Bintan in the context of "Johor-Riau-Lingga"

The Johor Sultanate (Malay: Kesultanan Johor or کسلطانن جوهر; also called the Sultanate of Johor, Johor-Pahang-Riau-Lingga, or the Johor Empire) was founded by Sultan of Malacca Mahmud Shah's son, Alauddin Riayat Shah II in 1528.

Prior to being a sultanate of its own right, Johor had been part of the Malaccan Sultanate before the Portuguese captured its capital in 1511. At its height, the sultanate controlled territory in what is now modern-day Johor, Pahang, Terengganu, territories stretching from the rivers of Klang to the Linggi and Tanjung Tuan, situated respectively in Selangor, Negeri Sembilan and Malacca (as an exclave), Singapore, Pulau Tinggi and other islands off the east coast of the Malay Peninsula, the Karimun Islands, the islands of Bintan, Bulang, Lingga and Bunguran, and Bengkalis, Kampar and Siak in Sumatra.

Galang (Indonesian: Pulau Galang) is an island of 80 km located 25 mi (40 km) southeast of Batam, belonging to a group of three islands called Barelang (an abbreviation of Batam-Rempang-Galang). Part of the Riau Archipelago, Indonesia, Galang is located just south of Batam and Rempang which themselves are just south of Singapore and Johor. Administratively, all three islands form part of the city of Batam; the nearest other city to Galang is Tanjungpinang on Bintan island, about a 30-minute boat ride away. The island is connected by the Barelang Bridge to Rempang and Batam.

There was a UNHCR administration office established in Galang to run the Galang Refugee Camp during the 1979-1996 period. Many Vietnamese boat people and asylum seekers were temporarily accommodated in the Galang camp during the determination of their refugee status and their subsequent resettlement in the United States, Australia, and some European countries. Many Vietnamese from their new resettled countries have come back to visit Galang.

The Lingga Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Lingga) is a group of 600 islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore and along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Province on Sumatra island. They are due south of the populated Riau Archipelago, known for the industrial island of Batam and the tourist-frequented island of Bintan, although the Lingga Islands themselves are rarely visited due to the infrequent local transportation. The equator goes through the northern tip of Lingga Island, the main island in the archipelago.

Administratively they form a Regency of the Riau Islands Province with a land area of 2,250.45 km and a population of 86,244 people at the 2010 census and 98,633 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 102,474. The regency seat lies at Daik on Lingga Island.

Paedocypris is a genus of tiny cyprinid fish found in swamps and streams on the Southeast Asian islands of Borneo, Sumatra and Bintan.

Paedocypris progenetica has been claimed to be the one of smallest known species of fish in the world. The smallest mature female measured 7.9 mm (0.31 in) and the largest known individual was 10.3 mm (0.41 in).