Rempang Island (Indonesian: pulau Rempang) is an Indonesian island, located 2.5 km southeast of the neighbouring Batam Island, with the total land mass size of165.83 km. Rempang Island belongs to the three-interconnected islands group of Riau Archipelago known as Barelang (an abbreviation of Batam-Rempang-Galang), and administratively part of the Riau Islands Province. The nearest urban city to Rempang Island is the Tanjung Pinang City, located on neighbouring Bintan Island.
Batam, officially the City of Batam (Indonesian: Kota Batam, not to be confused with Batam Kota, a district within this city), is the largest city in the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. The city administrative area covers three main islands of Batam, Rempang and Galang (collectively called Barelang), as well as Bulang to the west and several smaller islands.
Batam Island is the core urban and industrial zone, while both Rempang Island and Galang Island maintain their rural character and low-density population; they are connected to Batam Island by short bridges. Bulang Island and the islands to its north lie to the west of Batam Island are part of Belakang Padang District but are also administratively within the city.
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.
Barelang Bridge (Indonesian: Jembatan Barelang) is a chain of 6 bridges of various types built in 1997 that connect the Rempang-Galang island group in the Riau Archipelago with the principal island of Batam to its north. The smaller islands of Tonton, Nipah, and Setotok (considered parts of the Batam island group) connect Batam and Rempang, while a further small island - Galang Baru - is connected at the southern end of the chain. The entire Barelang region covers 715 square kilometres (276 sq mi).
Some locals call the bridge Jembatan Habibie after Jusuf Habibie, who oversaw the project in construction, aiming to transform the Rempang and Galang islands into industrial sites (resembling present-day Batam).