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Batam Island is situated at 1°07' North latitude and 104°07' East longitude. The land is characterised by rolling hill terrain with the highest level at 161 meters above sea level. Lush vegetation covers most of the island with mangroves on the seashores The name Barelang is an abbreviated form of Batam, Rempang, and Galang islands. The total area of Barelang is 715 sq.km. Barelang is part of the province of Riau, Indonesia, which is famous as the oil rich province. The capital of the province is the city of Pakanbaru, situated in the mainland Sumatra, about 45 minutes flying from Batam.
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The history of Batam is tightly interwoven with nearby Bintan Island and the rest of Riau Archipelago. According to Chinese chronicles Batam was already inhabited as early as 231 A.D. when Singapore Island was still called 'Pulau Ujung' (Ujung Island). It came Malacca kingdom under control from the 13th century, and later taken over by the Sultan of Johor who ruled until the 18th century. The coastal villages that face Singapore is said to have been a hideout for pirates who hijacked ships in the strait.
In 1824 the name of the island again appear in London treaty, which led to the division of the region between the Dutch and the British. Batam and the surrounding islands later became part of the Riau Lingga Kingdom, a situation that lasted until 1911, when the Dutch East Indies colonial administration took over.
Batam can be reached by air from major cities in Indonesia and internationally. Domestic airline companies currently flying to Batam include Garuda Indonesia Airways, Merpati Nusantara, Bouraq Airlines, Mandala Airlines, Jatayu Airlines and several air charter services. Highspeed transport ships also bring visitors to Batam from Singapore, Johor and Jakarta, with hourly services running throughout the day, from various ports around Batam. Due to the proximity of Singapore, most visitors to Batam find that coming by high-speed transport ships is the easiest method of transport.
The Barelang area is considered as tropical, with average temperatures ranging from 25 to 34 degrees Celsius (77 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Humidity in the region ranges from 73% to 96%. In general throughout the region, being a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May until October. Average annual rainfall is around 2,600 mm.
In Batam, the main transaction currency will be in Indonesia Rupiah (IDR) However in many hotels, resorts, and some restaurants and spas in Batam do accept Singapore Dollars (SGD) as well. You can however find alot of money changers in Batam as well if you required to change for some Rupiahs.
| Although Malay culture is predominant in the area, population is culturally and ethnically diverse, coming from all over Indonesia as well as from overseas. The population as at December 2000 was 462,528 people, made up of 219,747 males, and 242,781 females. The annual population growth for the past decade has been considerably large, due to the active recruitment of labour by expanding industry. |
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Skilled as well as unskilled workers is in plentiful supply, within Barelang and the rest of Indonesia. At the end of 2000, there were 155,591 people actively employed on Batam, with 74% in manufacturing, 10% in construction, and 8% in the trading, hotel and restaurant At this time there are more than 2000 foreign nationals actively employed on Batam.
Despite the diversity in culture and language, Bahasa Indonesia, the national language, is used by the people from the Archipelago. English is taught in many schools, and is increasingly understood by more of the population, particularly in the Barelang area. English is being used more commonly in daily business communication in the region. |
