Indonesia

JAKARTA

Jakarta developed as a port town under the control of various regional powers, until it became the subject of a tug-of-war between British and Dutch colonists. In 1615 things came to a head when a British fleet, allied with local ruler Prince Jayawikarta, attacked the local Dutch fortress. The attack faltered however, and the Dutch destroyed the British fort and forced the English into a seaborne retreat. With this victory, Dutch influence in Jakarta was consolidated right up until it was taken by the Japanese during World War II. Shortly after the Japanese defeat, Indonesia secured independence and Jakarta was named both regional and national capital.

Jakarta, located on the northwest coast of Java island, has an area of 661.52 square kilometers. With its city population of 8.5 million and metropolitan area population of over 23 million, Jakarta is the most populace Southeast Asian conurbation and the world’s 11th largest city. Jakarta is also one of the wealthiest cities in Asia with US$ 18,000 income per capita.
Read the latest analysis of the Jakarta property market

BALI

The Indonesian island of Bali rests between Java to the west and Lombok to the east. It is one of the country’s 33 provinces with the provincial capital at Denpasar towards the south of the island. Bali was inhabited by Austronesian peoples by about 2,000 BC who had migrated originally from Taiwan through Maritime Southeast Asia. Culturally and linguistically, the Balinese are thus closely related to the peoples of the Indonesian archipelago, the Philippines, and Oceania. Balinese culture has also been strongly influenced by Indian and Chinese, and particularly Hindu culture, the majority religion on the island.

The Hindu Majapahit Empire founded a Balinese colony in 1343 and when the empire declined many of its intellectuals, artists, priests and musicians settled on the island. The Dutch were the first of the old world powers to discover Bali and although they established themselves on the island, their grip was never as strong as in other parts of Indonesia.

Bali’s life as a tourist destination began in the 1930s when anthropologists Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson created a western image of Bali as ‘an enchanted land of aesthetes at peace with themselves and nature’. This view of the island triggered a conveyor belt of western visitors which, along with its highly developed arts, including dance, sculpture, painting, leather, metalworking and music, has seen Bali become the largest tourist destination in the country.
Read the latest analysis of the Bali property market

BINTAN

Bintan Island is part of the Riau Islands in Northern Indonesia and its capital is the southwestern city of Tanjung Pinang. Bintan, the largest of 3,200 islands in the Riau Archipelago, is located less than 40 kilometers from Singapore and is known for its tropical forests and beautiful white beaches.
Starting out as a trading port and quickly developed into one of the most important in the region. However, its success quickly caught the attention of the European powers.

The Dutch attacked and took control of the island at the end of the 18th century, bringing to an end its local trading supremacy and delaying the British arrival in the area for a few years until the internal power struggle within the sultanate of Riau-Johor offered them the opportunity to take control of the island of Singapore. The following years saw Bintan decline as a trading port but grow as a Malay and Islamic cultural centre. Read the latest analysis of the Bintan property market

LOMBOK

Lombok is an island among several which make up the chain of the Lesser Sunda Islands West Nusa Tenggara province, Indonesia. It rests just east of its similarly sized but more famous sister, Bali, and has a population of three million. The Dutch were the first westerners to visit Lombok in 1674 and settled the eastern most part of the island, leaving the western half to be ruled by a Hindu dynasty from Bali. The entire island eventually came under Dutch control after a native uprising cast of Balinese rule, and by 1894 Lombok had been designated part of the Netherlands East Indies. It came under Japanese rule during World War II and became part of an independent Indonesia soon after the end of hostilities.

Today, the Indonesian government is pushing hard to draw as much attention to Lombok as is enjoyed by Bali, and has met with some considerable success of late. An Indonesian contingent participated in a recent International Tourism Bourse (ITB) which attracted some 180,000 visitors in Berlin, and regional administrators from Lombok were heavily represented, along with a number of figures from the island’s hotel and travel agent industries.

The more Islamic culture in Lombok compared to Bali may explain the reason why Lombok is quieter in terms of parties and nightlife, which can be either a positive or a negative depending on your point of view. Either way, Lombok’s pitch as an ‘unspoiled Bali’ is an accurate one, with its less crowded but equally beautiful beaches and often exquisite flora and fauna set around the imposing Volcano of Mount Rinjani. Lombok boasts an international airport with direct flights from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. Pristine beaches ring the island and many, particularly in the southeast, remain untouched. Snorkeling, diving and surfing can be world-class, and new sites are being discovered all the time. Read the latest analysis of the Lombok property market

BATAM

Batam island, in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, is located 20 km off Singapore’s south coast. The 415 sq km island has a predominantly Malay population of around 800,000. However, there is also a substantial Chinese minority as well as a handful of indigenous Orang Laut tribes.

In the 1970s, the island underwent a major transformation from a largely forested area into a major harbor and industrial zone. The population drastically grew from a few thousand in the 1960s into hundreds of thousands. Located close to Singapore and endowed with a much cheaper labour force, several Singaporean companies have established factories in Batam. The Indonesian government granted Batam full free trade zone status in June 2007 in a move aimed to transform the island’s economy. Read the latest analysis of the Batam property market