Rupat

Rupat (Indonesian: Pulau Rupat) is an island in the Strait of Malacca, and forms part of Bengkalis Regency within Riau, Indonesia. It lies just off the eastern coast of Sumatra, across from Dumai city, from which it is separated by the Rupat Strait (Indonesian: Selat Rupat). Its area is 1,520.86 km² (587.21 sq mi). The island is sparsely populated (50,803 in mid-2024), with an average population density of 33.4 per km².^[1] Rupat was one of thousands of abandoned islands, but its population is growing yearly, which has made the government expand the area for the settlement.

Rupat

Native name: Palau Rupat (Indonesian)
Ketapang Beach
Rupat Location in Riau Province
Geography
Location	Strait of Malacca
Coordinates	1°54′N 101°36′E
Area	1,520.86 km2 (587.21 sq mi)
Administration
Indonesia
Demographics
Population	50,803 (mid 2024)[1]
Pop. density	33.4/km2 (86.5/sq mi)

The island is administratively divided into two districts (kecamatan) of Bengkalis Regency.
Rupat District comprises the southern 75.2% of the island, covering 1,143.72 km², with 30,550 inhabitants at the 2010 Census and 34,719 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate in mid 2024 was 36,307 inhabitants;^[1] it is sub-divided into four urban communities (kelurahan) and twelve rural villages (desa), all sharing the postcode of 28781. The main town is at Batu Panjang on the south coast of the island, which faces Dumai city across the Rupat Strait.
North Rupat District (Rupat Utara) covers the northern 21.6% of the island, with an area of 377.14 km² and with 13,020 inhabitants at the 2010 Census and 14,117 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate in mid 2024 was 14,496 inhabitants;^[1] it is sub-divided into eight villages (all rural desa), all sharing the postcode of 28782, with the village of Tanjung Medang being home to the district administration.

Communities

The two districts comprise four urban communities (kelurahan, listed first in the table below) and twenty rural villages (desa), listed below with their areas and their populations as officially estimated for mid 2023^[2][3] although the mid-2024 estimates show a substantially lesser population.^[1]

Kode Wilayah Name of kelurahan or desa Area in km2 Pop'n Estimate mid 2023 14.03.10.1001 Batu Panjang 138.18 5,038 14.03.10.1002 Pergam 98.58 3,192 14.03.10.1003 Terkul 101.17 4,616 14.03.10.1004 Tanjung Kapal 264.64 4,137 14.03.10.2005 Sei Cingam 48.87 2,565 14.03.10.2006 Teluk Lecah 70.56 2,507 14.03.10.2007 Makeruh 24.08 1,554 14.03.10.2008 Hutan Panjang 39.24 2,311 14.03.10.2009 Pangkalan Nyirih 14.38 2,941 14.03.10.2010 Sukarjo Mesin 38.68 2,060 14.03.10.2011 Darul Aman 101.55 2,108 14.03.10.2012 Parit Kebumen 9.20 2,493 14.03.10.2013 Sri Tanjung 41.32 2,519 14.03.10.2014 Pancur Jaya 12.95 2,354 14.03.10.2015 Pangkalan Pinang 11.54 1,553 14.03.10.2016 Dungun Baru 121.36 2,277 14.03.10 Totals Rupat District 1,336.30 44,225

Kode Wilayah Name of desa Area in km2 Pop'n Estimate mid 2023 14.03.11.2001 Tanjung Medan 33.86 3,018 14.03.11.2002 Teluk Rhu 18.42 2,612 14.03.11.2003 Tanjung Punak 13.63 1,330 14.03.11.2004 Kador 20.05 2,139 14.03.11.2005 Titi Akar 208.12 4,162 14.03.11.2006 Hutan Ayu 35.77 1,107 14.03.11.2007 Sukadamai 25.12 914 14.03.11.2008 Putri Sembilan 13.71 1,731 14.03.11 Totals Rupat Utara District 368.68 17,013

Proposed Malacca Strait Bridge

There is a proposal by the Malaysian government with Chinese financial backing to build a bridge from Melaka to Rupat and thence to Dumai, to be called the Malacca Strait Bridge, though Jakarta seems to prefer to build the Sunda Strait Bridge first.

Raptor bird migration

Together with the Sangihe Islands, Rupat is located in the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, a corridor used by bird of prey for migration. 24 of the 56 kinds of Asian raptors can be found in both locations. From September to November, up to 2,000 raptors migrate to Rupat every day, while migration out happens from February to April.^[4]