Kundur Island is an island within the Riau Archipelago, part of the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. It lies at about southwest of Singapore, southwest of Batam, south of Great Karimun Island, northwest of the Lingga Islands and west of Tanjung Pinang on Bintan Island. Kundur is actually the main island of an archipelago that has an area of about , including the districts of Buru, Belat, Ungar and Selat Gelam with numerous minor surrounding islands.
The archipelago is separated from Great Karimun Island to the north by the Gelam Strait (Selat Gelam) and from the Moro Group of islands to the east by the Durian Stait (Selat Durian), although all these islands form parts of Karimun Regency. According to the 2010 Census population, the population of the islands was 67,090; the official estimate as at mid 2023 (including the adjacent smaller islands) was 91,463. As Kundur does not have an airport, all visitors arrive by ferry.
Most connections are with neighbouring islands, e.g. Tanjung Balai on Great Karimun Island, and mainland Sumatra. Direct ferry services to Singapore have been terminated because of decreasing profits, so travellers need to detour via Batam or Bintan.
Towns and villages
There are seven districts covering the Kundur archipelago. Kundur Island comprises the districts of Kundur, Kundur Utara (North Kundur) and Kundur Barat (West Kundur). The smaller islands of the Kundur archipelago are comprised by the districts of Buru, Ungar, Belat and Selat Gelam (Gelam Strait); before 2018, the villages now constituting Selat Gelam District were part of Karimum District. The seven districts (kecamatan) comprise eight towns (kelurahan, identified by asterisks * in the table below) and 25 rural villages (desa), all listed below with their areas and their estimated populations as at mid 2024.
KodeWilayah Name of DistrictName of town or village Area in km2 Pop'nEstimatemid 2024 21.02.02.1001 Kundur Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Karimun Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201020) West Tanjung Batu * 42.206,812 21.02.02.1002 Kundur Tanjung Batu Kota * 17.0012,289 21.02.02.2004 Kundur Sungai Sebesi 23.003,710 21.02.02.2005 Kundur Sungai Ungar 25.003,136 21.02.02.2006 Kundur Lubuk 19.002,790 21.02.02.1009 Kundur Gading Sari * 12.002,684 21.02.07.2003 North Kundur Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Karimun Utara Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201021) North Sungai Ungar 28.502,381 21.02.07.2004 North Kundur Teluk Radang 22.002,042 21.02.07.2010 North Kundur Perayun 28.001,858 21.02.07.1012 North Kundur Tanjung Berlian Kota * 37.904,157 21.02.07.2013 North Kundur West Tanjung Berlian 33.002,668 21.02.08.1001 West Kundur Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Karimun Barat Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201022) Sawang * 10.835,510 21.02.08.2002 West Kundur South Sawang 36.933,825 21.02.08.2003 West Kundur Sawamg Laut 29.823,108 21.02.08.2004 West Kundur Kundur 34.153,726 21.02.08.2005 West Kundur Gemuruh 9.373,283
KodeWilayah Name of DistrictName of town or village Area in km2 Pop'nEstimatemid 2024 21.02.06.1001 Buru Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Buru Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201031) Buru * 13.003,241 21.02.06.1002 Buru Lubuk Puding * 9.163,858 21.02.06.2003 Buru Tanjung Hutan 18.331,798 21.02.06.2004 Buru Tanjung Batu Kecil 17.501,960 21.02.11.1001 Ungar Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Ungar Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201023) Alai * 19.792,662 21.02.11.2002 Ungar Batu Limau 17.081,515 21.02.11.2003 Ungar Ngal 8.15691 21.02.11.2004 Ungar Sungai Buluh 2.081,099 21.02.12.2001 Belat Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Belat Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201024) Sebele 14.971,310 21.02.12.2002 Belat Lebuh 7.641,242 21.02.12.2003 Belat Penarah 26.001,445 21.02.12.2004 Belat Sungai Asam 17.311,366 21.02.12.2005 Belat Tebias 9.20851 21.02.12.2006 Belat Degong 9.89581 21.02.12.2001 Selat Gelam Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 26 September 2024, Kecamatan Selat Gelam Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.201024) Parit 36.361,707 21.02.12.2002 Selat Gelam Tulang 151.521,460 21.02.12.2003 Selat Gelam Selat Mendaun 8.151,026 Totals 794.8391,518
Geography Pulau Kundur (Kundur Island itself) is the principal and most populated part of the archipelago. To the southeast are situated Pulau Ungar and Pulau Mandah, with the smaller Pulau Ngal and Pulau Perapos to their east. Pulau Panjang lies to the east of Kundur. To the northeast of Kundur are situated Pulau Belat, Pulau Degong and Pulau Tabias; further north are Pulau Papan and Pulau Buru, while further north still are Pulau Parit, Pulau Tulang and Pulau Lumut, all separated by the Gelam Strait from Great Karimun (and its outliers) even further north. Tanjung Batu
The biggest town on Kundur Island, Tanjung Batu is marked as the district centre (kota kecamatan) of the island. It is located at the southern tip of the island, and is the hub for most ferry businesses.
It is the town with most number of businesses and trading companies. It is also a popular starting/finishing point for cycling trips as well.
Its commercial street is Jalan Merdeka, just a stone's throw away from the port, but most of the shops are lined on the side of Jalan Kartini and Jalan Jendral Sudirman. Jalan Usman Harun is a temple street where it locates the Vihara Dharma Shanti which is a Buddhist temple. North to the end of Jalan J. Sudirman is a housing area called Batu Dua. Vehicles used in this towns include angkuts and ojeks.
Urung
Another town in the district of North Kundur (Kundur Utara). It is just a bit smaller than Tanjung Batu, and is also another popular starting/finishing point for cycling trips.
Selat Belia
A third town at the northern tip of Kundur Island. It means "straits of youth" in Bahasa Indonesia.
Sungai Ungar
A village on the south-east zone of Kundur Island.
Sawang
A town located in the district of West Kundur (Kundur Barat). It is the town where the biggest hotel in Kundur Island, Hotel Taman Gembira, is located.
References
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