Batam

File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Havengezicht met olietanks van de Shell op Poelau Samboe TMnr 10018445.jpg at Sambu Island, 1936]]

The first recorded inhabitants at Batam Island are Malays known as Orang Laut, from the year 231 AD.{{Cite web |url=http://batam.tribunnews.com/2012/12/18/pulau-batam-dihuni-orang-selat-sejak-231-masehi |title=Pulau Batam Dihuni Orang Selat Sejak 231 Masehi |date=2012-12-18 |website=Tribun Batam |language=id-ID |access-date=2018-12-18 |archive-date=18 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181218193442/http://batam.tribunnews.com/2012/12/18/pulau-batam-dihuni-orang-selat-sejak-231-masehi |url-status=live }} The island group once served as the field of struggle of Admiral Hang Nadim, against Portuguese invaders in the 16th century, and was utilised by the Indonesian government in the 1960s, who maintained a petroleum logistics base on Sambu 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 by Batam Island Industrial Development Authority or better known as Batam Authority Board (BOB, now Batam Development Board ({{langx|id|Badan Pengusahan Batam}} or BP 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 of BP Batam.

In the Indonesian Reformation era in the late 1990s, with Act No. 53/1999, the Batam administrative municipality changed its status to an autonomous region, namely Batam City Government to carry out governmental and developmental functions by involving BP Batam.

Batam is a roughly oval island with many bays, islets, and peninsulas, located west of Bintan Island, south of Singapore, north of Rempang Island and Galang Island, and east of Bulang Island. The Singapore Strait separates Singapore and Batam, while the Riau Strait separates Batam and Bintan island. Batam Municipality covers 3,869 km², of which 1,034.73 km² is land, a figure which includes some land 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 a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round.

{{Weather box|width=auto

|metric first=y

|single line=y

|collapsed = Y

|location = Batam (Hang Nadim International Airport) (1991–2020 normals)

|Jan high C = 30.4

|Feb high C = 30.7

|Mar high C = 31.5

|Apr high C = 32.1

|May high C = 32.0

|Jun high C = 31.6

|Jul high C = 31.3

|Aug high C = 31.3

|Sep high C = 31.4

|Oct high C = 31.6

|Nov high C = 30.9

|Dec high C = 30.4

| year high C =

|Jan mean C = 27.0

|Feb mean C = 27.4

|Mar mean C = 27.9

|Apr mean C = 28.1

|May mean C = 28.0

|Jun mean C = 27.8

|Jul mean C = 27.6

|Aug mean C = 27.5

|Sep mean C = 27.4

|Oct mean C = 27.5

|Nov mean C = 27.1

|Dec mean C = 27.0

| year mean C =

|Jan low C = 24.5

|Feb low C = 24.7

|Mar low C = 24.9

|Apr low C = 24.9

|May low C = 25.0

|Jun low C = 24.8

|Jul low C = 24.6

|Aug low C = 24.6

|Sep low C = 24.4

|Oct low C = 24.3

|Nov low C = 24.2

|Dec low C = 24.4

| year low C =

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 201.5

|Feb precipitation mm = 83.2

|Mar precipitation mm = 143.9

|Apr precipitation mm = 150.0

|May precipitation mm = 197.6

|Jun precipitation mm = 173.2

|Jul precipitation mm = 168.6

|Aug precipitation mm = 174.1

|Sep precipitation mm = 167.5

|Oct precipitation mm = 202.8

|Nov precipitation mm = 266.1

|Dec precipitation mm = 286.2

|year precipitation mm =

| unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm

| Jan precipitation days = 9.2

| Feb precipitation days = 5.6

| Mar precipitation days = 8.1

| Apr precipitation days = 11.4

| May precipitation days = 14.1

| Jun precipitation days = 12.7

| Jul precipitation days = 12.5

| Aug precipitation days = 11.9

| Sep precipitation days = 12.3

| Oct precipitation days = 12.4

| Nov precipitation days = 15.8

| Dec precipitation days = 14.3

| year precipitation days =

|source 1 = Starlings Roost Weather{{cite web |url=http://starlingsroost.ddns.net/weather/worldclimate/graphs.php?climate=9120&code=96087

|title= BATAM/SUMATRA Climate: 1991–2020

|publisher=Starlings Roost Weather

|access-date= 26 December 2024}}

}}

File:Badan Pengusahaan Batam.jpeg

The Batam city government takes care of all population administration and civil registration as well as human resources. The current mayor is Muhammad Rudi who has served since 2016, accompanied by Amsakar Ahmad as deputy mayor.{{cite news |title=Dari Demokrat Rudi Loncat ke Nasdem |url=http://batampos.co.id/2016/08/29/demokrat-rudi-loncat-nasdem/ |access-date=1 October 2017 |work=Batam Pos |date=29 August 2016 |language=id |archive-date=2 October 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002100620/http://batampos.co.id/2016/08/29/demokrat-rudi-loncat-nasdem/ |url-status=live }}

The Agency for Free Trade Zone and Free Port of Batam, often abbreviated as BP Batam, is a government nonstructural body under the Chairmanship of the Board of Regions (DK) Batam Central Government, which is chaired by a Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs. BP Batam plays a role in land governance and investment in the Special Economic Zone (SEZ) of Batam.

File:Unnamed Road, Kota Batam, Kepulauan Riau 29411, Indonesia - panoramio.jpg

File:Batam Centre - panoramio (2).jpg

Batam city is divided into twelve districts (kecamatan) – which include several adjacent islands such as Bulang to the west, and Rempang and Galang to the south, as well as Batam Island itself. Batam Island is connected by bridges to Rempang and Galang, and this group is thus often known by the abbreviation of Barelang. The districts are tabulated below with their areas, 2010 census populationsBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 2020 census populations, together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2025, Kota Batam Dalam Angka 2025 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.2171) The table also includes the number of administrative villages within each district, all classed as urban kelurahan,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kota Batam Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.2171) and its postal codes.

Notes:

• (a) comprises 116 islands to the west of Batam Island, including Kepala Jeri Island, Lumba Island, Pemping Island and Belakang Padang.
• (b) comprises 70 islands to the southwest of Batam Island, including Bulang Island.
• (c) comprises 82 islands to the south of Batam Island, including Galang Island and Rempang Island.
• (d) comprises the east part of Batam Island, but also includes 23 islands off the north-eastern shore.
• (e) includes 14 islands off the north coast of Batam Island.

At the 2020 census, Batam had a population of 1,196,396 inhabitants. The population was increasing rapidly, with a population growth rate of more than 8% per year between 2001 and 2012, but the increase has subsequently slowed.

{{Historical populations

|1971 |6000

|1978 |34000

|1988 |88000

|1992 |123000

|1998 |294000

|2005 |616088

|2010 |944285

|2020 |1196396

|2023 |1256610

|footnote=sources:{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/php/indonesia-admin.php |title=Indonesia: Administrative Division (Provinces, Regencies and Cities) – Population Statistics, Charts and Map |website=www.citypopulation.de |access-date=22 March 2017 |archive-date=31 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151231210257/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/indonesia-admin.php |url-status=live }}

}}

Today, Batam is inhabited by a heterogeneous mixture of people due to labor migration and desire to be close to Singapore; it is very diverse, two-thirds of the population are migrants.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ck13DAAAQBAJ |title=The SIJORI Cross-Border Region: Transnational Politics, Economics, and Culture |first1=Francis E. |last1=Hutchinson |first2=Terence |last2=Chong |date=14 June 2016 |publisher=ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute |isbn=9789814695589 |via=Google Books}} The predominant ethnicities are Malays, Javanese, Batak, Minangkabau and Chinese. As a municipality it exemplifies the national motto of "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika" (Unity in Diversity). The location of Batam, which is close to Singapore, is conducive to the development of economic, sociopolitical, and cultural aspects of the local community.

{{bar box

|title=Religion in Batam (2023){{cite web | url= https://e-database.kemendagri.go.id/dataset/1203/tabel-data?page=23| title=Religion in Indonesia }}

|titlebar=

|left1=religion

|right1=percent

|float=right

|bars=

{{bar percent|Islam|LimeGreen|72.16}}

{{bar percent|Christianity|DodgerBlue|21.14}}

{{bar percent|Buddhism|OrangeRed|6.52}}

{{bar percent|Confucianism|Magenta|0.92}}

{{bar percent|Hinduism|DarkViolet|0.58}}

{{Bar percent|Others|Black|0.24}}

}}

Islam is the majority religion in Batam, followed by Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism. Most of those who follow Islam are Javanese, Malays and Minangkabaus. 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 the Batak and Nias people of North Sumatra (Protestantism) and migrants from Flores island in Nusa Tenggara Timur province, East Indonesia (Roman Catholicism) as well as Javanese Catholics from Yogyakarta and Central Java who emigrated to this province along with a minority of Chinese Indonesians and internal migrant Indian Indonesians from Medan, North Sumatra. The majority of the Chinese population practises Buddhism. A number of Viharas are located in Batam, of which Vihara Duta Maitreya is one of the most frequented, and is the largest Vihara in Southeast 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 its Balinese emigrant minority ethnic populace who migrated from the tourist island of Bali and are resident for business purposes in this city.

Indonesian is the common lingua franca of Batam in daily use. Other languages such as local Malay (similar to the Malaysian standard as spoken in neighbouring Malaysia and Singapore) 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 by Malaysian Malay expatriates from Johor, Malaysia as well as Malay Singaporeans from Singapore who reside for business purposes and also for historical purposes. Other ethnic minority languages such as Minangkabau, Batak, Javanese and Chinese ethnic dialects like Hokkien, Cantonese, Teochew and Hainanese are also widely used owing to the city's ethnolinguistic diversity in addition to the dominant ethnic Malay populace. The usage of Mandarin and English are trending due to Singaporean influence, especially by expatriates living in Batam.

File:Industry area - panoramio.jpg

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 only Pertamina, the Indonesian state oil company, settled there with only 6,000 inhabitants.{{cite web |url=http://www.thejakartapost.com/adv/2016/12/03/bp-batam-45-years-of-developing-batam.html |title=BP Batam: 45 years of developing Batam |date=December 3, 2016 |access-date=5 December 2016 |archive-date=3 December 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161203154340/http://www.thejakartapost.com/adv/2016/12/03/bp-batam-45-years-of-developing-batam.html |url-status=live }}

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's economy. With lower labor costs and special government incentives, it is the site of many factories operated by foreign companies.{{cite news |title=Indonesia President inaugurates Batam free trade zone |work=Xinhua General News Service |date=19 January 2009}}

Under a framework signed in June 2006, Batam, along with parts of neighbouring 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.{{Cite news |last=Teo |first=Laurel |date=19 May 2007 |title=Indon SEZ rules ready by end-May; Setting of a deadline likely to please potential investors |periodical=The Business Times Singapore}} 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 of Riau Islands Province to the Office of the Coordinating Economic Minister as per Presidential Decree No. 8/2016.

File:Jembatan Tengku Fisabilillah (jembatan I).jpg]]

Over 1.5 million tourists visited the city in 2015.{{Cite web |url=https://bisnis.tempo.co/read/734320/batam-targetkan-17-juta-kunjungan-turis-asing-tahun-ini |title=Batam Targetkan 1,7 Juta Kunjungan Turis Asing Tahun Ini |first=Rully |last=Widayati |date=8 January 2016 |website=Tempo |access-date=1 July 2020 |archive-date=1 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701162756/https://bisnis.tempo.co/read/734320/batam-targetkan-17-juta-kunjungan-turis-asing-tahun-ini |url-status=live }} Batam is the third-busiest entry port to Indonesia next to Bali and Jakarta.{{cite web |url=http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/area/batam/experience |title=Batam Island – Where Business Meets Pleasure – Indonesia.Travel |website=indonesia.travel |access-date=7 May 2017 |archive-date=7 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107015823/http://www.indonesia.travel/en/destination/area/batam/experience |url-status=live }} In 2014, around 58.8% of foreign tourists came from Singapore, 12.8% from Malaysia and 4.2% from South Korea.{{cite web |url=http://batampos.co.id/2015/12/25/singapura-malaysia-penyumbang-wisman-terbanyak-ke-batam/ |title=Singapura & Malaysia Penyumbang Wisman Terbanyak ke Batam |website=batampos.co.id |access-date=7 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614172918/http://batampos.co.id/2015/12/25/singapura-malaysia-penyumbang-wisman-terbanyak-ke-batam/ |archive-date=14 June 2018 |url-status=dead}}{{cite web |url=https://batamkota.bps.go.id/old/post/516?title=Bulan-Desember-Tahun-2014%2C-Jumlah-Wisatawan-Mancanegara-yang-Berkunjung-ke-Kota-Batam-Mencapai-171.907-Orang |title=Bulan Desember Tahun 2014, Jumlah Wisatawan Mancanegara yang Berkunjung ke Kota Batam Mencapai 171.907 Orang |website=bps.go.id}}{{dead link|date=June 2019 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} 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 the Barelang 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 from Singapore.{{cite news |title=BP Batam records US$1.2 billion foreign investment in January–June |date=27 October 2023 |work=Antara Indonesian News Agency |last=Sinaga |first=Yuni |url=https://en.antaranews.com/news/297276/bp-batam-records-us12-billion-foreign-investment-in-january-june}} Foreigners are allowed to buy apartments with limited leases but not landed homes in Indonesia.{{cite web |title=How can foreigners buy property in Indonesia? |date=27 November 2023 |last=Timmermans |first=Matt |website=Own Property Aboard |url=https://ownpropertyabroad.com/indonesia/how-can-foreigner-buy-real-estate/#:~:text=Can%20a%20non%2Dcitizen%20own,highest%20form%20of%20property%20ownership}} In 2021, a group of Singaporeans were forcibly evicted after their 30-year property leases expired in Sekupang.{{cite news |last=Yusof |first=Zaihan |title=Property dispute leaves some Singaporeans anxious |work=The Straits Times |publisher=SPH Media |date=24 December 2021 |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/property-dispute-in-batam-leaves-some-sporeans-anxious}}

File:Sekupang ferry terminal.png

File:Horizon Fast Ferry.jpg

Ferries connect Batam to Singapore, Bintan, and Johor Bahru (Malaysia). Five ferry terminals are on the island: Batam Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal, Nongsapura Ferry Terminal, Sekupang, Waterfront City and Batam Center Ferry Terminal. Connections to Singapore are by way of Harbourfront and Tanah Merah Ferry Terminals run by Singapore Cruise Centre (SCC).

The most recent incident happened on 29 November 2015 when a ferry, 'Sea Prince', hit floating object(s) while en route to Singapore from Batam and began leaking. A total of 97 passengers were rescued on life rafts.{{cite news |url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/batam-ferry-incident-people-fended-themselves |title=Batam ferry incident: 'People fended for themselves' |publisher=AsiaOne |first1=Natasha |last1=Meah |first2=Chai Hung |last2=Yin |work=The New Paper |date=1 December 2015 |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-date=5 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105142117/http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/batam-ferry-incident-people-fended-themselves |url-status=dead}}{{cite news |url=http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/batam-ferry-incident-passenger-claims-overcrowded-rafts-burst-during-evacuation |title=Batam ferry incident: Passenger claims overcrowded rafts burst during evacuation |date=30 November 2015 |publisher=AsiaOne |access-date=11 March 2016 |archive-date=5 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160105142801/http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/batam-ferry-incident-passenger-claims-overcrowded-rafts-burst-during-evacuation |url-status=dead}}

File:Harbour Bay Ferry terminal.jpg

File:Harbour Bay Ferry Terminal.jpg

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 for immigration 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.{{cite news |url=http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/shhh-be-silent-batam-immigration-queue-or-be-sent-back-h |title=Shhh! Be silent at Batam immigration queue or be sent back home |newspaper=The Straits Times |date=17 August 2014 |last1=Cheong |first1=Danson |access-date=23 August 2014 |archive-date=26 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140826121840/http://www.straitstimes.com/news/singapore/more-singapore-stories/story/shhh-be-silent-batam-immigration-queue-or-be-sent-back-h |url-status=live }}

File:Batam Busway Interior.jpg

File:Busway Batam Halte.jpg 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 in Indonesia, after Jakarta's TransJakarta. 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:

File:Batam Bus Map.pdf

File:Blue Bird BD.jpg taxi]] Taxis in Batam are available almost anywhere at ferry terminals, the airport, shopping malls, hotels, etc. More than 3000 taxis are in Batam. In the early 2000s, Batam commonly had Toyota Corolla taxis. Starting in late 2013, more than 95% of taxis are brand new using the Toyota Limo and Chevrolet Lova.

Hang Nadim International Airport is Batam island's main airport, and has the longest runway of all airports in Indonesia. The airport was the largest airport in the Sumatra region from 1995 to 2012 with a capacity of six million passengers annually, and is now the second-largest in the Sumatra region after Kuala Namu International Airport in Medan, which has a capacity of eight million passengers. The airport has 4 paired jetbridges and 2 single jetbridges. Hang Nadim International Airport is a hub for Lion Air, Batik Air and Citilink. BP Batam, which operates Hang 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 paired jetbridges in the new terminal.{{cite web |url=http://www.aircraft-charter-world.com/airports/asia/indonesia.htm |title=Airports in Indonesia |access-date=3 April 2011 |archive-date=29 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429001705/http://aircraft-charter-world.com/airports/asia/indonesia.htm |url-status=dead}} Domestic destinations include Pekanbaru, Palembang, Medan, Jakarta, Padang, Surabaya, Bandung, Bandar Lampung, Balikpapan, Yogyakarta, Makassar, and many more. International flights currently include Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (operated by Batik Air Malaysia).

Due to piling works for touristic activity, sand mining, and logging for charcoal business, only 4.2% of Batam Island is covered in mangrove forests, a great decrease from 24% in 1970.{{cite web |url=http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/06/15/206675016/Batam-Loses-800-Hectares-of-Its-Mangrove-Forest |title=Batam Loses 800 Hectares of Its Mangrove Forest |date=15 June 2015 |access-date=15 June 2015 |archive-date=21 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150621185542/http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/06/15/206675016/Batam-Loses-800-Hectares-of-Its-Mangrove-Forest |url-status=live }} Originally, Batam Island had 41,500 hectares of mangrove forests.{{cite web |url=http://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/10/07/206707300/Batam-Mangrove-Forest-Shrinking-in-Size |title=Batam Mangrove Forest Shrinking in Size |date=7 October 2015 |access-date=8 October 2015 |archive-date=14 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180614194335/https://en.tempo.co/read/news/2015/10/07/206707300/Batam-Mangrove-Forest-Shrinking-in-Size |url-status=live }}

File:Batam Turi Beach Hotel.jpg|Turi Beach Resort

File:Astaqa MTQ Batam.jpeg|The 2014 National MTQ Building in Dataran Engku Putri, Batam Centre

File:Masjid Agung Batam.jpg|Great Mosque of Batam

File:Pacific Palace.png|Pacific Palace Hotel

File:Batam Center Area.jpg|Batam Centre

File:Raja Haji Fisabililah Barelang.jpg|Barelang Bridge

File:Baloi Batam.png|BCC Hotel Tower and iHotel Baloi

File:Marriott Hotels Batam.jpg|[https://www.marriott.com/en-us/hotels/bthmc-batam-marriott-hotel-harbour-bay/overview/ Batam Marriott Hotel Harbour Bay]

{{Portal|Indonesia|Islands}}

• List of tallest buildings in Batam
• Makassar metropolitan area

{{reflist|30em}}

{{Commons category|Batam}}

• {{Wikivoyage inline}}
• {{official website|http://www.batam.go.id/}}
• [https://www.batamferryterminal.com/ Batam Ferry Terminal Official site] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181221041833/https://www.batamferryterminal.com/ |date=21 December 2018 }}
• [https://batamkota.bps.go.id/ Statistics of Batam Municipality]

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