Geography and Population
The island of Batam, which lies within the central core group of islands (the Riau Archipelago), contains a majority of the province's population; since becoming part of a Special Economic Zone with Singapore in 2006, it has experienced high population growth rates. Other highly populated islands within the Riau Archipelago include Bintan and Karimun, while the archipelago also includes islands such as Bulan and Kundur. There are around 3,200 islands in the province, which has its capital located at Tanjung Pinang in the south of Bintan Island. The province also includes the Lingga Islands to the south of the main Riau Archipelago, while to the northeast lies the Tudjuh Archipelago, located between Borneo and mainland Malaysia; the Tudjuh Archipelago consists of four distinct groups of islands - the Anambas Islands, Natuna islands, Tambelan islands and Badas Islands - which were also attached to the new province, although they were not geographically part of the Riau Archipelago.
Read more about this topic: Riau Islands Province
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