The Riau Islands is a province of Indonesia - not to be confused with neighbouring Riau Province from which the islands were separated in 2002. The capital of the province is Tanjung Pinang and the largest city is Batam. It shares a maritime border with Riau and Jambi to the east, Bangka Belitung Islands to the south, Singapore to the northeast, Malaysia and West Kalimantan to the west, and Vietnam and Cambodia to the north. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lanes along the Malacca Strait and the Natuna Sea, the province shares water borders with neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia, and Brunei. The Riau Islands also have relatively large potential mineral resources and energy, as well as marine resources.
Natuna Regency is an islands regency located in the northernmost part of the Province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. It contains at least 154 islands, of which 127 of them are reported as uninhabited. This archipelago, with a land area of 1,978.31 km2 out of a total area of 264,198.37 km2 area, contains 15 districts, including the island district of Pulau Laut, Bunguran/Greater Natuna Island, the island district of Pulau Tiga, the island district of Midai, the island district of Subi, and the island district of Serasan.
The Bunguran Islands are an archipelago in Riau Islands province, Indonesia, located in the Natuna Sea, the southern portion of the South China Sea. The archipelago forms the central part of the Natuna Regency, an archipelago of 272 islands in total, which is in turn included in the Tudjuh Archipelago, off the northwest coast of Borneo. The largest island of the archipelago is Bunguran or Pulau Natuna Besar, situated in the Middle Natuna Archipelago. The group covers a land area of 1,698.6 km2 and had a population of 52,013 at the 2010 Census. It is divided into nine districts (kecamatan) – seven of which are tabulated below from north to south with their areas and 2010 Census populations, plus the number of administrative villages within that district and the postcode:
The Riau Archipelago is a geographic term for the core group of islands within the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia, and located south of Singapore and east of Riau on Sumatra. Before the province of Riau Islands was formed, there was no ambiguity in term; however, in Indonesian language, both the archipelago and administrative province are referred to simply as "Kepulauan Riau". The province may have the word "Provinsi" preceding it for clarity. Additionally, the term BBK for Batam Bintan Karimun may refer to the archipelago.
Anambas Islands Regency is a small archipelago of Indonesia, located 150 nautical miles northeast of Batam Island in the North Natuna Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago, it is administratively a regency within the Riau Islands Province. It covers a land area of 590.14 square kilometres (227.85 sq mi) and had a population of 37,411 at the 2010 Census and 47,402 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 50,296. The administrative centre is at Tarempa on Siantan Island.
The Lingga Regency is a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Province on Sumatra island. They are south of the populated Riau Archipelago, known for the industrial island of Batam and the tourist-frequented island of Bintan, although the Lingga Islands themselves are rarely visited due to the infrequent local transportation. The equator goes through the northern tip of Lingga Island, the main island in the archipelago.
Cenderawasih Bay, also known as Sarera Bay and formerly Geelvink Bay, is a large bay in northern Province of Papua, Central Papua and West Papua, New Guinea, Indonesia.
Bintan Regency is an administrative area in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. Bintan Regency includes all of Bintan Island and also includes many outlying islands including the Tambelan Archipelago and Badas Islands situated between Bintan and West Kalimantan.
Bunguran Island or just Bunguran is the main island of the Middle Natuna Archipelago, which is part of the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia. It is also called Great Natuna Island.
Tambelan archipelago is a group of 68 islands off the west coast of West Kalimantan, (Borneo), Indonesia, just north of the equator. The archipelago is located on the north opening of Karimata Strait which separates Borneo and Belitung island. Geographically it is part of the Tudjuh Archipelago, and administratively forms a district (kecamatan) of Bintan Regency within the Riau Islands Province. It covers a land area of 90.4 km2 and had a population of 4,975 at the 2010 Census. Major islands include Big Tambelan, Mendarik, Uwi, Benua, and Pejantan. The islands are divided into eight administrative villages (kelurahan) - Batu Lepuk, Kampung Hilir, Kampung Melayu, Kukup, Pengikik, Pulau Mentebung, Pulau Pinang and Teluk Sekuni. As a historical side note; It was the first Dutch territory captured by the Japanese in World War 2.
Badas Islands is a group of islands in the Tudjuh Archipelago in the South China Sea between the Malaysian mainland to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Administratively it is part of Bintan Regency within the Riau Islands province of Indonesia under island district/kecamatan of Tambelan.
The Tudjuh Archipelago is a large group of islands in north-western Indonesia, off the west and north-west coast of the island of Borneo in the South China Sea. Administratively the islands belong to the Riau Islands province of Indonesia. The Tudjuh Archipelago consists of four island groups, the Badas Islands, the Tambelan Islands, the Natuna Islands, and the Anambas Islands. The south-westernmost extent of the archipelago is 1°4′S105°10′E.
Tabuan Island is an island of southern Sumatra, under the jurisdiction of Lampung province. It is administered as part of the Cukuh Balak district of Tanggamus Regency.
Great Iyu Island is a small uninhabited island in the Strait of Malacca, about 4.5 km north-west of Little Karimun, about 50 km west of Singapore, and about 800 m south-west of Little Iyu Island. The two Iyu islets are known as The Brothers. The island belongs to the Karimun Regency of the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia.
Little Karimun is an island in the Strait of Malacca, about 58 kilometres (36 mi) west of Batam and 35 km south-west of Singapore. It belongs to the Karimun Regency of the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. It is located just off the east coast of Sumatra.
Riau-Lingga Sultanate, also known as the Lingga-Riau Sultanate, Riau Sultanate or Lingga Sultanate was a Malay sultanate that existed from 1824 to 1911, before being dissolved following Dutch intervention.
The Natuna Sea is an extensive shallow sea located around the Natuna Regency, extending south of the Riau Islands, east of the Lingga Regency and west of Borneo, to the Bangka Belitung Islands. The islands of the Badas and Tambelan Archipelago are located at its center. Mostly located within Indonesian territorial waters, it is the southernmost portion of the South China Sea, and geologically part of Sunda Shelf. It communicates with the Java Sea to its southeast via the Karimata and Gaspar Strait east and west of Belitung, and with the Strait of Malacca to the west via the Berhala and Singapore Strait.
