Batam
City of Batam ”Kota Batam”
Regional transcription(s)
 • Jawiباتام
Official seal of Batam
Nickname: 
”Kota Industri” (“The Industrial City”)
Motto(s): 
”Terwujudnya Batam Sebagai Bandar Dunia yang Modern dan Pusat Pertumbuhan Ekonomi Nasional” (The realization of Batam as a modern world-class city and a centre of national economic growth)
Map
Interactive map of Batam
Batam is located in Sumatra
Batam
Batam
Location in Sumatra and Indonesia
Batam is located in Indonesia
Batam
Batam
Batam (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 1°05′N 104°02′E / 1.083°N 104.033°E / 1.083; 104.033
Country Indonesia
RegionSumatra
Province Riau Islands
Government
 • MayorMuhammad Rudi
 • Vice MayorAmsakar Achmad
Area
 • Total1,595 km2 (616 sq mi)
 • Land715 km2 (276 sq mi)
 • Water880 km2 (340 sq mi)
Population
 (2017)
 • Total1,236,399
 • Density780/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
 • Urban density800/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
Postal code
29453
Area code(+62) 778
Vehicle registrationBP
Websitebatamkota.go.id

”’Batam”’ is the largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. The city administrative area covers three main islands of Batam, Rempang, and Galang (collectively called Barelang), as well as several small islands. Batam Island is the core urban and industrial zone, while both Rempang Island and Galang Island maintain their rural character and are connected to Batam Island by short bridges. Batam is an industrial boomtown, an emerging transport hub, and part of a free trade zone in the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle, located 20 km (12 mi) off Singapore’s south coast and also part of the Indonesia–Malaysia–Thailand Growth Triangle.[1][2]

According to Statistics Indonesia’s 2016 estimate, Batam has a population of 1,236,399, making it the third largest city in the region of Sumatra, after Medan and Palembang.[3] It is the closest part of Indonesia to Singapore, at a minimum land distance of 5.8 km. During the 2010 national census, Batam was the fastest-growing municipality in Indonesia the decade prior, with a population growth rate of 11% per year.[4] In 2017, the island suffered severe job losses, some 300,000 workers were laid off.[5]

  1. ^ "Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT)". imtgt.org.
  2. ^ "Country Information – Indonesia-Malaysia-Thailand Growth Triangle (IMT-GT)". imtgt.org.
  3. ^ https://batamkota.bps.go.id/dynamictable/2017/10/03/23/penduduk-kota-batam-menurut-kecamatan-dan-jenis-kelamin-2011-2016.html
  4. ^ Firman, Tommy (12 May 2012). "Urbanization and urban development patterns". The Jarkata Post. Retrieved 11 August 2016.
  5. ^ Post, The Jakarta. "Batam economy in a state of emergency, mayor says". thejakartapost.com.