World Tourism / The Best Places to Visit in Indonesia / The Bintan Island
The Bintan Island
To make your stay an unforgettable vacation this article will ensure your perfect holiday in Indonesia on the island of Bintan. This information will be useful both for independent travels and tours in the finished package. The aim is to provide reliable information on the person advice and experienced persons, who fell in love with all heart with this island and are happy to share their sympathy on the resort restaurants, especially on the island to provide you a quality vacation without unnecessary illusions. Indonesia is an amazing and a mysterious country. It is full of surprises, and at first sight not clear. For some, it opens the right way, and it becomes a priority country in the choice of a travel, for others it is full of mystery and universal admiration.
The tropical island near the equator - Bintan will give you the sea, the sun and the white beaches you had expected, away from the hustle and bustle. You will not see crowds of people, all that beauty is just for you. What to do there? Plunge into the magical world of spa and rejuvenate. Join the golf course, there are the best golf courses in Asia at affordable prices. See the jungle and climb the volcano island of Bintan. See mangroves with their inhabitants. Practice water sports: water skiing, sailing, scuba diving, skiing, "banana" and "fly fish", snorkeling, windsurfing or boating along the island on Jet ski. Try kite surfing on the east coast, one of the best places in Indonesia ( the kite season is in July, August, November, December, January) feel the speed, flight and the wind power in your hands - this will be an unforgettable experience! And of course visit Tanjung Pinang, the capital of the island of Bintan and the Riau Archipelago, an ancient seaport rich in its history, traditions and culture. Walk through the main streets, breathe air and try the exotic fruits and the national Indonesian cuisine at reasonable prices. For the first acquaintance with the islands of Indonesia this is a great choice, here you will meet excellent service, inherited from Singapore, a guarantee of security for you and your children, as well as the opportunity to experience the real Indonesia.
History of the Island
The history of this island has its roots in the mists of time. The island of Bintan (Indonesia) is mentioned in the travel notes of the famous Chinese traveler of the XI century the Admiral Cheng Ho. Even today, the Sultan of Johor state dynasty, Pahang and Selangor can trace their ancestry from the island of Bintan. Long ago, in ancient times the island of Bintan (Negeri Segantang Lada - in ancient times) was inhabited by the Malay pirates who robbed and drowned in the area where merchants passed by ships. Further, in the 12th and the 13th centuries, the island was the property of the Srivijaya Empire, which took the top area on the island of Sumatra and Borneo to the very extended. Tri Bhuvana, the prince of the royal family visited the island of Riau Palembang in 1290. He moved with a "fleet of 800 ships to the island of Bintan." The Queen of the island of Bintan met him and they signed a strategic alliance, and married. So Tri Bhuvana became king. However, the island of Bintan and the straits have a reputation as a pirate island due to the presence of the Malay pirates. What did they do? Passing by, the merchant ships were taken prisoners and dragged to his port. And there began very profitable for the pirates, as well as for the trading empire. Who would not want to take part in such a dubious benefit to the business, still buried in the waters of the strait. A large number of Chinese ceramics were discovered on the island of Bintan, some trace beginning of the Song Dynasty (960-1127), more on the bottom of the Malacca Strait.
The Pirate Island
The Arab chronicler Ibn Battuta wrote of the Riau Islands in the 13th century: "There is a small island,where there are pirates armed with black arrows, possessing armed warships, they rob people, but not enslave them." We see very lucky the Arab chronicler Ibn Battuta. Even after several centuries, the island of Bintan is still called the "Pirate Island" by many. According to historical records, Tri Bhuvana occupied after Singapore, and then declared himself king of Singapore. After that, he renamed the island of Temasek in Singapore. The beautiful legend of the island's name came from the wondrous beast, which had met Tri Bhuvana on the hunt. After (13-14c), the island of Bintan and the rest of the archipelago of the Riau passed into the possession of the Sultanate of Malacca, the capital of which was in Malacca (Malay Peninsula). In 1511, the capital of the Sultanate, was attacked suddenly and accidentally destroyed completely by the Portuguese, introducing throughout their laws. They decided to settle down a bit and do their business. Naturally Sultan Mahmud managed to escape, the darkest night, he went to Malacca on Bintan. He created a base of resistance on the island and built a fortress for the defense of the Portuguese. After the construction of the fort, the Portuguese intensified again. Since 1521, the Portuguese constructed forts, after intelligible instructions from their king. But in addition to building the king demanded to destroy four of the fortresses in India, Sri Lanka and Sumatra. The list got a fortress on the island of Bintan. While they successfully destroyed the stronghold of the enemy at the same time still managed to build a fort Pasai, although not successful construction of a fortress in Canton in China, suffered a defeat from the Chinese. The Chinese have dismantled more quickly than what the Portuguese had built. The fortress was a defensive point of Bintan for 15 years, but once the Sultan ran out of patience and it could not stand the onslaught of a strong thrust of Portuguese and fell. It happened in 1526. Two years later, the son of Sultan Mahmud was able to restore his power and established a new sultanate – the Sultanate of Johor, setting his capital in the Malay Peninsula, from exercising his reign, so to speak back to the family nest, and then the walls. The sultanate ruled until nearly the end of the 17th century. In the early 18th century due to the political unrest and the seizure of the power over the Sultanate of Johor Bugis (one of the major ethnic groups of South Sulawesi, Indonesia), the sultan once again had to seek asylum. He hid in the vast expanses of Southeast Asia, lost it completely and stopped looking. After coming to power Bugis urgently organized a major trading port on the island of Bintan, which was located in the capital of the island - Tanjung Pinang.
Major Trading Port
The new port has attracted many regional, Western, Indian and Chinese traders and migrants, including Chinese. In a short time the island has become a regional power. And of course the success of the island and the port development have attracted the attention of European powers. The British, who controlled at that time Pinan, looking for a new location in the south of the Strait of Malacca, given the increasing influence of the Dutch in Southeast Asia. As a possible place the British considered the island of Bintan. However, the Dutch, which had a heavy force in Southeast Asia at that time proved to be quicker and took control of Bintan in the late 18th century, to the astonishment of the English, putting an end to the local port development. They began to use the port for their own purposes, and all felt bad at all, but delayed the arrival of the English in these areas. After such a rapid and unprecedented, according to their familiarity events from the Dutch, the local pirates certainly did not expect, but quickly dispersed throughout the county. Most of them moved to the Anambas Island. There they continued to entertain swimming by merchants. Of such impudence on the part of the Dutch, the Sultanate of Johor had family confusions between older and younger brothers, they learned English and took advantage of it while nimble Dutchmen slept away from Singapore Sultanate and quickly established a free port. Once in a hopeless and distressing situation the island of Bintan began to develop as a center of the Malay and Islamic culture which in turn was also not bad as it actually turned out. The history has changed the fate of the Riau archipelago as a political, cultural and economic center. The Europeans took control of the regional trade routes, taking advantage of the political weakness within the Sultanate. The creation of a European-controlled territory in the Riau sultanate broke into two parts, destroying the cultural and the political unity that had existed for centuries. The Anglo-Dutch treaty in 1824 consolidated this division to depart all the territory north of the Singapore Strait to the Dutch territory of the archipelago Riau to Java. Before Indonesia's independence in 1945, Bintan was controlled by the Netherlands East India Company. During the Second World War these areas were taken by the Japanese, while Singapore was their headquarters. During this period, many Malaysians, including the upper strata of society, were to join the Imperial Army. After the war, in 1950 the archipelago was a duty free zone to the confrontation with Indonesia in 1963. After that, the Riau archipelago of Indonesia became a member and became a province. In 1989, Singapore due to its limited territory appealed to the Indonesian government to the signing of Sidzhori Groce Triangle, the so-called " the growth triangle". According to which it undertook to invest the money in the nearby islands of Batam and Bintan in exchange for the use of their territories, as well as gas and oil, it is by the way. Thus, once the wild and the deserted Batam Island has become an industrial mainland to Singapore. It has a special investment zone for the world industrial companies and it has attracted thousands of workers across the country. The Bintan Island, however, has not been converted into an industrial zone as the island of Batam. Time passed and the island, indeed, has become a famous resort of Bintan Resort, where not only Singaporeans go to rest, but also people from around the world.
Great Tourist Destination
The Bintan Island became an increasingly popular tourist destination in Southeast Asia. Located away from the hustle and bustle of city life, the Bintan Resorts is paradise on the earth, open to all, providing a striking contrast to the city. Bintan Island, washed by the South China Sea, the largest island in the archipelago of the Riau, is known both for its rich history and legendary beaches with white sand, clear waters and tropical nature. The island has a well-adjusted tourist infrastructure and offers a break from the hustle and bustle of big cities where you can enjoy the sun, the sea and cuisine. There are good hotels with high quality service, golf courses, world-class spa, restaurants, bars, discos, beaches, lush tropical gardens, a huge number of sports entertainment, diving available on the Island. Holidays on the island of Bintan are an excellent addition to living in Singapore, or an alternative to rest on the island of Sentosa. In Singapore, you can spend a few days getting acquainted with all kinds of entertainment, tasting all the delights of modern urban life, and then transported into the world of complete harmony with nature and relaxation. It should be noted that Bintan is a zone of free trade.
Location
The island of Bintan is situated on the Riau archipelago, consisting of 3,200 islands, about 2402 square kilometers in the area, located 50 km south-east of Singapore.
The capital of Bintan
Tanjung Pinang, located on the southwest side of the island of Bintan is the capital and the largest city of the Indonesian province of the Riau Islands. This is a port city and a commercial center with ethnic diversity, temples and traditional villages, and houses on stilts over the water.
Climate
Bintan is very close to the equator (1 ° N), hence, a tropical climate prevails throughout the year with two distinct seasons, the northeast monsoon from November to March, characterized by more frequent rains and winds, and dry south-west monsoon from June to October. It should be noted the rainy season little precipitation falls, mostly in the early morning or at night, and most of the day the sun shines. During the rainy season all vegetation literally comes alive. The average daily temperature is of 28-30 degrees, the water - from 27 to 29 degrees.
Flora and Fauna
Thanks to the climate and location, the flora and the fauna of the island of Bintan, is very diverse. Most of the island is covered with tropical forest inhabited by colorful birds (among them endemic, which live only on this island), various types of parrots, monkeys, monitor lizards, pygmy antelope, etc. In mangrove forests, you can see the pristine nature of the island, meet different kinds of snakes and boa constrictors, crocodiles, sea otters, flying foxes and much more. The coastal waters are the habitat of dugongs amazing creatures of nature. These marine animals spend their entire lives in water, eating only sea grass, they are very nice and very safe. The underwater world of the island is not indifferent, in all waters of the east coast of Bintan from the north to the south, runs a coral reef. Offshore the islands abound with intact corals with their underwater inhabitants: the pack of colorful, large and small fish, eels, mackerel, giant cuttlefish, reef sharks, sea turtles, schools of barracuda, stingrays, and if lucky you can find whales.
Time
Indonesia is located in 3 time zones: The Western Indonesia: Sumatra, Batam, Bintan and Lingga. The central Indonesia:Java and Bali. The Eastern Indonesia: Singapore. Because of its proximity to the equator the days and the nights here are approximately the same, which varies throughout the year slightly. The night-time comes around 18:00 -19:00.
Language
Indonesian, or literally "the language of Indonesia" - Bahasa Indonesia, was first used by the first president, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta, with the signing of declaration of independence in 1945. The language became a symbol of unity and nationalism, and was later adopted as the national language throughout Indonesia. However, there are over 300 different languages and dialects around 470 daily activities in Indonesia - Bahasa Daerah (in the translation of a regional, home language), but they can all communicate with each other through a single national language. The national stems from Indonesian Malay,have been used for centuries as the language of traders who had scoured the Indonesian archipelago. If you are traveling to Indonesia, any attempt to speak the local language will be met with enthusiasm. What is extremely important, the main thing is your attempt, and not your abilities! The Indonesian language is simple enough for everyday use.
Population
The island's population is about 200 000 people: Malays, Chinese, Bugis and Orang Laut (sea people).
Religion
The majority of the population is Muslim, the other religions are Buddhism, Confucianism, and Catholicism. National Philosophy "Panchashila" guarantees freedom of religion. Religious practices and beliefs in Indonesia are characterized by a variety of local traditions. The set of rites, rituals, private, community structure and the common law, from generation to generation, formed a peculiar structure. Instead of a strict adherence to the rules, the four major religions, common in the archipelago are: Islam, Christianity, Buddhism.
Others from The Best Places to Visit in Indonesia
The name of Indonesia comes from the Greek names “ indos” and “ nesos” and mean the Great Earth and the east of India, situated in the south-east of Asia, north-west of Australia.
Its islands are situated in the Indian Ocean and Pacific and occupy 5100 km near the equator.
Along the equatorial line there are 400 volcanoes of which 130 are active volcanoes, the most famous being Krakatau and Puncan Jaya with a height of 5030 m.
Indonesia hosts many reptile species such as Komodo, named as the Indonesian national specy, Siluk Arwana and Elang Jawa are rare species of falcon.
Bali, known as “The Morning of the World” is one of the most popular destinations in Indonesia.
It is a location full of mystery and magical stories.
This is known as the island of 1,000 temples and it is considered the land of the Lord.
The island lies in the eastern extremity of the island of Java and is composed of coral reefs and landscapes.
Ubud represents the cultural and the artistic center of Bali, with art galleries and handicraft shops with articles and the south where beaches stretch bordered by palm trees and lush vegetation.
The islands are very beautiful, with large areas of rice crops, volcanoes reaching to the clouds, lush tropical forests and white beaches of the Indian Ocean.
The way of life of Bali is related to religion and dance, paintings and music describing the local life and refers to the essence of the Hindu religion, the struggle between good and evil.
For the people of Bali, dance is the main offering to God and gods.
The dances are accompanied by gamelan orchestra.
During temple ceremonies in order to meet the gods, a group of dancers play around the main altar three times and take in their hands ceremonial objects of different colors, water and fire.
Kintamani is a mountain village situated at an altitude of 1500 m, where the Batur Lake is and you can see the Batur volcano, which is still active.
Here is the Tirta Empul Temple and the Elephants Temple.
The most sacred cave temple in Bali and Indonesia's largest temple is the Temple of Besakih’s Mother.
It dates from the XI century and it is situated at an altitude of 1000 m.
The Monkey Forest and Tanah Lot Tour is where the Taman Ayun Royal Temple Megwi is, the sacred monkey forest near Sangeh where the famous Tanah Lot Temple is on a huge rock surrounded by water.
Jakarta is a modern city, the political , the social and the cultural center of the country, a dynamic city day and night with impressive buildings, skyscrapers, cultural organizations and research institutions.
The city is a mixture between modern civilization and Asian civilization.
The most impressive monument in Jakarta is the National Monument located in the center of Merdeka Square.
The monument is a marble obelisk that has a flame golden top.
The most beautiful museum in Southeast Asia is the National Museum.
This can be seen through collections of prehistoric, archaeological and ethnographic ceramics and a collection of Hindu Javanese art.
Other attractions in Jakarta are: the Old City and the Sasmita, Loka, Adam Malik and the Military Museums.
The Lombok Island is located near the ocean and includes the Medana and Nusa beaches and Tenggara Barat, a province in the eastern part of the country.
It is surrounded by tropical gardens and is famous because of the 1000 mosques.
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