Riau Islands

RIAU ARCHIPELAGO

Its waters are the backyard of native seafaring nomads who fish and trade for a living. Their traditional wooden sailing craft, called 'pinisi' still do the forested channels of these islands, along with other indigenous craft, fishing vessels and cargo ships which call at the archipelago's main town and Tanjung Pinang port. Tanjung Pinang lies on the largest island of Bintan archipelago. Once known as Riau, it was the heart of an ancient Malay kingdom. Today, Bintan is the latest hot spot of development in Indonesia's surging economy.

A master plan is underway to turn it into a major tourist destination. Barely an hour away from Singapore by ferry, tourist accommodation has begun to appear to take advantage of its gateway from it all appeal. It consists of Riau Archipelago, Natuna Islands and Anambas Archipelago. Originally part of Riau Province, Riau Archipelago was split off as a separate Province in July 2004 with Tanjung Pinang as its capital. Anambas Archipelago, located between mainland Malaysia and Borneo were attached to the new province. By population, the most important Riau islands are Bintan, Batam and Karimun. Size wise, however, the sparsely populated Natuna Islands are larger.

Riau Archipelago with its thousands of island has plenty of scenic beaches and diving spots, among them Trikora on Bintan and Pasir Panjang on Rupat Island. The first is about 50 kilometers south of Tanjung Pinang on the eastern side of the island. Pasir Panjang, on the northern side of Rupat facing to Malacca Strait, is stretched out natural beaches are also found on Terkulai and Soreh islands, about an hour's distance by boat from Tanjung Pinang. One of the most popular beaches is Nongsa on Batam Island. From here one can see the Singapore skyline.

BATAM ISLAND

Batam is one of the 3,000 islands, which make up the Riau Archipelago and is closest to Singapore, which is only 20 km away or twenty minutes by air-conditioned ferry. It has a rapid-growing population of around 100.000. As the island develops into a major industrial and tourist area, it attracts an ever-increasing population from other Indonesian islands who see Batam as a haven of opportunity. Once almost uninhabited, save for a few scattered fishing communities, Batam's history took a sharp turn beginning 1969, when it became support base for the State-owned 'Pertamina oil company' and its offshore oil exploration. In 1971 a presidential decree designated it as an industrial area and in 1975 the Batam Authority was formed. In 1978 Batam was established as a bonded area.

In addition to the oil support industries of Batu Ampar and a fast growing electronics industry, Batam now attracts increasing numbers of tourists. Many come from Singapore for a short holiday with friends and family, duty-free shopping and great seafood. The visitors to Singapore hope over for a day or weekend trip.

International standard hotels and numerous economy establishments cater to the expanding demand for accommodation. Business, as they say, is booming. An island two-thirds the size of Singapore, Batam progresses by leaps and bounds. Where virgin jungle once stood are now whole new towns, mosques, churches, temples and supermarkets, soon to be followed by reservoirs with enough water to supply a population of 800,000 and for industrial use, an airport-to become an international gateway - a fine telecommunication system, well equipped industrial parks, and the beginnings of a large new urban center.Administratively, Batam enjoys a unique status under the Batam Island Development Authority (BIDA). The island is duty-free. The holiday market, this means duty free shopping in town, hotel shops and the ferry terminal. For the businessmen it means wide-ranging opportunities for investments. While all this change takes place, Batam has retained pockets of rural charm, peaceful spots with quiet beaches. Fishing villages supply delicious fresh seafood to visitors. White sand beaches are fringed with palms and kampung life carries on almost undisturbed. Batam makes a great break.

One of Batam's biggest attractions is the fresh and delicious seafood. Giant prawns, live still crawling crabs, live fish taken straight from nets in the sea, lobsters, clams and shellfish are cooked in a variety of styles and all delicious. Try the local 'gong-gong' conch shell where the succulent meat inside is fished out with a pin and dipped in a spicy sauce before eating.

The People
The native people of Batam are Malay origin, but with the rapid growth and development of the area various ethnic groups from all over Indonesia has come here in search for jobs and a better life. Traditionally, most of the people live in coastal villages, while the "Orang Laut" (sea people) continues to live on boathouses and boats and generally fish for a living. Some of their catches are sold to Singapore. 'Bahasa Indonesia' is the language used to communicate among the multi-ethnic population here, while many now also understand English, which is commonly used in business communication.

Culture
Even if Batam is multi-ethnic it is still the Malayan culture and Islam, which forms the root of the local culture. Both daily life and the ceremonies have religious and mythical elements, expressed in dance, music and other forms of art. Some of the most popular traditional dances are Jogi Dance, unique for Batam, Zapin Dance, which reflects strong Arabic influence, Persembahan Dance, to welcome honored guests and Ronggeng Dance, where the guests can be invited to come up and join the dance and song.The Mak Yong drama is a dance and song performance, which tells the story about a country named "Riuh", commonly believed to be the origin of Riau province name. This country is governed by a wise and popular king, who one day to his surprise and embarrassment is told that his princess have given birth to an animal called "Siput Gondang" (the gondang snail). Upset by this event he orders the newborn to be expelled to the jungle. A couple of years later he is told that the snail has begun to grow, and he asks for the snail to be brought to the Royal Palace where the shell is broken. To his surprise and joy he can see a beautiful princess appear from the broken shell, and he names her Putri Siput Gondang (Princess Siput Gondang), celebrations are then held for seven days and seven nights.

But also other cultures contribute to the Batam community, and in the "Padepokan Seni" art center in Sekupang we can see arts and crafts from all over Indonesia, as well as various kinds of performances, which are staged every day for the visitors and tourists. Another art center in Sekupang is "Desa Seni", Indonesian art village, which main objective is to "maintain, conserve and develop the Indonesian culture", and also to manage the Cultural Institute where qualified instructors conduct various shows and courses.

BINTAN ISLAND

Bintan is the largest island in the Riau province, with its area is 1.140 sq. km width, with a coastline of about 105 km. The island has a population of about 200.000, and like the rest of Riau this is a true mix of cultures like Malay, Bugis, Chinese and the Orang Laut. Bintan is very close to the equator and have a tropical climate throughout the year, with temperatures ranging from 21° to 32°, with an average of 26° Celsius.
Bintan and Batam saw before the economic crisis huge investments and development, including industrial parks and large tourist resorts. Bintan has since become a popular tourist destination due to its close vicinity to Singapore. Here we can get accommodation of all standards, and it is still possible to find a peaceful spot on Bintan far from other tourists. Most of the tourism is concentrated on the north coast around Lagoi, while the east coast is still unspoiled and worth a visit. In a not so distant past Bintan was completely covered with tropical rain forest. This is now all gone, except a small forest that covers the highest mountain on the island, Bintan Besar. The mountain is the remains of an old volcano, and has an elevation of 376 m, the highest point on the Riau islands.
In Bintan, diving promises to be comfortably civilized, with all underwater needs catered to Mana Mana Beach Club - Bintan Resort's professional water sports center. Out of the water, Bintan will be the place with something for everyone. There's the golf course, horses for riding and jungles for trekking - alternatives aplenty to tempt hardened divers to stay topside.

KARIMUN ISLAND

Karimun is one of the most important islands in Riau Archipelago, due to its thriving economy and proximity to Singapore. Tanjung Balai Karimun is a medium-sized town, with a large Chinese community and shops selling a large variety of imported items. The town is linked by both sea and air. Terkulai and Soreh are resort islands nearby which are popular with
holidaymakers.

History
Karimun regency in the beginning was a small town with the name of Tanjung Balai Karimun and with its status as a sub district town with the area of only 275 sq km. Tanjung Balai Karimun, from the scope of history, cannot be separated from its main regency that is Riau islands. Based on the decree of delegation of the Republic of Indonesia, the province of central Sumatra on may 18, 1956 joined the republic of Indonesia, and Riau island were given the status as level II autonomy region which is led by a regent as head of the region who supervised 4 (four) districts, that are:

• Tanjung Pinang District, which covered sub district of South Bintan (incoming East Bintan, Galang, West Tanjung Pinang and East Tanjung Pinang now).
• Karimun District which covered sub district of Karimun, Kundur and Moro.
• Lingga District which covered sub district of Lingga, Singkep and Senayang.
• Tujuh Island District which covered sub district of Jemaja, Siantan, Midai, Serasan, Tambelan, West Bunguran and East Bunguran.

Karimun district, later were abolished based on the decree of governor, head of the level I region of Riau dated August 9, 1964 no. Up/247/5/1965. Based on such stipulation, as of January 1, 1966, all administrative territory of the district in the Riau Islands regency was abolished. It is written the history that in glory of Riau Lingga kingdom when it took over the famous Johor kingdom, most parts of Riau islands territory were in the authority of kingdom of Riau Lingga. It is mentioned that the glorious time of Riau can be depicted by the incoming flow of international commerce since there were so many foreign traders lived in Bandar Riau. Furthermore, it was explained also about the prosperity of this Riau territory, especially at the time his young majesty King Ali held the power. Riau had experienced rapid development. Such historical meanings had implicated the economic situation in this territory nowadays.

Along with the spirit of regional autonomy, then on October 12 law no. 53, 1999 was stipulated which stated that Karimun regency together with kundur and moro regency were merged to one regency with the name of Karimun regency, with position at the same level with other regencies in Indonesia.

NATUNA ARCHIPELAGO

The Natuna Islands are a 272-island archipelago of Indonesia, located in the Natuna Sea between east and west Malaysia and Kalimantan. The islands are officially part of the Riau Archipelago Province. Natuna is one of the northernmost island groups of Indonesia. The main islands of Natuna Archipelago are Natuna, South Natuna and Tambelan. The South Natuna group comprises the islands of Serasan, Panjang and Subi. The Anambas archipelago, located several hundred kilometers to the west and comprising Terempa, Matak and Jemaja Andriabu Island, are also sometimes included in the Natuna Islands.
Natuna can however offer unspoiled beaches and a landscape and a culture that is absolutely worth a visit. The islands are known for lovely woven textiles and their traditional dance. The Natuna islands are spread over a wide area, located in the South China Sea between east and west Malaysia, Kalimantan and Singapore. The main groups of islands are Anambas to the west, Natuna, south Natuna and Tambelan. One of the largest natural gas fields in the world has been found here, The Natuna gas field in the North and South Natuna archipelago is believed to have 222 trillion cubic feet of natural gas in reserve, 46 trillion of this can be recovered. In the future the Natuna Natural Gas Project will be very important for Indonesia's economy.

Ecology
The Natuna Islands have a remarkable avifauna with 71 species of bird registered, including the near-threatened Lesser Fish-eagle, the Natuna Serpent-eagle or the rare endemic Silvery Wood-Pigeon. Among other species endangered species, we find the Green Iora, the Brown Fulvetta or the Green Broadbill.

Natuna Besar
Natuna Besar (or Ranai) is the largest and northernmost of the islands and also one of the northernmost points in Indonesia. Here we can find lovely corral reefs and a large variety of fish. The population is relatively small, but some people have been moved here by the government from other islands in Indonesia and grow products like peanuts and peas. Mount Ranai, the highest mountain in Natuna archipelago at 1.035 m, is located on this island. There are some great areas for diving here, the waters of the South China Sea around the island can offer an unique underwater world, the coral is normally found within five to ten meters below sea level and 50 to 750 meters from the shore. Smaller islands like Senoa to the northeast can also offer white beaches and coral reefs, Panjang to the northwest is known for the protected green turtle, and can be reached by boat from Natuna Besar in 30 minutes. Totally there are about 20 small islands surrounding Natuna Besar.

South Natuna
South Natuna is located between Natuna Besar and the Kalimantan mainland, the main islands here are Serasan, Panjang and Subi. The islands have a strong surf and impressive scenery.

ANAMBAS ARCHIPELAGO

Anambas is a group of islands midway between Singapore and Natuna Besar. The main islands are Matak, now a base for oil exploration, Tarempah and Jemaja Andriabu. The population is sparse, mainly simple fishing folk that are the descendants of the once mighty Bugis people. The main source of income is from sea products and coconuts. The islands has become a popular destination for divers from Singapore, the best known sites are the underwater reef systems of Tokong Malangbiru island, the submerged Acasta Rock, the disused Udang Oil Rigs and the wrecks of the sunken vessels "Seven Skies" and "Sara-D". The closest sites can be reached in a half-day's boat ride from Singapore, while the Udang Oil Rig to the northeast is about one and a half day away. Tours with boats where we can live onboard are arranged from Singapore. The other islands of Anambas archipelago are Tarempah and Jemaja Andriabu.

Tarempah Island is a tiny town with only one scruffy and small guesthouse; we can hire a local fishing boat here for a reasonable price and explore the surrounding area. Tarempah Island was probably the first Dutch territory attacked by the Japanese during WW2. The Tarempah village was heavily bombarded and most of it destroyed, 40 civilians were killed and 100 wounded, the remaining villagers were evacuated to Tanjung Pinang on Bintan. Anambas were occupied by Japanese troops on 26th of January 1942 and used as an advanced naval base, the rest of Natuna were probably occupied shortly afterwards.