Anambas Islands Regency () is an island

regency In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

in the Riau Islands Province, Indonesia, located in the Natuna Sea. The regency consists of 255 islands, including five outer islands that are important for Indonesia's sovereignty boundaries, namely: Tokong Berlayar Island, Tokong Nanas Island, Mangkai Island, Damar Island, and Malangbiru Island. Anambas Islands Regency located northeast of

Batam Island Batam, officially the City of Batam (, not to be confused with ''Batam Kota'', a kecamatan, district within this city), is the largest List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. The city administra ...

in the Natuna Sea between the Malaysian Peninsula to the west and the island of Borneo to the east. Geographically part of the Tudjuh Archipelago. This island regency covers a land area of approximately spread over an area of approximately 46,664 km² of water. The regency had a population of around 37,411 at the 2010 Census.Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 47,402 at the 2020 Census;Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 50,140.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, ''Kabupaten Kepulauan Anambas Dalam Angka 2024'' (summation of figures for individual districts as per Katalog references given below) The administrative centre is at Tarempa on Siantan Island.

Islands

Main islands

The islands fall into two main groups. The eastern group includes the principal island of Siantan (on which is situated the main town of Tarempa) and Bajau. Further north lie the islands of Matak and Mubur, together with a number of small islands. The western group is centred on the island of Jemaja (on which is situated the only other town of Letung), with a number of smaller islands to its north. Between these two main groups lie a number of smaller islands, of which Telaga Island is the largest, while Airabu Island lies due south of Siantan.

Matak island

The Anambas archipelago contains a large reserve of

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

that is exported to countries such as

Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...

and

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. The island of Matak is the main base for oil exploration.

Pulau Bawah

Pulau Bawah, formerly known as Leeward island, is a clustered archipelago of six islands accessed by

seaplane A seaplane is a powered fixed-wing aircraft capable of takeoff, taking off and water landing, landing (alighting) on water.Gunston, "The Cambridge Aerospace Dictionary", 2009. Seaplanes are usually divided into two categories based on their tech ...

. It is located about 150 nautical miles northeast of

and

Batam Batam, officially the City of Batam (, not to be confused with ''Batam Kota'', a kecamatan, district within this city), is the largest List of regencies and cities of Indonesia, city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. The city administra ...

, is a cluster of islets that collectively surround three lagoons, each of which suitable for snorkelling, scubadiving and coral beach activities.

CNN Cable News Network (CNN) is a multinational news organization operating, most notably, a website and a TV channel headquartered in Atlanta. Founded in 1980 by American media proprietor Ted Turner and Reese Schonfeld as a 24-hour cable ne ...

rates the Anambas Islands are one of Southeast Asia's most spectacular coastal spots, with good snorkelling and diving spots, and Pulau Bawah in particular has good tourism potential.Pulau Bawah
/ref> Whilst the majority of the population generates their income from fishing and fishing-related industries, tourism has been gaining traction.

Diving

The shipwrecked vessels ''Seven Skies'' and ''Igara'' attract a variety of indigenous marine life and offer diving opportunities.

Administrative districts

At the 2010 Census, the Regency was divided into seven

districts A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''kecamatan''), but three additional districts have subsequently been created by splitting of two of the existing districts - Jemaja Barat from Jemaja District, and Siantan Utara and Kute Siantan from Palmatak District. The ten districts are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 CensusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and the 2020 Census,Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021. together with the official estimates as at mid 2022.Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, ''Kabupaten Kepulauan Anambas Dalam Angka 2024'' (summation of figures for individual districts as per Katalog references given below) The table also includes the location of the district administrative centres, the number of villages in each district (totaling 52 rural ''desa'' and 2 urban ''kelurahan'', the latter being Tarempa and Letung), and its post code. Notes: (a) the 2010 population of the new Jemaja Barat District is included in the figure for Jemaja District, from which it was cut out.
(b) notwithstanding the district name, this is situated on Matak Island, of which it comprises the southern part.
(c) comprises most of Matak Island, plus nearly small islands. (d) notwithstanding the district name, this is situated on Mubur Island.
(e) the 2010 populations of the new Siantan Utara District and Kute Siantan District are included in the figures for Palmatak District, from which they were cut out.

References

External links

* National Geospatial-intelligence Agency (2005
"Borneo: Northwest Coast and Kepulauan Tudjuh"
''Sailing directions (enroute): Borneo, Jawa, Sulawesi, and Nusa Tenggara'' United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency * * Website all things about Anamba
"Virtual Journey to Anambas"

Pulau Bawah website

Pulau Bawah (formerly Leeward Islands) map

Islas ANAMBAS
(Spanish) {{Authority control Regencies of the Riau Islands Tudjuh Archipelago Populated places in Indonesia