Bintan Island
Bintan island is a part of Riau archipelago and this is also part of Riau province with the capital city of Tanjung Pinang. Bintan, is the largest among the 3,200 islands of Riau Archipelago
Dated back to the history, Bintan’s history is traced to the early 3rd century. The island flourished as a trading post on the route between China and India, and over the centuries it came under the control of the Chinese, the British, and then the Dutch when it was declared part of the Dutch East Indies through the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824.
In the 12th century, the Bintan island in the Strait of Malacca was known as the “Pirate Island” since the Malay pirates used to loot trading ships sailing in these waters.
The economy of Bintan island is centered on tourism, given its close proximity to Singapore. In the year 1990, according to a Presidential Decree on 25 July 1990, a coordinating team was set up for the Riau Province Development with the mandate to plan and develop development projects within the framework of Indonesia-Singapore cooperation. The investment plans, similar to Batam, is evolved with basic intention to provide leisure space to Singaporeans on the white beaches in Bintan and this approach also conformed to the Indonesian Policy of declaring the 1990s as the “decade of Visit Indonesia”.
Earlier, Singapore’s Batam Industrial Park had signed an agreement with Indonesia to lease its northern coast and develop it into a resort which is “Bintan Resort” for Singaporeans.
The agribusiness venture planned under the Master Plan for Bintan envisages pig rearing for export to Singapore and sea food processing plants. Fishery cultivation of grouper fish, napoleon, kakap and Bream are also planned in the island. Under the industrial sector, the identified fields for development are mining of Bauxite, kaolin, granite, white sand and tin. Government of Indonesia has also planned the petroleum industry with its subsidiary industry of manufacture of plastics in Bintan.
In Bintan, the primary forest cover is in a limited area on the hills. There is extensive deforestation done mostly for the cultivation of gambier (Uncaria gembieri). The plantation size of each gambier plantation was 30 hectares.
Various species of sea animals and plants are found underwater. From squids to snails, from various fish to oyster. several marine species including Sea Turtles are found here. Dolphins are also sighted. The variety and diversity of sea life is very attractive. Wild life animals seen on this forest trek are: silver leaf monkeys, Sunbirds, eagles and kites.
Bintan has lots of beautiful beaches and other tourism destinations like Laguna Bintan, Bintan Agro beach resort, Bayan tree bintan, Trikora beach and many more.
Heaven is in the path of white sand on Bintan Island
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