Island of fortune
Being close to Singapore and Malaysia, and being inhibited by thousands of expatriates and overseas tourists, the island is perhaps the country’s best place for people speaking English in its various accents. But Singlish is the most popular here.
Batam Island is the country’s fastest-developing industrial island in the province of Riau Islands. It lies 20 kms north of Singapore, and is conveniently reachable in 45 to 60 minutes from Singapore’s to Harbourfront Centre by ferry. It is one of the country’s three busiest international gateways. Populated by around 724,000 people, the island is known for its multi-ethnics such as Malays (the indigenous), Chinese and many other ethnics from all over the country. Besides Malay and Indonesian, most Chinese in Riau Islands speak Teochew, Hokkien and Mandarin.
Being close to Singapore and Malaysia, and being inhibited by thousands of expatriates and overseas tourists, the island is perhaps the country’s best place for people speaking English in its various accents. But Singlish is the most popular here.
Batam Island is the main destination of foreign investments in Indonesia. Together with Karimun Island and Bintan Island (the latter is where the world’s largest Singapore-managed golf course and white-sand beach resort area is located), the 415 km2 island forms the largest free trade zone in the country. It has several business districts such as Nagoya, Batam Centre, Jodoh and Sungai Panas. There are over 20 industrial parks and over 50 shipyards operating across the province. But Batam Island has remained the main investment area since 1970.
