Batam is a small but busy island in Indonesia of 45km x 25km and nearly a million people, hundreds of multinational owned factories, towns, shopping centres and gateway to the Riau Islands.
Cities
* Nagoya (Lubuk Baja)
* Nongsapura
* Batam Centre
* Sekupang
* Jodoh
* Telaga Punggur
* Rempang Island - rural island dotted with coastal villages on stilts
* Galang Island - location of former Vietnamese refugee camp
Located only 20km from Singapore and 25km from Johor in Malaysia, Batam is Indonesia's equivalent to China's SEZ's (Special Economic Zones) - a place where the nation's economic planners test new economic policies and ideas. The island is an industrial hub with electronics factories, a large and growing ship repair industry and an even larger oil service sector. Quite a few expats head there for work, and pubs and golf courses have sprung up to serve them.
Most tourists, on the other hand, come from nearby Singapore and are mostly interested in illegal casinos. Unless you have a particular interest in these, you're better off going elsewhere, such as Batam's more resort-y neighbor Bintan or the peaceful capital city of the province Tanjung Pinang.
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