Demographics of Riau Islands
With the motto “Berpancang Amanah Bersauh Marwah”, the Riau Islands has developed into a centre of national economic growth while maintaining Malay cultural values supported by a prosperous, intelligent and noble people.
Riau Islands province was formed in accordance with Act No. 25 of 2002 as the 32nd Indonesian province, encompassing Tanjung Pinang city, Batam city, Bintan regency, Karimun regency, Natuna regency, Lingga regency and Anambas regency. In total, the Riau Islands consists of five regencies and two autonomous cities, 42 districts and 275 villages spread over 2,408 islands, of which 40% are unnamed and uninhabited. The province covers 252,601km², of which 95% is sea and only 5% is landmass with the following borders:
• North: Vietnam and Cambodia;
• South: Bangka Belitung Islands and Jambi;
• West: Singapore, Malaysia and Riau province;
• East: Malaysia, Brunei and West Kalimantan.
The Riau Islands have a tropical rainforest climate, with average temperatures ranging from 24-35°C (77-95°F) and humidity in the 73-96% range in general, the wet season is from November to April and the dry season from May to October. Average annual rainfall is around 2,600mm.
In terms of religion, 77.34% of the Riau Islands’ population is Muslim, 12.28% Protestant Christian, 7.66% Buddhist, 2.46% Catholic and 0.19% Confucian, with Hinduism dominating the remainder. The Riau Islands are home to heterogeneous and highly diverse ethnicities, cultures, languages and religions, originating from all over the Indonesian archipelago and abroad. Islam is the dominant religion in the Riau Islands province. In Batam, the Raya Batam mosque is strategically located within close proximity to the town square, mayor's office and Regional Legislative Council, as a symbol of the religious proclivities of Batam people. Christianity and Catholicism are also embraced on the Riau Islands, originating from the Batak people and Flores. Buddhism is the most popular religion practised by residents of Chinese descent.
Despite a dominant Malay culture, the residents of the Riau Islands consist of diverse cultures and ethnicities, dominated by Malay, Javanese, Batak, Chinese and Minangkabau peoples. In spite of the diversity, Indonesian, as the national language, is spoken throughout the province, while English is taught in schools and used for business, especially in multinational corporations.
The Riau Islands, Batam city in particular, is a multi-ethnic region from all over Indonesia and the world. Nevertheless, the Malay culture, which is synonymous with Islam, remains dominant and is the root of the local culture. In day-to-day life, there are many ceremonies steeped in religion and myth, performed with dances, music and other art forms. Popular traditional dances include Jogi and Zapin, with strong Arabic influences. The Persembahan dance is often used to welcome and honour respected guests. In addition, the Mak Yong drama is a popular performance consisting of dances and songs about a country called ‘Riuh’, which is believed to be the original name of the Riau Islands province.
Demographics of Batam City
In 1983, Batam Island became the Administrative City of Batam in accordance with Government Regulation No. 34 of 1984, subdivided into three districts, namely Belakang Padang, West Batam and East Batam, along with 186 islands, not all of which are inhabited. The three largest islands are Batam, Bulan and Jeri. Batam island covers an area of 415km², approximately two-thirds the area of Singapore. To support economic and regional development, Batam has been declared a free trade zone under the Batam Free Zone Authority (BP Batam), encompassing three zones known as Barelang (Batam, Rempang and Galang) that are connected by a series of six bridges spanning 2,262 metres. The bridges are a point of pride for local residents and a tourist attraction. The area of this zone is stipulated in Presidential Decree (Keppres) No. 28 of 1992.
The Barelang zone is connected by six bridges, which were officially opened by President B.J. Habibie on 10th August 1998. Through regional expansion, the area of Batam was extended to 715km², around 1.15 times the area of Singapore.
The topography of Batam city is predominantly flat, with an undulating landscape peaking at a maximum of 160 metres above sea level. A study revealed that land fertility on Batam Island is low, leaving the island highly exposed and vulnerable to erosion. Furthermore, Batam has low lying forests that are not typically found in the tropics. Consequently, development policy in the region must maintain around 60% of the forest as a protected green zone.
