Sinkang (Vegetarian World)

Sinkang (Chinese: 新港), population: 115,000, is the third-largest city in, after Sundarapore City and. Sinkang is located just south of Sundarapore Island, on the northern coast of Batam Island.

Officially founded in 1924, Sinkang specialized in things that people didn't want to live near, such as oil refineries. Less than 20 years later, it was invaded by the Japanese and renamed "Nagoya". Post-war, the name was changed back, and Sinkang started attracting more regular businesses and settlers. The industrial areas shifted to the outskirts of the town. Especially from Sundarapore's independence on, Sinkang came to attract many (mostly vegetarian) immigrants from all over, including China,, , , , and other places, often to work for major industries. However, though there were a few differences when compared to the main city, Sundaraporean culture took firm hold in Batam, too. This was perhaps aided by the fact that the demographics did not differ significantly from Sundarapore's as a whole, and Sundarapore has always been a multicultural (yet also Sundaraporean) nation of immigrants.

The 1980s saw a great transformation of Sinkang. Urban beautification was on the rise throughout the world, and Sundarapore was no exception. The 1980s saw the completion of some buildings, parks, and other sites that have by now become monuments and have given Sinkang its own character. Its "neoclassical-Chinese hybrid" city hall, Jasmine Gardens, Mayfield Park, "traditional Chinese" performing arts centre, "neoclassical-Malayan" Malay cultural centre, and the exquisitely stone-carved Sinkang Jaina Temple were all built during this time.

The 1990s saw more shops opening up, and a wider variety of products to choose from. Batam central shopping mall opened, and the "neoclassical" Batam museum also opened its doors. Also during the 1990s, Batam became the major Sundaraporean wind-powered and solar-powered energy producer in all of Sundarapore. This brought more wealth to Sinkang.

Currently, Sinkang is a very liveable city, with very little poverty - roughly comparable to the whole country of Sundarapore. Since the late 1970s, it has gone from a city mostly based on oil refining and chemical production to having a diverse economy, complete with farming, renewable energy production, services, and a continued role in oil refining and chemicals.

Arguably containing fewer interesting sites than either of its larger brethren, many citizens of Sinkang often complain that there is nothing to do there. Sundarapore City civilians, however, see Sinkang as a nice retreat from the completely big-city urban life. At any rate, Sinkang and central Sundarapore City are a cheap 40-minute boat ride away from each other.