The Batam island in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for its free trade zone area as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located 20 km (12.5 miles) off Singapore's south coast. The 415 km² (160 miles²) island has a population of 713,960 in December 2006[1], most of whom are Malays (85%) and Chinese (14%). A few indigenous Orang Laut tribes also live on the island.In the 1970s, the island underwent a major transformation from a largely forested area into a major harbor and industrial zone. The population drastically grew from a few thousand in the 1960s into hundreds of thousands. Located close to Singapore and endowed with a much cheaper labour force, several Singaporean companies have established factories in Batam.
The official language on the island is Indonesian, but due to the sizeable Chinese population, Chinese dialects like Teochew and Mandarin are somewhat widely spoken. Apart from industrial zones, the islands have several resorts and tourist destinations.
Batam is located East of Karimun and Bulan Island, West of Bintan, North of Rempang, and South of Singapore. Riau Strait (Selat Riau) separates Batam and Bintan.
Communities
Northwest : Sekupang
North Central : [Jodoh, Nagoya, Sungai Panas, Batam Centre, Balai, Batu Ampar, and Bengkong.
Communities
Northwest : Sekupang
North Central : [Jodoh, Nagoya, Sungai Panas, Batam Centre, Balai, Batu Ampar, and Bengkong.
Since 2006, the Indonesian Islands of Batam, Bintan and Karimun as well as Singapore benefit from the new SEZ scheme introduced by Indonesia and Singapore. Under this rule there will be no tax paid for shipments between these islands. This was introduced to help the economy in this region.
And in 29 June 2007, Indonesian government gives full free trade zone status for Batam and enclave status for Bintan and Karimun. This is to address the issue of legal certainty for investors.
According to the plan, Batam will be transformed into shipyard, electronic, and mecatronic industrial development centers; Bintan into textile, footwear, and tourism industrial development centers; and Karimun into shipyard, metal, component, agricultural, and marine produce industrial development centers.
And in 29 June 2007, Indonesian government gives full free trade zone status for Batam and enclave status for Bintan and Karimun. This is to address the issue of legal certainty for investors.
According to the plan, Batam will be transformed into shipyard, electronic, and mecatronic industrial development centers; Bintan into textile, footwear, and tourism industrial development centers; and Karimun into shipyard, metal, component, agricultural, and marine produce industrial development centers.
Shopping malls in Batam
Mega Mall Batam Centre This shopping centre located in Batam Central Business District. Could be reach directly from International Ferry Terminal. Buying clothings is one of the cheapest means of shopping here in Batam. The branded goods here are reasonable cheap, which is normally made from Bandung as copy goods.
Center Point.
Robinson & Ramayana. It is a real Indonesian shopping mall. Over here, you can find some local brands with good designs at very reasonable prices. Robinson especially houses a really huge department store on its ground level.
DC Mall, a large mall. It is one of the newer and larger mall in Batam which is probably constructed to cater to the tourist crowd from Singapore.
Lucky Plaza. Shop till you Drop. It is located in the center. It is a good place to buy your daily needs such as clothes, make-up accessories, shoes etc.
Panbil Mall. This is a multi department store where you could find almost everything here. As it is also near the Industrial estates, the shoppers are usually people working in the nearby factory.
Gelael. It is a building that consist of supermarkets on the ground floor and restaurants on the 2nd floor. Here's where the local shop for groceries. Prices are reasonably cheap here if you're looking for some groceries. There's 2 restaurants here; KFC, McDonalds and Pizza hut.
Mega Mall Batam Centre This shopping centre located in Batam Central Business District. Could be reach directly from International Ferry Terminal. Buying clothings is one of the cheapest means of shopping here in Batam. The branded goods here are reasonable cheap, which is normally made from Bandung as copy goods.
Center Point.
Robinson & Ramayana. It is a real Indonesian shopping mall. Over here, you can find some local brands with good designs at very reasonable prices. Robinson especially houses a really huge department store on its ground level.
DC Mall, a large mall. It is one of the newer and larger mall in Batam which is probably constructed to cater to the tourist crowd from Singapore.
Lucky Plaza. Shop till you Drop. It is located in the center. It is a good place to buy your daily needs such as clothes, make-up accessories, shoes etc.
Panbil Mall. This is a multi department store where you could find almost everything here. As it is also near the Industrial estates, the shoppers are usually people working in the nearby factory.
Gelael. It is a building that consist of supermarkets on the ground floor and restaurants on the 2nd floor. Here's where the local shop for groceries. Prices are reasonably cheap here if you're looking for some groceries. There's 2 restaurants here; KFC, McDonalds and Pizza hut.
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