Lingga Islands

Not to be confused with "Linga", a common Scottish island name, see Linga (disambiguation)

Lingga Islands
Islands and Regency
Red Circle is Lingga Islands, south of Riau Archipelago, part of Riau Islands province (green)
Country	Indonesia
Province	Riau Islands
Capital	Daik
Area
• Total	2,205.95 km2 (851.72 sq mi)
Population (2010)
• Total	86,230
• Density	39/km2 (100/sq mi)
Time zone	WIB (UTC+7)

Port of Jago on the northern coast of Singkep, close to the island of Lingga.

Stilt houses in Cempa.

The Lingga Islands or Lingga Archipelago (Indonesian: Kepulauan Lingga) are a group of islands in Indonesia, located south of Singapore, along both sides of the equator, off the eastern coast of Riau Province on Sumatra island. They are 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, the name of the main island in the archipelago. Administratively they form a Regency of the Riau Islands Province with an area of 2,205.95 km² ^[1] and a population of 86,150 people at the 2010 Census. The capital lies at Daik.

The population are mainly Malay, Bugis and Chinese (predominantly Hakka, Teochew and Hokkien).

Name

Lingga derives its name from the profile of Mount Daik; Lingam is the Sanskrit word for phallus. This mountain has three sharp teeth as peak, one of them seems to have broken off at its base, and it was immortalized by Malay poets as the symbol of durability. The poet is

             Pulau Pandan jauh ke tengah,
             Gunung Daik bercabang tiga,
             Hancur badan dikandung tanah,
             Budi yang baik dikenang juga.

Nearby are the remains of the fort of Benteng Bukit Cening, overlooking the sea. The cannons are still lined up, as if they were awaiting another enemy attack.

Islands

By size and population the most important islands in the archipelago are Lingga and Singkep, then Sebangka and Bakung.

• Lingga with smaller Pulau (P.) Alut.
• P. Selayar of Riau Islands between Lingga and Singkep.
• Singkep with P. Posik to the west, P. Serak to the SW, P. Lalang to the South.
• Sebangka and Bakung NW of Lingga, with town of Limas, islets Senayang, Kapas, Kentar, Mowang.
• P. Lobam and Cempah to the west of Sebangka.
• Temiang and Mesawak in the north.

Administration

The Regency is divided into five districts (kecamatan) - tabulated below with their 2010 Census population:^[2]

Transport

Ferry services to the islands from outside the archipelago come from the provincial capital to the north, Tanjung Pinang on Bintan, including from Singapore. These days the main industry is fishing. There are a number of fine beaches with some coral around the Archipelago but there is very little tourism on account of the poor transport links with the outside world.

• Singkep has two ports, Dabo near Dabosingkep and Jago near Sungaibuluh. Service to the port of Muntok on P. Bangka of Sumatera Selatan ceased operating regularly with the demise of the tin mining industry. However, a high-speed ferry continues to connect Tanjung Pinang to Singkep, from where local boats may be chartered to Lingga.

• For Lingga, Daik is the major town and port. It can be reached in a day from Singapore transferring at Tanjung Pinang.

Many islands that are part of the Lingga archipelago, including the island of Lingga itself towards the right, with its 1163-metre fog-obscured peak.

Lingga Roads

Lingga Roads is an anchorage in the Lingga Islands, south of Lingga Island and northwest of Singkep.^[3] During World War II, Lingga Roads was used as a fleet anchorage by major units of the Imperial Japanese Navy, in order that these ships be near a source of fuel. It was from Lingga Roads that the main Japanese southern striking force deployed for the Battle of Leyte Gulf.^[4]

References

External links

• Singkep Community Website
• Descriptions of all the major Riau Islands

v t e Main islands of Riau Islands Province Riau Archipelago Bintan Group: Bintan Mapur Gin Besar Mantang Dompak Telan Besar Senjolong Loban Angkut Empuru Penyegat Barelang Group: Batam-Rempang-Galang Galang Baru Subangmas Belakang Padang Sambu Manis Bulan Pemping Kepala Jernih Terong Karimun Group: Great Karimun Combol-Citlim Sugi Moro Island Durian Kundur Little Karimun Sanglar Durai Asam Island Bela Island Papan-Buru-Parit Natuna Islands Great Natuna South Natuna Archipelago Tambelan Archipelago Anambas Islands Tarempa Matak Jemaja Andriabu Lingga Islands Lingga Singkep Sebangka Bakung Selayar Posik Serak Lalang Temiang Mesawak Petong Abang Besar

v t e Regencies and cities of Riau Islands Province Capital: Tanjung Pinang Regencies Karimun Bintan Lingga Natuna Anambas Islands Cities Batam Tanjung Pinang See also: List of regencies and cities of Indonesia

Coordinates: 0°16′S 104°29′E / 0.267°S 104.483°E / -0.267; 104.483