In 1759 Captain William Wilson sailing in the East Indiaman Pitt navigated these waters and named the channel between Batanta and Salawati as Pitt Strait, after his vessel.

Islam first arrived in the Raja Ampat archipelago in the 15th century due to political and economic contacts with the Bacan Sultanate.

[1] During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Sultanate of Tidore had close economic ties with the island.

[1][2] Batanta was historically under the rule of the Salawati Kingdom, one of the Raja Ampat (Four Kings).

The following reptile, mammal, and bird species are found on the island: