam Centre |
| 3 | Sekupang–Jodoh |
| 4 | Sagulung–Sekupang |
| 5 | Jodoh–Batam Centre |
| 6 | Tanjung Piayu–Batam Centre |
| 7 | Nongsa–Batam Centre |
| 8 | Punggur–Jodoh |
| 9 | Nongsa-Jodoh |
| Source: Batam City Government Transportation Agency[43] | |
Taxis in Batam are available almost anywhere at ferry terminals, theairport,shopping malls,hotels, etc. More than 3000 taxis are in Batam. In the early 2000s, Batam commonly hadToyota Corolla taxis. Starting in late 2013, more than 95% of taxis are brand new using theToyota Limo andChevrolet Lova.
Hang Nadim International Airport is Batam island's mainairport, and has the longestrunway of allairports inIndonesia. Theairport was the largestairport in theSumatra region from 1995 to 2012 with a capacity of six million passengers annually, and is now the second-largest in theSumatra region afterKuala Namu International Airport inMedan, which has a capacity of eight million passengers. Theairport has 4 pairedjetbridges and 2 singlejetbridges.Hang Nadim International Airport is a hub forLion Air,Batik Air andCitilink. BP Batam, which operatesHang Nadim International Airport, will build a new terminal with a capacity of eight million passengers per year for each terminal (16 million passengers per year in total for two terminals) in late 2016. BP Batam intends to build eight pairedjetbridges in the new terminal.[44] Domestic destinations includePekanbaru,Palembang,Medan,Jakarta,Padang,Surabaya,Bandung,Bandar Lampung,Balikpapan,Yogyakarta,Makassar, and many more.International flights currently includeKuala Lumpur, Malaysia (operated byBatik Air Malaysia).
Due to piling works for touristic activity, sand mining, and logging for charcoal business, only 4.2% of Batam Island is covered inmangrove forests, a great decrease from 24% in 1970.[45] Originally, Batam Island had 41,500 hectares ofmangrove forests.[46]
Batam travel guide from WikivoyageRegencies and cities ofRiau Islands | ||
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Capital:Tanjungpinang | ||
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