Riau is a
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
. It is located on the central eastern coast of
Sumatra along the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
. The province shares land borders with
North Sumatra to the northwest,
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
to the west, and
Jambi to the south. According to the
2020 census, Riau had a population of 6,394,087 across a land area of 87,023.66
square kilometres
Square kilometre ( International spelling as used by the International Bureau of Weights and Measures) or square kilometer (American spelling), symbol km2, is a multiple of the square metre, the SI unit of area or surface area.
1 km2 is e ...
;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 6,493,603. The province comprises ten
regencies and two
cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
, with
Pekanbaru serving as the
capital and
largest city
The United Nations uses three definitions for what constitutes a city, as not all cities in all jurisdictions are classified using the same criteria. Cities may be defined as the cities proper, the extent of their urban area, or their metropo ...
.
Historically, Riau has been a part of
various monarchies before the arrival of
European colonial
The historical phenomenon of colonization is one that stretches around the globe and across time. Ancient and medieval colonialism was practiced by the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Turks, and the Arabs.
Colonialism in the modern sense bega ...
powers.
Muara Takus
Muara Takus ( id, Candi Muara Takus) is a Buddhist temple complex, thought to belong to the Srivijaya empire. It is situated in Kampar Regency in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Its surviving temples and other archaeological remains are thought ...
temple in
Kampar Regency
Kampar is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It has an area of 11,289.28 km2 and had a population of 686,204 at the 2010 Census, 793,005 at the 2015 Intermediate Census and 841,332 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre of ...
, believed to be a remnant of the
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
empire of
Srivijaya circa 11th-12th century. Following the
spread of Islam
The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territorie ...
in the 14th century, the region was then under control of Malay sultanates of
Siak Sri Indrapura
Siak Sri Indrapura ( Jawi: سياق سري ايندراڤورا ) is a town in Riau province of Indonesia and it is the capital (seat) of Siak Regency. It was the place of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura.
Climate
Siak Sri Indrapura has a ...
, Indragiri, and
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
. The sultanates later became
protectorate
A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over most of its int ...
of the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
and were reduced to puppet states of the
Dutch East Indies. After the
establishment
Establishment may refer to:
* The Establishment, a dominant group or elite that controls a polity or an organization
* The Establishment (club), a 1960s club in London, England
* The Establishment (Pakistan), political terminology for the military ...
of Indonesia in 1945, Riau belonged to the republic's provinces of Sumatra (1945–1948) and Central Sumatra (1948–1957). On 10 August 1957, the province of Riau was inaugurated and it included the
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
until 2004.
Although Riau is predominantly considered the land of
Malays, it is a highly diverse province. In addition to Malays constituting one-third of the population, other major ethnic groups include
Javanese,
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
,
Batak, and
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
. The local Riau dialect of
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
is considered as the ''lingua franca'' in the province, but
Indonesian, the standardized form of Malay is used as the official language and also as the second language of many people. Other than that, different languages such as
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
,
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
and varieties of
Batak languages
__FORCETOC__
The Batak languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages spoken by the Batak people in the Indonesian province of North Sumatra and surrounding areas.
Internal classification
The Batak languages can be divided into two ...
are also spoken.
Riau is one of the wealthiest provinces in Indonesia and is rich in natural resources, particularly petroleum, natural gas, rubber,
palm oil and fibre plantations. Extensive logging and plantation development in has led to a massive decline in forest cover Riau, and associated fires have contributed to
haze across the larger region.
History
Etymology
There are three possible origins of the word ''riau'' which became the name of this province. First, from the Portuguese word, "''
rio
Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil.
Rio or Río may also refer to:
Geography Brazil
* Rio de Janeiro
* Rio do Sul, a ...
''" which means river.
["Kondisi Sosial Budaya Provinsi Riau"](_blank)
. Sekretariat Negara, diakses 17 Oktober 2013. In 1514, there was a Portuguese military expedition that traced the Siak River, in order to find the location of a kingdom they believed existed in the area, and at the same time to pursue followers of Sultan Mahmud Shah who fled after the fall of the Malacca Sultanate.
The second version claims that ''riau'' comes from the word ''riahi'' which means sea water. The word is allegedly derived from the figure of
Sinbad al-Bahar in the book of the
One Thousand and One Nights.
The third version mentions that this word comes from the local people's speech, lifted from the word rioh or boisterous, which means crowded, frenzied working people. Perhaps this name is derived from the naming of local people, the Malays who live in the Bintan area, which is now located in the Riau Islands. The name is likely to have become famous since Raja Kecil moved the Malay kingdom center from Johor to Ulu Riau in 1719.
This name was used as one of the four main sultanates that formed the kingdoms of Riau, Lingga, Johor and Pahang. However, as the consequences of the
Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824 between the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
and United Kingdom, the Johor-Pahang sultanates fell under British influence, while the Riau-Lingga sultanates fell under Dutch influence.
Prehistoric era
Riau is thought to have been inhabited since the time between 40,000 and 10,000 BC. This conclusion was taken after the discovery of tools from the Pleistocene era in the Sengingi River area in
Kuantan Singingi Regency in August 2009. Stone tools found include: an axle, a drawstring, and shale and core stone axes, which are the basic ingredients of making drawstring tools and shale. The research team also found some wood fossils predicted to be older than the stone tools. It is suspected the ones who used these tools were ''
Pithecanthropus erectus'' (reclassified as ''Homo erectus'') as such as those found in
Sangiran
Sangiran is an archaeological excavation site in Java in Indonesia. According to a UNESCO report (1995) "Sangiran is recognized by scientists to be one of the most important sites in the world for studying fossil man, ranking alongside Zhoukoud ...
,
Central Java. These tools proved the existence of prehistoric settlement in Riau. Earlier settlement was assumed to be possible in the area since the discovery of the
Muara Takus
Muara Takus ( id, Candi Muara Takus) is a Buddhist temple complex, thought to belong to the Srivijaya empire. It is situated in Kampar Regency in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Its surviving temples and other archaeological remains are thought ...
Temple in
Kampar in 1860.
Early historic era
![Muara Takus temple](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/Muara_Takus_temple.jpg)
The Malay kingdoms in Riau were at first based on the
Buddhist
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
Srivijaya Empire. This is evidenced by the
Muara Takus
Muara Takus ( id, Candi Muara Takus) is a Buddhist temple complex, thought to belong to the Srivijaya empire. It is situated in Kampar Regency in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Its surviving temples and other archaeological remains are thought ...
Temple which was thought to be the center of the Srivijaya government in Riau. It architecturally resembles those temples that can be found in India. In addition, French historian
George Cœdès also discovered the similarity of the Srivijaya governmental structure and the Malay sultanates of the 15th century. The earliest text that deals with the
Malay world is ''Sulalatus Salatin'' (''
Malay Annals)'' by
Tun Sri Lanang Tun Muhammad bin Tun Ahmad, better known as Tun Sri Lanang,Agus, Abdul Aziz, ''Tokoh yang Kukoh, dalam Kesusasteraan Melayu Lama dan Baru, oleh Agus Salim: Dengan Sejarah Sastera'', pg 72 was the Bendahara (Grand Vizier) of the royal Court of Johor ...
, in 1612. According to the annals,
Bukit Seguntang
''Bukit Seguntang'' or ''Bukit Siguntang'' (English: Seguntang Hill or Siguntang Hill) is a 29–30 metres high small hill located at the northern bank of Musi River and within the vicinity of Palembang, capital city of South Sumatra, Indonesi ...
in modern-day
Palembang in
South Sumatra
South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The prov ...
is the place where
Sang Sapurba Sri Maharaja Sang Sapurba Paduka Sri Trimurti Tri Buana, (1245–1316) also known as Sri Nila Pahlawan, is a figure in the Malay Annals, highly revered as the legendary great ancestor of some of the major dynasties of the Malay world: Singapura, Ma ...
came to the world and his descendants would scatter throughout the Malay world. His descendants such as Sang Mutiara would become king in
Tanjungpura and
Sang Nila Utama
Sang Nila Utama was a Srivijayan prince from Palembang and is the founder of the Kingdom of Singapura in 1299. His official title adopted upon his coronation was Sri Tri Buana (), which can be translated as "Lord of Three Worlds"; the "Three Worl ...
would become king in
Bintan
Bintan Regency (formerly Riau Islands Regency; id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Riau) is an administrative area in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. Bintan Regency includes all of Bintan Island (except for the city of Tanjung Pinang which is sep ...
before finally moving to
Singapura
Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...
. Before the arrival of Islam to the archipelago, many parts of the Riau region were under the Srivijaya Empire between the 7th to the 14th century which was greatly influenced by the Hindu-Buddhist tradition. Islam was introduced to the region when the
Maharaja
Mahārāja (; also spelled Maharajah, Maharaj) is a Sanskrit title for a "great ruler", "great king" or " high king".
A few ruled states informally called empires, including ruler raja Sri Gupta, founder of the ancient Indian Gupta Empire, a ...
of Srivijaya sent a letter to Caliph
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz
Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz ( ar, عمر بن عبد العزيز, ʿUmar ibn ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz; 2 November 680 – ), commonly known as Umar II (), was the eighth Umayyad caliph. He made various significant contributions and reforms to the society, and ...
of the
Umayyad Caliphate
The Umayyad Caliphate (661–750 CE; , ; ar, ٱلْخِلَافَة ٱلْأُمَوِيَّة, al-Khilāfah al-ʾUmawīyah) was the second of the four major caliphates established after the death of Muhammad. The caliphate was ruled by th ...
in Egypt containing a request to send a messenger to introduce
Islamic law
Sharia (; ar, شريعة, sharīʿa ) is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition. It is derived from the religious precepts of Islam and is based on the sacred scriptures of Islam, particularly the Quran and the ...
to him.
Islamic sultanates
![Siak HUT RI 71](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5f/Siak_HUT_RI_71.jpg)
In the 12th century, the entry of Islam into the archipelago was carried through the
Samudera Pasai Sultanate
The Samudera Pasai Sultanate (), also known as Samudera or Pasai or Samudera Darussalam or Pacem, was a Muslim harbour kingdom on the north coast of Sumatra from the 13th to the 16th centuries CE. The kingdom was believed to have been founded ...
in
Aceh which was the first and recognized as the pioneer of the Islamic sultanates in the archipelago of during its heyday. The process of the
spread of Islam
The spread of Islam spans about 1,400 years. Muslim conquests following Muhammad's death led to the creation of the caliphates, occupying a vast geographical area; conversion to Islam was boosted by Arab Muslim forces conquering vast territorie ...
occurred through trade, marriage and missionary activities of Muslim clerics. These factors led to the spread of peace and the growth of Islamic influence throughout the Malay world. The strong factor of acceptance of Islam by Malay people is the aspect of human equality, which according to the ideology of society at that time adhered to the
caste system in
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
, where lower class caste people were lower than members of higher castes.
The golden age of Islam in the region is when
Malacca became an Islamic sultanate. Many elements of Islamic law, including political and administrative sciences are incorporated into Malacca law, especially the ''
Udang-Undang Melaka'' (Law of Melaka). The ruler of Melaka received the title '
Sultan' and was responsible for Islam in his kingdom. In the 15th century, Islam spread and developed throughout the Melaka region including the entire
Malay Peninsula,
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
,
Bintan
Bintan Regency (formerly Riau Islands Regency; id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Riau) is an administrative area in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. Bintan Regency includes all of Bintan Island (except for the city of Tanjung Pinang which is sep ...
,
Lingga and several areas on the eastern coast of Sumatra, namely
Jambi,
Bengkalis,
Siak,
Rokan,
Indragiri,
Kampar, and
Kuantan
Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Peni ...
. Malacca is considered a catalyst in the expansion of Islam into other areas such as
Palembang,
Sumatra,
Patani
Patani Darussalam ( Bahasa Malayu Arabic : , also sometimes Patani Raya or Patani Besar, "Greater Patani"; th, ปาตานี) is a historical region in the Malay peninsula. It includes the southern Thai provinces of Pattani, Yala (Jal ...
in
southern Thailand
Southern Thailand, Southern Siam or Tambralinga is a southernmost cultural region of Thailand, separated from Central Thailand region by the Kra Isthmus.
Geography
Southern Thailand is on the Malay Peninsula, with an area of around , bounde ...
,
North Kalimantan,
Brunei
Brunei ( , ), formally Brunei Darussalam ( ms, Negara Brunei Darussalam, Jawi: , ), is a country located on the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia. Apart from its South China Sea coast, it is completely surrounded by t ...
and
Mindanao
Mindanao ( ) ( Jawi: مينداناو) is the second-largest island in the Philippines, after Luzon, and seventh-most populous island in the world. Located in the southern region of the archipelago, the island is part of an island group of ...
.
According to the journals of the Portuguese explorer
Tomé Pires
Tomé Pires (1465?–1524 or 1540)Madureira, 150–151. was a Portuguese apothecary from Lisbon who spent 1512 to 1515 in Malacca immediately after the Portuguese conquest, at a time when Europeans were only first arriving in Southeast As ...
between 1513 and 1515, Siak is an area that lies between ''Arcat'' and ''Indragiri'' which he calls a port city under a
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
king, then became a Malacca vassal before being conquered by the
Portuguese
Portuguese may refer to:
* anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal
** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods
** Portuguese language, a Romance language
*** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language
** Portu ...
. Since the
fall of Malacca into the hands of the
Dutch East India Company
The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...
(VOC), the
Johor Sultanate has claimed Siak as part of its sovereignty territory. This continued until the arrival of Sultan Abdul Jalil Rahmat Shah or ''Raja Kecil'' who later founded the
Siak Sultanate
The Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, often called Sultanate of Siak (Indonesian: Kesultanan Siak Sri Inderapura; Jawi: ), was a kingdom that was located in the Siak Regency, Riau from 1722 to 1949 CE. It was founded by ''Raja Kechil,'' who w ...
.
[Andaya, L.Y., (1972), ''Raja Kechil and the Minangkabau conquest of Johor in 1718'', JMBRAS, 45-2.] In the ''Syair Perang Siak'', it is told that ''Raja Kecil'' was asked to become the ruler of Siak for the consensus of the people in
Bengkalis. This aims to release Siak from the influence of the Johor Sultanate.
[Cave, J., Nicholl, R., Thomas, P. L., Effendy, T., (1989), ''Syair Perang Siak: a court poem presenting the state policy of a Minangkabau Malay royal family in exile'', Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society] While according to the ''Hikayat Siak'', ''Raja Kecil'' was also called the true inheritor of the throne of the Sultan of Johor who lost the power struggle.
[Barnard, T. P., (2004), ''Contesting Malayness: Malay identity across boundaries'', NUS Press, .] Based on the correspondence of the Sultan Indermasyah with the Dutch Governor-General in Malacca at that time, it was mentioned that Sultan Abdul Jalil was his brother who was sent for business affairs with the VOC. Sultan Abdul Jalil then wrote a letter addressed to the Dutch, calling himself the ''Raja Kecil'' of
Pagaruyung
Pagaruyung (ڤاڬارويوڠ; also Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and, Malayapura or Malayupura) was the seat of the Minangkabau kings of Western Sumatra, though little is known about it. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in ''Tanjung Emas'' subdist ...
, that he would take revenge for the death of the
Sultan of Johor.
![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM De Sultan van Siak met rijksgroten in de afdeling Bengalis oostkust van Sumatra TMnr 60012313](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/20/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_De_Sultan_van_Siak_met_rijksgroten_in_de_afdeling_Bengalis_oostkust_van_Sumatra_TMnr_60012313.jpg)
In 1718, ''Raja Kecil'' succeeded in conquering the Johor Sultanate, at the same time crowning himself as the Sultan of Johor with the title ''Yang Dipertuan Besar Johor''.
But in 1722, a rebellion led by Raja Sulaiman who is the son of the former Sultan
Abdul Jalil Shah IV
Paduka Sri Sultan ‘Abdu’l Jalil IV Ri’ayat Shah Zillu’llah fi al-’Alam bin Dato’ Bendahara Sri Maharaja Tun Habib Abdul Majid (or simply as Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah IV) was the Sultan and Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Johor and Pahang and t ...
who also demanded the right to the throne of Johor. With the help of
Bugis mercenaries, Raja Sulaiman then succeeded in seizing the throne of Johor, and established himself as the ruler of Johor in
Peninsular Malaysia
Peninsular Malaysia ( ms, Semenanjung Malaysia; Jawi: سمننجڠ مليسيا), or the States of Malaya ( ms, Negeri-negeri Tanah Melayu; Jawi: نڬري-نڬري تانه ملايو), also known as West Malaysia or the Malaysian Peninsula, ...
, crowning himself as Sultan
Sulaiman Badrul Alam Shah of Johor, while ''Raja Kecil'' moved to
Bintan
Bintan Regency (formerly Riau Islands Regency; id, Kabupaten Kepulauan Riau) is an administrative area in the Riau Islands Province of Indonesia. Bintan Regency includes all of Bintan Island (except for the city of Tanjung Pinang which is sep ...
and in 1723 established a new government center on the bank of the
Siak River with the name
Siak Sri Inderapura.
While the center of the Johor government which had been around the estuary of the
Johor River
The Johor River ( ms, Sungai Johor) is the main river in the Malaysian state of Johor. The river is 122.7 km long with a catchment of 2,636 km2 and flows in a roughly north–south direction, originating from Mount Gemuruh and then empti ...
was abandoned, and became the ''status quo'' of each of the warring rulers. Whereas the claim of ''Raja Kecil'' as the legitimate heir to the throne of Johor, was recognized by the
Orang Laut
The Orang Laut are several seafaring ethnic groups and tribes living around Singapore, peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian Riau Islands. The Orang Laut are commonly identified as the Orang Seletar from the Straits of Johor, but the term ma ...
community. The Orang Laut is a Malay sub-group that resides in the
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
region that stretches from east Sumatra to the
South China Sea
The South China Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean. It is bounded in the north by the shores of South China (hence the name), in the west by the Indochinese Peninsula, in the east by the islands of Taiwan and northwestern Phi ...
, and this loyalty continues until the collapse of the Siak Sultanate.
[Andaya, L.Y., (1975), ''The Kingdom of Johor, 1641–1728'', Kuala Lumpur: Oxford University Press.]
By the late 18th century, the Siak Sultanate had become the dominant power on the eastern coast of Sumatra. In 1780, the Siak Sultanate conquered the
Langkat
The Sultanate of Langkat () was a Malay Muslim state located in modern Langkat Regency, North Sumatra. It predates Islam in the region, but no historical records before the 17th century survive. It prospered with the opening of rubber plantatio ...
area, and made the area its protectorate, including the
Deli and
Serdang areas. Under the ties of a cooperation agreement with the VOC, in 1784 the Siak Sultanate helped the VOC attack and subdue the
Selangor Sultanate. Previously they had collaborated to quell the
Raja Haji Fisabilillah
Raja Haji Fisabilillah (full name Raja Haji Fisabilillah ibni Daeng Chelak) (1727–1784) was a Bugis warrior, and also the Yang Dipertuan Muda (Crown Prince) of the Johor- Riau Sultanate from 1777 to 1784.
Early life
Born in Ulusungai, Riau in ...
rebellion on
Penyengat Island.
The Siak Sultanate took advantage of the trade supervision through the
Straits of Melaka, as well as the ability to control
pirates in the region. The progress of Siak's economy can be seen from the Dutch records which stated that in 1783 there were around 171 merchant ships making a voyage from Siak to Malacca. Siak is a trading triangle between the Netherlands in Malacca and the United Kingdom on
Penang. But on the other hand, the glory of Siak gave jealousy to the descendants of ''Yang Dipertuan Muda'', especially after the loss of their power in the Riau Islands region. The attitude of dislike and hostility towards the Sultan of Siak, seen in the
Tuhfat al-Nafis
''Tuhfat al-Nafis'' (; English: The Precious Gift) is a work of Malay literature written by the Bugis Raja Ali Haji in Jawi in around 1866–1870. who is of Malay- Bugis descent. It records and chronicles events, especially those of the 1 ...
, where in the description of the story they describe the Sultan of Siak as "a person who is greedy for the wealth of the world".
The dominance of the Siak Sultanate towards the eastern coast of Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula was quite significant. They were able to replace the influence of Johor before on the control of the trade route in the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
. In addition, the Siak Sultanate also emerged as a key holder of the
Minangkabau highland, through three main rivers, namely
Siak,
Kampar, and
Kuantan
Kuantan ( Jawi: ) is a city and the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is located near the mouth of the Kuantan River. Kuantan is the 18th largest city in Malaysia based on 2010 population, and the largest city in the East Coast of Peni ...
, which had previously been the key to the glory of
Malacca. However, the progress of Siak's economy faded along with the emergence of turmoil in the Minangkabau interior known as the
Padri War
The Padri War (also called the Minangkabau War) was fought from 1803 until 1837 in West Sumatra, Indonesia between the Padri and the Adat. The Padri were Muslim clerics from Sumatra who wanted to impose Sharia in Minangkabau country in West Su ...
.
[Reid, A., (2005), ''Asal mula konflik Aceh: dari perebutan pantai Timur Sumatra hingga akhir kerajaan Aceh abad ke-19'', Yayasan Obor Indonesia, .]
Colonial rule
![Riouw](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Riouw.jpg)
The expansion of Dutch colonialization into the eastern part of Sumatra caused the influence of the Siak Sultanate to wane, leading to the independence of the
Deli Sultanate
Sultanate of Deli ( Indonesian: ''Kesultanan Deli Darul Maimoon''; Jawi: ) was a 1,820 km² Malay state in east Sumatra founded in 1630. A tributary kingdom from 1630 it was controlled by various Sultanates until 1814, when it became an ...
, the
Asahan Sultanate
The Sultanate of Asahan () was a Malay sultanate from approximately 1630 AD until 1946 AD. It was located in the north-east of the island of Sumatra, in what is now Indonesia and covered what is now the Asahan Regency.
History
The sultanat ...
, the
Langkat Sultanate
The Sultanate of Langkat () was a Malay Muslim state located in modern Langkat Regency, North Sumatra. It predates Islam in the region, but no historical records before the 17th century survive. It prospered with the opening of rubber planta ...
, and Inderagiri Sultanate. Likewise in
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
, where a sultan of the descendants of Tumenggung Johor was crowned, and was under British protection in Singapore. While the Dutch restored the position of the ''Yang Dipertuan Muda'' on
Penyengat Island, and later established the
Riau-Lingga Sultanate
Riau-Lingga Sultanate ( Malay/ Indonesian: کسلطانن رياوليڠݢ, ''Kesultanan Riau-Lingga''), also known as the Lingga-Riau Sultanate, Riau Sultanate or Lingga Sultanate was a Malay sultanate that existed from 1824 to 1911, before ...
on
Lingga Island. In addition, the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
also reduced the territory of Siak, by establishing the Residency of Riouw (
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ''Residentie Riouw'') which was part of the
Dutch East Indies government based in
Tanjung Pinang
Tanjungpinang, also written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly on the southern Bintan Island, as well as other smaller islands such as Dompak Islan ...
.
British control of the
Straits of Melaka, prompted the Sultan of Siak in 1840 to accept the offer of a new treaty to replace the agreement they had made earlier in 1819. This agreement made the Siak Sultanate area smaller and sandwiched between other small kingdoms which were protected by Britain. Likewise, the Dutch made the sultanate a protectorate of the Dutch East Indies government, after forcing the Sultan of Siak to sign an agreement on 1 February 1858.
From the agreement, the sultanate lost its sovereignty, then in every appointment of a new sultan, the sultanate must get approval from the
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Furthermore, under regional supervision, the Dutch established a military post in
Bengkalis and banned the Sultan of Siak from making agreements with foreign parties without the approval of the Dutch East Indies government.
Changes in the political map over the control of the
Malacca Strait
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
, then the internal disputes of Siak and competition with Britain and the Netherlands, weakened the influence of the Siak Sultanate's hegemony over the territories it had once conquered. A tug of war between the interests of foreign forces can be seen in the
Anglo-Dutch Treaties of 1870–71 between the British and the Dutch, made Siak in a dilemmatic position, and also in a weak bargaining position. Then based on the agreement on 26 July 1873, the Dutch East Indies government forced the Sultan of Siak to hand over the
Bengkalis area to the Riouw Residency.
[Wolters, O. W., (1999), ''History, Culture, and Region in Southeast Asian Perspectives'', SEAP Publications, .] But in the midst of this pressure, the Siak Sultanate still remained until Indonesia's independence, even though during the Japanese occupation most of the military power of the Siak Sultanate was no longer significant.
[Samin, S. M., (2002), ''Sultan Syarif Kasim II: pahlawan nasional dari Riau'', Yayasan Pusaka Riau, .]
At about the same time, the Indragiri Sultanate also began to be influenced by the Dutch, but only really came under the control of
Batavia
Batavia may refer to:
Historical places
* Batavia (region), a land inhabited by the Batavian people during the Roman Empire, today part of the Netherlands
* Batavia, Dutch East Indies, present-day Jakarta, the former capital of the Dutch East In ...
in 1938. Dutch control of Siak later became the beginning of the outbreak of the
Aceh War
The Aceh War ( id, Perang Aceh), also known as the Dutch War or the Infidel War (1873–1913), was an armed military conflict between the Sultanate of Aceh and the Kingdom of the Netherlands which was triggered by discussions between represen ...
.
On the coast, the Dutch moved quickly to abolish the sultanates that were still not submissive to Batavia. The Dutch appointed a resident in Tanjung Pinang to supervise coastal areas, and the Dutch succeeded in impeaching the Sultan of
Riau-Lingga
Riau-Lingga Sultanate ( Malay/ Indonesian: کسلطانن رياوليڠݢ, ''Kesultanan Riau-Lingga''), also known as the Lingga-Riau Sultanate, Riau Sultanate or Lingga Sultanate was a Malay sultanate that existed from 1824 to 1911, befor ...
, Sultan Abdul Rahman Muazzam Syah in February 1911.
Japanese occupation
During the
Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies
The Empire of Japan occupied the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia) during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of the war in September 1945. It was one of the most crucial and important periods in modern Indonesian history.
In May ...
, Riau was one of the primary strategic targets. The
Japanese army occupied
Rengat
Rengat (Jawi script, Jawi: رڠات ) is a ''kecamatan'' (subdistrict) in Riau province of Indonesia and it is the capital (seat) of Indragiri Hulu Regency.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF keeps a conservation forest (it is named "Bukit Tiga ...
on 31 March 1942.
["Sejarah Singkat Indragiri Hilir"](_blank)
. Situs resmi pemerintah kabupaten Indragiri Hilir, diakses 17 Oktober 2013. All of Riau was quickly subject to Japanese rule. One of the relics of the Japanese occupation is the 220 km railway line that connects
Muaro Sijunjung in
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
and
Pekanbaru, also known as the
Pekanbaru Death Railway which is now abandoned. Hundreds of thousands of Riau people were forced to work by the Japanese army to complete this project. Japan led the construction of 220 km of railroad from Pekanbaru to the Malacca Strait using forced labor and prisoners of war. This development was carried out for 15 months through mountains, swamps and fast-flowing rivers. As many as 6,500 Dutch prisoners of war (mostly
Indo-Europeans) and British plus more than 100,000
romusha Indonesians (mostly
Javanese) were mobilized by the Japanese military. When the project was completed in August 1945, almost one third of European prisoners of war and more than half of Indonesian porters died. The railroad was intended as a medium for transporting coal and soldiers from Pekanbaru to
Muaro Sijunjung on the west of Sumatra. Construction of the railroad was completed on 15 August 1945, when the
Japanese surrendered. This railroad was used only once to transport prisoners of war out of the area. The line was then abandoned.
[Memorial to Sumatra railway dead](_blank)
15 August 2001 BBC News
Independence and contemporary era
At the beginning of
Indonesia's independence, the former Riau Residency area was merged and incorporated in the Sumatra Province based in
Bukittinggi
Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highla ...
. Along with the crackdown on
PRRI sympathizers, Central Sumatra was further divided into three provinces, namely
North Sumatra, Central Sumatra, and
South Sumatra
South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The prov ...
. At that time, Central Sumatra became the strongest base of the PRRI, this situation caused the central government to develop a strategy to break Central Sumatra in order to weaken the PRRI movement.
Subsequently, in 1957, based on Emergency Law Number 19 of 1957, Central Sumatra was divided into three provinces, namely Riau,
Jambi and
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
. Then what became the newly formed Riau province is the former Siak Sri Sultanate area of Inderapura and Riau Residency as well as the Kampar which was previously occupied during the occupation of the Japanese army in the ''Rhio Shu'' area.
Riau had become one of the areas influenced by the
Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia
The Revolutionary Government of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Pemerintah Revolusioner Republik Indonesia
(PRRI)) was a revolutionary government set up in Sumatra to oppose the central government of Indonesia in 1958.
Although frequently refer ...
in the late 1950s. The central government held Operation Tegas under the leadership of Kaharuddin Nasution, who later became governor of the province, and succeeded in quelling the remnants of PRRI sympathizers.
After the security situation gradually recovered, the central government began to consider moving the provincial capital from
Tanjung Pinang
Tanjungpinang, also written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly on the southern Bintan Island, as well as other smaller islands such as Dompak Islan ...
to
Pekanbaru, which is geographically located in the middle part of the province. The government finally established Pekanbaru as the new provincial capital on 20 January 1959 through Kepmendagri No. December 52 / I / 44–25.
After the
fall of the Old Order, Riau became one of the pillars of the
New Order's economic development which was stretched back.
[Samad, R. S., & Zulkarnain (2010). ]
Negara dan masyarakat: Studi penetrasi negara di Riau Kepulauan masa Orde Baru
''. Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar. In 1944, NPPM geologist Richard H. Hopper and Toru Oki and their team discovered the largest oil well in Southeast Asia, namely in Minas,
Siak. This well was originally named Minas No. 1. Minas is famous for its Sumatra Light Crude (SLC) oil which is good and has low sulfur content. In the early 1950s, new oil wells were found in Minas, Duri, Bengkalis, Pantaicermin, and Petapahan. Petroleum exploitation in Riau began in the Siak Block in September 1963, with the signing of a work contract with PT California Texas Indonesia (now Chevron Pacific Indonesia). This province had been relied upon as a contributor to 70 percent of Indonesia's oil production in the 1970s.
["Sumur Minyak di Riau Tinggal Sejarah"](_blank)
. '' JPNN'', 19 Mei 2011. Diakses 23 Oktober 2013
Riau was also the main destination for the
transmigration program
The transmigration program ( id, , from Dutch, ''transmigratie'') was an initiative of the Dutch colonial government and later continued by the Indonesian government to move landless people from densely populated areas of Indonesia to less ...
launched by the Suharto administration. Many families from Java have moved to newly opened oil palm plantations in Riau, thus forming a separate community which is now quite significant.
In 1999, Saleh Djasit was elected as the second native Riaunese (besides Arifin Achmad) and first elected by the Provincial House of Representatives as governor. In 2003, former Regent of
Indragiri Hilir, Rusli Zainal, was elected governor, and was re-elected through direct elections by the people in 2008. Starting on 19 February 2014, Riau Province was officially led by the governor, Annas Maamun. Just leading 7 months, Annas Maamun was deposed after the
Corruption Eradication Commission
Corruption Eradication Commission ( id, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi), abbreviated as KPK, is an Indonesian government agency established to prevent and fight corruption in the country. Firli Bahuri, an active police general, is the current ch ...
(KPK) arrested Annas Maamun's hand in a case of land use change in
Kuantan Singingi Regency.
Geography
Geographically, Riau which has thousands of cities in Pekanbaru is located at position 02 ° 25 'LU-01 ° 15 ° LS and 100 ° 03'-104 ° 00' BT. The area is quite extensive and is located in the central part of
Sumatra. Riau is directly adjacent to
North Sumatra and the
Straits of Malacca in the north,
Jambi to the south,
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
to the west and the
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
in the east. The province shares maritime borders with Singapore and
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
.
In general, the geography of Riau consists of mountains, lowlands, and islands. The mountain area lies in the western part, namely the
Bukit Barisan
The Bukit Barisan or the Barisan Mountains are a mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1,700 km (1,050 mi) from the north to the south of the island. The Bukit Barisan range consists primarily of v ...
Mountains, near the border of West Sumatra. The elevation decreases towards the east, making most of the central and eastern part of the province covered with lowlands. Off the eastern coast lies the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
where several island lies.
Climate
In general, Riau Province has a wet tropical climate that is influenced by two seasons, namely the rainy and dry seasons. The average rainfall received by Riau Province is between 2,000 – 3,000 mm / year with an average annual rainfall of 160 days. The areas that received the most rain were
Rokan Hulu Regency
Rokan Hulu is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. Rokan Hulu Regency was created as a result of the division of Kampar Regency, of which it was previously the western half. The new Regency was esta ...
and
Pekanbaru City. Meanwhile, the area that received the least rainfall was
Siak Regency
Siak ( Jawi: ), is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 8,556.09 km² and had a population of 376,742 at the 2010 Census and 457,940 at the 2020 Census, comprising 236,494 male an ...
.
The average air temperature of Riau is 25.9 °C with maximum temperatures reaching 34.4 °C and minimum temperatures reach 20.1 °C. The highest temperature occurs in urban areas on the coast. On the contrary, the lowest temperature covers the high mountains and mountains. Air humidity can reach an average of 75%. Slightly different for the island region in the eastern region is also influenced by the characteristics of the sea climate.As in most other province of Indonesia, Riau has a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
(
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
''Af'') bordering on a tropical monsoon climate. The climate is very much dictated by the surrounding sea and the prevailing wind system. It has high average temperature and high average rainfall.
Ecology
![Cagar Biosfer Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu Riau Indonesia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/44/Cagar_Biosfer_Giam_Siak_Kecil_Bukit_Batu_Riau_Indonesia.jpg)
Forest cover in Riau has declined from 78% in 1982 to only 33% in 2005. This has been further reduced an average of 160,000 hectares on average per year, leaving 22%, or 2.45 million hectares left as of 2009. Fires associated with deforestation have contributed to serious haze over the province and cities to the East, such as Singapore and
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
Giam Siak Kecil –
Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve
Giam Siak Kecil-Bukit Batu Bioreserve (Indonesian: ''Cagar Biosfer Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu'' or CB-GSK-BB) is a peatland area in Riau Province of Sumatra, covering and large parts of Bengkalis Regency and Siak Regency. It is a declared UNESCO ...
, Indonesia, is a peatland area in Sumatra featuring sustainable timber production and two wildlife reserves, which are home to the
Sumatran tiger,
Sumatran elephant
The Sumatran elephant (''Elephas maximus sumatranus'') is one of four recognized subspecies of the Asian elephant, and native to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. In 2011, IUCN upgraded the conservation status of the Sumatran elephant from endang ...
,
Malayan tapir
The Malayan tapir (''Tapirus indicus''), also called Asian tapir, Asiatic tapir and Indian tapir, is the only tapir species native to Southeast Asia from the Malay Peninsula to Sumatra. It has been listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List since ...
, and
Malayan sun bear
The sun bear (''Helarctos malayanus'') is a species in the family Ursidae (the only species in the genus ''Helarctos'') occurring in the tropical forests of Southeast Asia. It is the smallest bear, standing nearly at the shoulder and weighing ...
. Research activities in the biosphere include the monitoring of flagship species and in-depth study on peatland ecology. Initial studies indicate a real potential for sustainable economic development using native flora and fauna for the economic benefit of local inhabitants.
Cagar Biosfer Giam Siak Kecil Bukit Batu (CB-GSK-BB) is one of seven Biosphere Reserves in Indonesia. They are located in two areas of Riau Province,
Bengkalis and
Siak. CB-GSK-BB is a trial presented by Riau at the 21st Session of the International Coordinating Council of Man and the Biosphere (UNESCO) in
Jeju, South Korea, on 26 May 2009. CB-GSK-BB is one of 22 proposed locations in 17 countries accepted as reserves for the year. A Biosphere Reserve is the only internationally recognised concept of environmental conservation and cultivation. Thus the supervision and development of CB-GSK-BB is a worldwide concern at a regional level.
CB-GSK-BB is a unique type of Peat Swamp Forest in the
Kampar Peninsula Kampar may refer to:
Indonesia
*Kampar Regency, Riau Province, eastern Sumatra
* Kampar River, a river in the same province
Malaysia
*Kampar District, Perak
*Kampar, Perak
Kampar ( Jawi: كمڤر, nicknamed ''Education City'') is the largest ...
Peat Forest (with a small area of swamp). Another peculiarity is that the CB-GSK-BB was initiated by private parties in co-operation with the government through BBKSDA (The Center for the Conservation of Natural Resources), including the notorious conglomerate involved in forest destruction,
Sinar Mas Group
Sinar Mas is one of the largest conglomerates in Indonesia. It was formed in 1938. It has numerous subsidiaries including Asia Pulp & Paper and palm oil producer PT SMART. The company also acquired Berau Coal Energy from Asia Resource Minerals P ...
, owning the largest paper and pulp company in Indonesia.
Government
The Province of Riau is led by a governor who is elected directly with his representative for a 5-year term. In addition to being a regional government, the Governor also acts as a representative or extension of the central government in the province, whose authority is regulated in Law No. 32 of 2004 and Government Regulation number 19 of 2010.
While the relationship between the provincial government and the regency and city governments is not a sub-ordinate, each of these regional governments governs and manages government affairs according to the principle of autonomy and co-administration.
Administrative divisions
Riau Province is subdivided into ten
regencies (''kabupaten'') and two autonomous
cities
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
(''kota''), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 and 2020 Censuses, and according to the official estimates as at mid 2021.
Demographics
The total population of Riau spread over ten regencies and two cities as at end June 2022 reached 6,493,603 people consisting of 3,324,737 male inhabitants and 3,168,866 female inhabitants. Based from the population per regency/city, the largest population was in
Pekanbaru City with 500,330 male population and 494,255 female, while the smallest population was in the
Kepulauan Meranti Regency
Meranti Islands is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, and lies off the eastern coast of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The regency comprises the islands of Tebing Tinggi, Rangsang, Padang and Merbau, together with minor offshore islan ...
where 108,134 people were male and 101,326 were female. When viewed from the two regencies/cities which have the largest and smallest population in Riau Province, the comparison of many male population is more dominant than the female population.
Ethnic groups
Riau is considered a very ethnically diverse province. As of 2010, the ethnic groups in Riau consist of
Malays (33%),
Javanese (29%),
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
(12%),
Batak (12%),
Banjar (4%),
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
(2%), and
Bugis (2%).
The
Malays are the largest ethnic group with a composition of 43% of the entire population of Riau. They generally come from coastal areas in
Rokan Hilir,
Dumai,
Bengkalis,
Pulau Meranti
Pulau Meranti is a village in Sepang District, Selangor, Malaysia.
History
It has an area estimated at about more than 100 hectares, explored and founded by a Dato' Gede Biro Bin Jenangkin ('Gede' meaning big in Javanese language, Javanese and 'B ...
, up to
Pelalawan
Pelalawan is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, incl ...
,
Siak,
Inderagiri Hulu and
Inderagiri Hilir. Riau was once the seat of great Malay sultanates, such as the
Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura
The Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, often called Sultanate of Siak (Indonesian: Kesultanan Siak Sri Inderapura; Jawi: ), was a kingdom that was located in the Siak Regency, Riau from 1722 to 1949 CE. It was founded by ''Raja Kechil,'' who wa ...
, the Pelalawan Sultanate and the Indragiri Sultanate.
There is also a sizable population
Minangkabau people living in Riau, mostly in the areas bordering
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
, such as
Rokan Hulu
Rokan Hulu is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. Rokan Hulu Regency was created as a result of the division of Kampar Regency, of which it was previously the western half. The new Regency was est ...
,
Kampar,
Kuantan Singingi, and part of
Inderagiri Hulu.
Pekanbaru, the capital of Riau, has a Minangkabau majority, since it was once one of the Minangkabau ''rantau'' (migration) area. Many Minang in Pekanbaru have lived there for generations and has since assimilated into the Malay community. Most Minang in Riau generally work as merchants and live in urban areas such as Pekanbaru,
Bangkinang
Bangkinang (Jawi script, Jawi: ), is a town in Riau Province of Indonesia. It is the capital of Kampar Regency, Riau, which is from Pekanbaru (Riau provincial capital). As the capital of the regency adjacent to the provincial capital and a connec ...
, Duri, and
Dumai.
There are many other ethnic groups migrating from other province of Indonesia, such as the
Batak Mandailing people who mostly lives in areas bordering
North Sumatra such as
Rokan Hulu
Rokan Hulu is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. Rokan Hulu Regency was created as a result of the division of Kampar Regency, of which it was previously the western half. The new Regency was est ...
. Most of the Mandailing people now identify themselves as
Malay rather than as
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
or
Batak. In the 19th century, the
Banjarese of
South Kalimantan and the
Bugis of
South Sulawesi also began arriving in Riau to seek better lives. Most of them settled in the
Indragiri Hilir areas, especially around
Tembilahan Tembilahan ( Jawi:تمبيلاهن ) is a town and district of Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau province of Indonesia. It is also the capital of the regency. Tembilahan district has an area of 197.37 km², consisting of 6 villages. Tembilahan's ...
. The opening of Caltex oil mining company in the 1940s in
Rumbai, encouraged people from throughout the country to migrate to Riau.
There are sizeable
Javanese and
Sundanese population in Riau. Javanese forms the second-largest ethnic group in the province, forming 25.05% of the total population. Most of them migrated to Riau due to the
transmigration program
The transmigration program ( id, , from Dutch, ''transmigratie'') was an initiative of the Dutch colonial government and later continued by the Indonesian government to move landless people from densely populated areas of Indonesia to less ...
dating from the
Dutch East Indies and continued during the
Soeharto administration. The majority of them lives in transmigration communities spread throughout the region.
Likewise, the
Chinese people are generally similar to the
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
as many of them also work as merchants. Many Riau Chinese lives in the capital
Pekanbaru, and many can also found in coastal areas in the east such as
Bagansiapiapi
Bagansiapiapi or simply known as Bagan () is a city in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The city is the capital of Rokan Hilir Regency in the Riau Province and is located on the east coast of Sumatra, on the Rokan River delt ...
,
Selatpanjang,
Rupat and
Bengkalis. Most of the Chinese people in Riau are
Hoklo people, whose ancestors migrated from
Quanzhou in modern-day
Fujian
Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its cap ...
from the early 19th-century to the mid 20th-century. Some of the Riau Chinese has migrated to other parts of Indonesia, such as
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
and
Jakarta, to seek better life opportunities, while some have also migrated to other countries such as Singapore and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
There are also some groups of indigenous people who live in rural areas and riverbanks, such as the
Sakai
is a city located in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the medieval era. Sakai is known for its keyhole-shaped burial mounds, or kofun, which date from the fifth century and inclu ...
, Akit, Talang Mamak and
Orang Laut
The Orang Laut are several seafaring ethnic groups and tribes living around Singapore, peninsular Malaysia and the Indonesian Riau Islands. The Orang Laut are commonly identified as the Orang Seletar from the Straits of Johor, but the term ma ...
. Some of them still leading the
nomadic
A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the popu ...
and
Hunter-gatherer lifestyle in the remote interior of Riau, while most settled into major cities and towns in with the rise of industrialisation.
Language
![Ade Irma Suryani St](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/22/Ade_Irma_Suryani_St.JPG)
The people of Riau generally uses the local dialect of
Malay and
Indonesian, the official language of Indonesia. Malay is commonly used in coastal areas such as
Rokan Hilir,
Bengkalis,
Dumai,
Pelalawan
Pelalawan is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, incl ...
,
Siak,
Indragiri Hulu,
Indragiri Hilir and around the islands off the coast of Riau.
The dialect of Malay spoken in Riau is considered by linguists to have one of the least complex grammars among the languages of the world, apart from
creoles, possessing neither noun declensions, temporal distinctions, subject/object distinctions, nor singular/plural distinction. For example, the phrase ''Ayam makan'' (lit. 'chicken eat') can mean, in context, anything from 'the chicken is eating', to 'I ate some chicken', 'the chicken that is eating' and 'when we were eating chicken'. A possible reason for this is that Riau Malay has been used as a ''
lingua franca'' for communication between different people in this area during its history, and extensive foreign-language speaker use of this kind tends to simplify the grammar of a language used. The traditional script in Riau is
Jawi (locally known in Indonesia as "Arab-Melayu"), an Arabic-based writing in the
Malay language
Malay (; ms, Bahasa Melayu, links=no, Jawi alphabet, Jawi: , Rejang script, Rencong: ) is an Austronesian languages, Austronesian language that is an official language of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, and that is also spo ...
. It is sometimes supposed that Riau Malay is the basis for the modern national language,
Indonesian. However, it is instead based on
Classical Malay
Malay was first used in the first millennia known as Old Malay, a part of the Austronesian language family. Over a period of two millennia, Malay has undergone various stages of development that derived from different layers of foreign influen ...
, the court language of
Johor-Riau Sultanate, based primarily from the one used in the
Riau archipelago
The Riau Archipelago is a ''geographic'' term (as opposed to administrative region) for the core group of islands within the Riau Islands Province in Indonesia, and located south of Singapore and east of Riau on Sumatra. Before the province of R ...
and the state of
Johor
Johor (; ), also spelled as Johore, is a state of Malaysia in the south of the Malay Peninsula. Johor has land borders with the Malaysian states of Pahang to the north and Malacca and Negeri Sembilan to the northwest. Johor shares maritime ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, which is distinct from the local mainland Riau dialect.
[Sneddon 2003, ''The Indonesian Language: Its History and Role in Modern Society'', p. 70] Non-mainstream varieties in Riau include Orang Sakai, Orang Asli, Orang Akit, and Orang Laut.
Riau Malay can be divided into two sub-dialects, namely the inland dialect and the coastal dialect.
The inland dialect has phonological features that are similar to
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
, while coastal dialect has phonological features that are close to Malay in the regions of
Selangor
Selangor (; ), also known by its Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 Malaysian states. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the east ...
, Johor and
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
in Malaysia (because other Malaysian regions have very different dialects).
In addition to various other characteristics, the two subdialects are marked with words which in
Indonesian are words that end with vowels /a/; the inland dialect is pronounced with vowel /o/, while in coastal dialect is pronounced with the weak vowel /e/ . Some examples include: /bila/, /tiga/ and /kata/ in Indonesian (if, three and word in English respectively) will be pronounced in inland dialect as /bilo/, /tigo/ and /kato/ respectively. While in the coastal dialect it will be pronounced as /bile/, /tige/ and /kate/ respectively.
The
Minangkabau language is widely used the
Minangkabau people in Riau, especially in the areas bordering
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
such as
Kampar,
Kuantan Singingi and
Rokan Hulu
Rokan Hulu is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. Rokan Hulu Regency was created as a result of the division of Kampar Regency, of which it was previously the western half. The new Regency was est ...
, which are culturally allied to Minang as well as migrants from West Sumatra. It is also currently being the ''lingua franca'' of
Pekanbaru, the capital city in addition to Indonesian. The pronunciation of Riau Minangkabau is similar to the
Payakumbuh
Payakumbuh ( Indonesian: Kota Payakumbuh, Minangkabau: Payokumbuah, Jawi: ) is the second largest city in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, with a population of 116,825 at the 2010 Census and 139,576 at the 2020 Census. It covers an area of 80 ...
-
Batusangkar Batusangkar (''batu'': stone, rock, ''sangkar'': cage) is the capital of the Tanah Datar regency of West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is known as "the city of culture".
History
The town is near the former seat of the Minangkabau royalty established by Ad ...
dialect, even differs from that of other dialects varieties of West Sumatra. Historically, Minangkabau language used in the
Pagaruyung
Pagaruyung (ڤاڬارويوڠ; also Pagarruyung, Pagar Ruyung and, Malayapura or Malayupura) was the seat of the Minangkabau kings of Western Sumatra, though little is known about it. Modern Pagaruyung is a village in ''Tanjung Emas'' subdist ...
highlands is now spoken in the lower
Siak River basin following the waves of migration from
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
.
In addition,
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
is also still widely used among the
Chinese community, especially those living in
Pekanbaru,
Selatpanjang,
Bengkalis, and
Bagansiapiapi
Bagansiapiapi or simply known as Bagan () is a city in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The city is the capital of Rokan Hilir Regency in the Riau Province and is located on the east coast of Sumatra, on the Rokan River delt ...
. The Hokkien spoken in Riau is known as
Riau Hokkien, which is
mutually intelligible to the Hokkien spoken by the
Malaysian Chinese in Johor, southern
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and Singapore. They are both derived from the
Quanzhou dialect of Hokkien that originated from the city of
Quanzhou in Fujian. Riau Hokkien is slightly mutually unintelligible with
Medan Hokkien
Medan Hokkien is a local variety of Hokkien spoken among Chinese Indonesians in Medan and Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the ''lingua franca'' in Medan as well as other northern city states of North Sumatra surrounding it, and is a subdialect of the ...
spoken in
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
since the latter is derived from the
Zhangzhou dialect
The Zhangzhou dialects (), also rendered Changchew, Chiangchew or Changchow, are a collection of Hokkien dialects spoken in southern Fujian province (in southeast China), centered on the city of Zhangzhou. The Zhangzhou dialect proper is the sourc ...
of Hokkien that originated from
Zhangzhou
Zhangzhou (), alternately romanized as Changchow, is a prefecture-level city in Fujian Province, China. The prefecture around the city proper comprises the southeast corner of the province, facing the Taiwan Strait and surrounding the prefect ...
, also in Fujian. Presently, Riau Hokkien has incorporated many words from the local language such as Malay and
Indonesian
Javanese is spoken by the
Javanese people who migrated to the province. While several
varieties of Batak is spoken by Batak immigrants from
North Sumatra.
Religion
![Masjid Jamik Air Tiris Minang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Masjid_Jamik_Air_Tiris_Minang.jpg)
Based on the composition of the population of Riau which is full of diversity with different socio-cultural, linguistic and religious backgrounds, it is basically an asset for the Riau region itself. The religions embraced by the inhabitants of this province are very diverse, including
Islam,
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
,
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
,
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Indian religion or '' dharma'', a religious and universal order or way of life by which followers abide. As a religion, it is the world's third-largest, with over 1.2–1.35 billion followers, or 15–16% of the global p ...
,
Buddhism
Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...
, and
Confucianism
Confucianism, also known as Ruism or Ru classicism, is a system of thought and behavior originating in ancient China. Variously described as tradition, a philosophy, a religion, a humanistic or rationalistic religion, a way of governing, or a ...
.
As of 2015,
Islam is the dominant religion in the province, forming 86.87% of the total population.
Islam is generally adhered by the ethnic
Malays,
Javanese,
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
,
Banjars,
Bugis,
Sundanese and some
Batak sub-group.
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
forms the second-largest religion, forming as many as 9.74%, while Catholics forms as many as 1.02%, Most of the people who adhered to
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
and
Catholicism
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
are from
Batak ethnic groups (specifically
Batak Toba,
Karo and
Simalungun),
Nias
Nias ( id, Pulau Nias, Nias language: ''Tanö Niha'') (sometimes called Little Sumatra in English) is an island located off the western coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. Nias is also the name of the archipelago () of which the island is the centre, ...
,
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and residents from
Eastern Indonesia
This is a list of some of the regions of Indonesia. Many regions are defined in law or regulations by the central government. At different times of Indonesia's history, the nation has been designated as having regions that do not necessarily corr ...
. Then there is Buddhism which forms around 2.28% of the total population and Confucianism which forms around 0.07% of the total population. Most of the Buddhist and Confucianism are of ethnic Chinese origin. Lastly, about 0.01% of the total population embrace Hinduism, mostly are
Balinese and
Indonesians of Indian descent.
Culture
As Riau is the homeland of the
Malays, the customs and cultures of Riau is mostly based on Malay customs and cultures.
Every Malay family lives in their own house, except for new couples who usually prefer to stay at the wife's house until they have their first child. Therefore, their sedentary patterns can be said to be neat. The nuclear family they called genitals generally built a house in the neighborhood where the wife lived. The principle of lineage or kinship is more likely to be parental or bilateral.
Kinship is done with a typical local nicknames. The first child is called ''long'' or ''sulung'', the second child is ''ngah''/''ongah,'' below him is called ''cik'', the youngest is called ''cu''/''ucu''. Usually the nickname is added by mentioning the physical characteristics of the person, for example, if the person is dark-skinned and is a ''cik'' or a third child, he will be called ''cik itam''. Another example is when the particular person is a first-born and has a short characteristic. he/she will be called ''ngah undah''. But sometimes when greeting people who are unknown or new to them, they can simply greet them with ''abang'', ''akak'', ''dek'', or ''nak''.
In the past, Malays also lived in groups according to their ancestral origin, which they called tribes. This group of descendants uses a
patrilineal
Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritan ...
kinship line. But the Riau Malays who lived on the mainland
Sumatra partially embraced
matrilineal
Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance ...
tribalism. There are also those who referthe tribe as a ''hinduk'' or a ''cikal bakal''. Each tribe is led by a leader. If the tribe lives in a village, then the head will be referred to as ''Datuk Penghulu Kampung'' or ''Kepala Kampung''. Each leader is also assisted by several figures such as ''batin'', ''jenang'', ''tua-tua'' dan ''monti''. Religious field leaders in the village are known as .
Traditional dress
![About indonesian culture](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7a/About_indonesian_culture.jpg)
In Malay culture, clothes and textiles are very important and it signify beauty and power. The ''Hikayat-Hikayat Melayu'' mentioned the importance of textile in Malay culture.
The history of the Malay woven industry can be traced back to the 13th century when trade routes in the East are rapidly expanding under the role of the
Song dynasty
The Song dynasty (; ; 960–1279) was an imperial dynasty of China that began in 960 and lasted until 1279. The dynasty was founded by Emperor Taizu of Song following his usurpation of the throne of the Later Zhou. The Song conquered the rest ...
. The description of locally-made textiles and the development of the embroidery industry in the
Malay Peninsula is expressed in several Chinese and Indian records.
Among the famous Malay textiles that still exist today are ''
Songket
''Songket'' is a '' Tenun'' fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. It is hand-woven in ...
'' and ''
Batik
Batik is an Indonesian technique of wax-resist dyeing applied to the whole cloth. This technique originated from the island of Java, Indonesia. Batik is made either by drawing dots and lines of the resist with a spouted tool called a ''ca ...
''.
The earliest Malay traditional dress was concise, the woman wearing a ''
sarong
A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
'' that covered the lower body to the chest while the man dressed in short, sleeveless or shorts, with shorts down to the knee level. However, when trade with the outside world flourishes, the way in which the Malay dress begins to gain external influence and becomes more sophisticated. The 15th-century is the peak of the power of the
Malacca Sultanate
The Malacca Sultanate ( ms, Kesultanan Melaka; Jawi script: ) was a Malay sultanate based in the modern-day state of Malacca, Malaysia. Conventional historical thesis marks as the founding year of the sultanate by King of Singapura, Parames ...
. As told in the
Malay Annals, this is where traditional ''
Baju Melayu'' clothing is created. The strong Islamic influence has transformed the way of dressing the Malays later on features that are matching with Islamic laws. The classic Malay general attire for men consists of shirts, small sacks, ''sarongs'' worn at the waist, and a ''tanjak'' or ''
tengkolok
''Tengkolok'', also known as ''Tanjak'', ''Destar'' (Minangkabau: ''Deta''; Kelantan-Pattani: Semutar) is a traditional Malay or Indonesian and male headgear. It is made from long songket cloth folded and tied in a particular style (''solek'' ...
'' worn on the head. It is common for a Malay warrior to have a ''
keris
The kris, or ''keris'' in the Indonesian language, is an asymmetrical dagger with distinctive blade-patterning achieved through alternating laminations of iron and nickelous iron (''pamor''). Of Javanese origin, the kris is famous for its dist ...
'' tucked into the front fold of sarong. The Malay version of the early women's clothing is also more loose and long. However, it was subsequently renewed and popularized by
Sultan Abu Bakar of Johor in the late 19th century, into the form of ''
Baju Kurung'' used today.
However, Riau also has some traditional dress that cannot be found in other parts of the Malay world. The Riau traditional dress is not only used for certain occasions. But some of these traditional clothes are functioned as everyday clothes, one of which is daily clothing for children. The children's daily wear used is divided into two types, namely clothes for boys and clothes for girls. For boys' clothes in the customs of the Riau people, they are called ''baju monyet'' (Monkey clothes). This outfit is combined with the type of trousers that are responsible, and complete with a ''
kopiah
The songkok or peci or kopiah is a cap widely worn in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, most commonly among Muslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or emb ...
'' or rectangular shaped cloth as a head covering. While for everyday clothes for girls is ''
Baju Kurung'' with floral motifs. This outfit is combined with a wide skirt with a ''
hijab'' or ''
tudong
The tudong ( Indonesian: ''tudung'', Jawi: تودوڠ) is a style of headscarf, worn as interpretation of the Islamic hijab, prevalent amongst many Muslim women in the Malay-speaking world; Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. Today, the ...
''. The daily clothes of Riau people are commonly used for reciting or for studying.
For the people of Riau who are adults, they wear distinctive clothing and are also very close to religious and cultural values. For males, they use clothing called ''Baju Kurung Cekak Musang''. Namely, clothes like Muslim clothing are combined with loose trousers. This shirt is used together with ''
sarong
A sarong or sarung () is a large tube or length of fabric, often wrapped around the waist, worn in Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, Northern Africa, East Africa, West Africa, and on many Pacific islands. The fabric often has woven plaid o ...
'' and ''
kopiah
The songkok or peci or kopiah is a cap widely worn in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, most commonly among Muslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or emb ...
''.
For Malay women, they can wear 3 different types of clothing, namely the ''Baju
Kebaya
A kebaya is an upper garment traditionally worn by women in Southeast Asia, notably in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Southern Thailand. Outside of Southeast Asia, it is worn by Javanese, Malays and Portuguese Eurasians in Austral ...
Pendek'', ''Baju Kurung Laboh'', and ''Baju Kurung Tulang Belut''. The different clothes are used in conjunction with a shawl cloth that is used as a head covering. In addition, women's clothing can also be combined with a ''
hijab'' or ''
tudong
The tudong ( Indonesian: ''tudung'', Jawi: تودوڠ) is a style of headscarf, worn as interpretation of the Islamic hijab, prevalent amongst many Muslim women in the Malay-speaking world; Indonesia, Brunei, Malaysia, and Singapore. Today, the ...
''.
Traditional house
![TMII Riau Pavilion Malay House 03](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ed/TMII_Riau_Pavilion_Malay_House_03.jpg)
In traditional Malay societies, the house is an intimate building that can be used as a family dwelling, a place of worship, a heritage site, and a shelter for anyone in need. Therefore, traditional Malay houses are generally large. In addition to the large size, the Malay house is also always in the form of a ''rumah panggung'' or stage house, facing the sunrise. The types of Malay houses include residential houses, offices, place of worship and warehouses. The naming of the houses is tailored to the function of each building. In general, there are five types of Riau Malay traditional houses, namely the and .
The ''Balai Salaso Jatuh is'' usually used for consensus decision-making and other activities. It is rarely used for private homes. In accordance with the functions of the ''Balai Salaso Jatuh'', this building has other local names such as ''balai panobatan'', ''balirung sari'', ''balai karapatan'', etc. Presently, the function of this building has been replaced by a house or a mosque. The building has an alignment, and has a lower floor than the middle room. In addition, ''Balai Salaso Jatuh'' is also decorated with various carvings in the form of plants or animals. Each carving in this building has its own designation.
![Rumah Lontiok](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4a/Rumah_Lontiok.jpg)
''Rumah Melayu Atap Lontik'' or ''
Lontiok House
Rumah Lontiok (meaning Lontiok House) is a traditional house of Kampar, Riau Province
Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the central eastern coast of Sumatra along the Strait of Malacca. The province shares land borders with ...
'' can usually be found in
Kampar Regency
Kampar is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It has an area of 11,289.28 km2 and had a population of 686,204 at the 2010 Census, 793,005 at the 2015 Intermediate Census and 841,332 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre of ...
''.''
It is called so because this house has a decoration on the front wall of the house in the form of a boat.
When viewed from a distance, this house will look like boat houses that are usually made by the local residents. Besides being referred to as ''lancing'' and ''pancalang'', this traditional house is also called ''lontik'', since this house has a roof paring that is soaring upwards. This house is heavily influenced on the architecture of the
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
''
Rumah Gadang,'' since
Kampar Regency
Kampar is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It has an area of 11,289.28 km2 and had a population of 686,204 at the 2010 Census, 793,005 at the 2015 Intermediate Census and 841,332 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre of ...
is directly adjacent to the province of
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
. A unique feature of this traditional house is that it has five stairsteps. The reason they chose the number five was because this is based on the
Five Pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree o ...
.
The shape of the pillars in this house also varies, there are rectangles, hexagons, heptagon, octagon and triangles. Each type of pole contained in this traditional house has meaning believed by the people of Riau. A rectangular pole can be interpreted as four corners of the wind, just like an octagon, and the hexagon symbolizes the number of pillars of Islam.
''Rumah Salaso Jatuh Kembar'' was declared an icon and symbol of the province of Riau. The architecture of this house is similar to the ''Balai Salaso Jatuh'', but this house tends to be used for private homes.
![Balai Adat Tambusai Rokan Hulu - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d0/Balai_Adat_Tambusai_Rokan_Hulu_-_panoramio.jpg)
''Rumah Melayu Lipat Kajang'' can usually found in the
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
and the coastal part of Riau. It is called ''Lipat Kajang''because the roof of this house has a shape resembling the shape of a boat. The top of this building is curved upwards and is often referred to ''lipat kejang'' or ''pohon jeramban'' by the locals. This traditional house is rarely or even no longer used by Riau residents. One reason for the loss of this culture is because of the increasing influence of western architecture, and people consider their building forms to be simpler and easier to build.
''Rumah Melayu Atap Limas Potong'' is a Malay traditional house that can usually be found in mainland Riau, but rarely in the Riau Islands. This house has a roof that is shaped like a cut pyramid. Like other Riau traditional houses, this house is also included in the ''rumah panggung'' group. The stage of this house has a height of about 1.5 meters above the ground. The size of the house depends on the ability and desires of the owner.
Traditional dance
Most of Riau traditional dances are influenced by Malay cultures, but there are also some dances that are only unique to Riau.
''Mak Yong'' is a traditional theater art of Malay society that is often performed as a drama in an international forum. In the past, ''mak yong'' was held by villagers in the rice fields which had finished harvesting rice. The ''mak yong'' is performed by a group of professional dancers and musicians who combine
various elements of religious ceremonies, plays, dance, music with vocal or instrumental, and simple texts. The male and female main characters were both performed by female dancers. Other figures that appear in the story are comedians, gods, jinn, courtiers, and animals. ''mak yong'' performance is accompanied by musical instruments such as
rebab,
gendang
Kendang or Gendang ( jv, ꦏꦼꦤ꧀ꦝꦁ, translit=Kendhang, su, ᮊᮨᮔ᮪ᮓᮀ, translit=Kendang, ban, ᬓᬾᬦ᭄ᬤᬂ, translit=Kendang, Tausug/Bajau Maranao: ''Gandang'', Bugis: ''Gendrang'' and Makassar: ''Gandrang'' or ''Ganra ...
, and tetawak In
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, the ''mak yong'' was developed in
Lingga, which was once the center of the
Johor-Riau Sultanate. The difference with the ''mak yong'' performed in the
Kelantan
Kelantan (; Jawi: ; Kelantanese Malay: ''Klate'') is a state in Malaysia. The capital is Kota Bharu and royal seat is Kubang Kerian. The honorific name of the state is ''Darul Naim'' (Jawi: ; "The Blissful Abode").
Kelantan is located in th ...
-
Pattani region is that they usually does not use masks, as ''mak yong'' in Riau uses masks for some of the King's female characters, princesses, criminals, demons, and spirits. At the end of the last century, ''mak yong'' not only became a daily show, but also as performance for the sultan.
The ''tari
zapin
, image = Zapin.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = Schoolchildren performing Zapin in Batu Pahat, Johor.
, genre =
, signature =
, instruments = Gambus, Gendang, Marawis, Rebana
, invento ...
'' is a Malay traditional dance originated from the
Siak Regency
Siak ( Jawi: ), is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 8,556.09 km² and had a population of 376,742 at the 2010 Census and 457,940 at the 2020 Census, comprising 236,494 male an ...
that is entertaining and are full of religious and educational messages. This ''tari zapin'' has rules and regulations that cannot be changed. ''Tari zapin'' is usually accompanied by traditional Riau musical instruments namely ''
marwas'' and ''
gambus''. This ''tari zapin'' shows footwork quickly following the pounding of punches on a small drum called ''
marwas'' . The rhythmic harmony of the instrument is increasingly melodious with stringed instruments. Because of the influence of the Arabs, this dance does indeed feel educative without losing the entertainment side. There is an insert of a religious message in the song lyrics. Usually the dance is told about the daily lives of Malay people. Initially, ''tari zapin'' was only danced by male dancers but along with developments, female dancers were also shown. Sometimes, there are both male and female dancers performing. There is a form of ''tari zapin'' performed in
Pulau Rupat Utara in
Bengkalis called
''tari'' ''zapin api''. The identifying characteristic of ''tari'' ''zapin api'' is the incorporation of fire and strong focus on the
mystical elements. The dance form was historically dormant and extinct for nearly 40 years before its revival in 2013.
![Tari Persembahan Melayu, Riau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/Tari_Persembahan_Melayu%2C_Riau.jpg)
''Tarian makan sirih'' is accompanied by distinctive Malay music accompanied by a song titled ''Makan Sirih''. As for the costumes performed by dancers, they usually wore traditional Malay attire, such as pants, clothes, and ''
kopiah
The songkok or peci or kopiah is a cap widely worn in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, the southern Philippines, and southern Thailand, most commonly among Muslim males. It has the shape of a truncated cone, usually made of black or emb ...
'' for men. Whereas the female dancers wear the clothes that are usually worn by the bride, namely traditional clothes called the ''
Baju Kurung teluk belanga''. At the head, there is a crown equipped with flower-shaped decorations. Meanwhile, the lower part of the dancers' bodies was wrapped in brightly colored ''
songket
''Songket'' is a '' Tenun'' fabric that belongs to the brocade family of textiles of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. It is hand-woven in silk or cotton, and intricately patterned with gold or silver threads. It is hand-woven in ...
'' cloth. ''Tarian makan sirih'' is performed by both men and women. The dancers are obliged to understand special terms in Malay dance, such as ''igal'' (emphasizing hand and body movements), ''liuk'' (movement of bowing or swinging body), ''lenggang'' (walking while moving hands), ''titi batang'' (walking in a line as if climbing the stem), ''gentam'' (dancing while stomping on the feet), ''cicing'' (dancing while jogging), ''legar'' (dancing while walking around 180 degrees), and so on. During the performance, one of the dancers in the offering dance will bring a box containing
betels. The box would then be opened and the guests who are considered the greatest are given the first opportunity to take it as a form of respect, then followed by other guests. Therefore, many people call this dance as t''arian makan sirih.''
Traditional music
There are several musical instruments in Riau that is used for ceremonial events.
![Gendang Melayu Riau](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b8/Gendang_Melayu_Riau.jpg)
The traditional Malay
accordion is almost the same as the accordion founded by
Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann
Christian Friedrich Ludwig Buschmann (17 June 1805 – 1 October 1864) was a German musical instrument maker and inventor, often credited with inventing the harmonica and also the accordion.
Biography
Thuringia
Buschmann was born in Friedric ...
from (Germany). accordion includes a musical instrument that is quite difficult to play even though it looks easy. accordion produces diatonic scales that are very in accordance with the song lyrics in the form of rhymes. The accordion player holds the instrument with both hands, then plays the chord buttons with the fingers of the left hand, while the fingers of the right hand play the melody of the song that is being performed. Usually players who have been trained are very easy to change hands. When played, the accordion is pulled and pushed to adjust the air movement inside the instrument, the movement of the air coming out (to the tongue of the accordion) will produce sound. The sound can be adjusted using the player's fingers.
''
Gambus'' is a type of traditional Riau musical instrument that is played by picking. Formerly, ''Gambus'' was used for events related to spiritual matters. At this time ''Gambus'' switched functions to be an accompaniment for the ''tari zapin.'' ''Gambus Riau'' is played by individuals as entertainment for fishermen on boats who are looking for fish.
''Kompang'' is a type of traditional Riau musical instrument that is quite well known among
Malays, ''Kompang'' is included in the group of traditional musical instruments which are played by being beaten. In general, ''kompang'' uses materials derived from the skin of livestock. Making ''kompang'' is more similar to making ''
dhol
Dhol (IPA: ) can refer to any one of a number of similar types of double-headed drum widely used, with regional variations, throughout the Indian subcontinent. Its range of distribution in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan primarily includes nort ...
'' or other musical instrument or other leather drum that uses animal skin such as buffalo, cattle, and others. ''Kompang'' a uses female goat ski on the part that is hit, but now uses a cow which is believed to be more elastic. To produce a loud sound, there is a technique to make the paired skin become very tight and not easily separated from the nail (which can be dangerous when played).
''
Rebana
The rebana or terbangan is a tambourine that is used in Islamic devotional music in Southeast Asia, particularly in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Singapore. The sound of the rebana often accompany Islamic ritual such as the zikir. The name ...
ubi'' is a type of
Tambourine
The tambourine is a musical instrument in the percussion family consisting of a frame, often of wood or plastic, with pairs of small metal jingles, called "zills". Classically the term tambourine denotes an instrument with a drumhead, though ...
that is played by being hit by hand. ''Rebana ubi'' is included in the drum group as well as percussion instruments. ''Rebana ubi'' has a larger size than ordinary tambourines because ''Rebana ubi'' has the smallest diameter of 70 cm and a height of 1 meter. ''Rebana ubi'' can be hung horizontally or left on the floor to be played. In ancient times, ''Rebana ubi''was believed to be a tool to spread the news such as the wedding ceremony of local residents or the danger that came (such as strong winds). ''Rebana ubi'' is placed in the highlands and beaten with a certain rhythm depending on the information the player wants to convey.
Traditional weapons
''
Klewang
The klewang or kelewang is a class of bladed weapon between the sword and machete found in Indonesia and Malaysia.
History
During the Aceh War the Acehnese klewang proved very effective in close quarters combat against the sabre-wielding Dutch ...
'' is a traditional weapon from Riau. ''klewang'' is a kind of machete with the tip of an enlarged blade. In the past, ''klewang'' was used by royal soldiers when in war. However, in the present, it is more widely used by farmers in their activities in rice fields or as agricultural tools. Because of this function, ''klewang'' has remained sustainable compared to other types of traditional Riau weapons.
''Beladau'' is a skewer type weapon found in the culture of Riau society. This weapon is a sharp dagger on one side. what makes this ''beladau'' different from the dagger in general is that ''beladau'' tends to have curvature at the base of the handle, so the handle is easier to hold and push when used. In accordance with its length of only 24 cm, this traditional Riau weapon is often used as a means of self-protection from melee attacks.
''Pedang jenawi'' is a weapon that was often used by Malay royal warlords when facing their enemies. Its size is quite long, which is about 1 meter making it used in close-range warfare. At a glance, ''pedang jenawi'' looks like a typical Japanese
katana
A is a Japanese sword characterized by a curved, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands. Developed later than the '' tachi'', it was used by samurai in feudal Japan and worn with the edge f ...
. Therefore, many historians and cultural experts argue that this weapon originated from ancient Japanese culture which experienced acculturation with Malay culture. Apart from these opinions, what is clear at this time is that ''pedang jenawi'' has been regarded as the identity of the Riau Malay community.
''
Kris'' is a heritage weapon that has been used for centuries. Not only in Riau, keris is generally used by nobles in Southeast Asia. ''Kris'' is a symbol of honor and self-defense. This weapon is used to stab at close range. The position of the ''kris'' in history as a symbol of honor is undeniable, that in the kingdom it was clearly seen as a form of self-protection, as well as pride. Even in modern history, the function continues to develop as an object of history, and can also be a determinant of history based on the period of manufacture and the type of material used. Up to now in Riau Malay customs and culture, always cooperating with kris in every dress as a complementary weapon from generation to generation. However, what is different in the form of ''kris'' from adat in
Java
Java (; id, Jawa, ; jv, ꦗꦮ; su, ) is one of the Greater Sunda Islands in Indonesia. It is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the south and the Java Sea to the north. With a population of 151.6 million people, Java is the world's mos ...
is, if the use of ''kris'' in Java is tucked in the back of the waist, in Riau and the Malay people, in general, the use of ''kris'' is in front.
Economics
The economy of Riau expands faster (8.66% in 2006) than the Indonesian average (6.04% in 2006), and is largely a resource-based economy, including crude oil (600,000 bpd),
palm oil,
rubber trees
''Hevea brasiliensis'', the Pará rubber tree, ''sharinga'' tree, seringueira, or most commonly, rubber tree or rubber plant, is a flowering plant belonging to the spurge family Euphorbiaceae originally native to the Amazon basin, but is now pan ...
and other
forest product
A forest product is any material derived from forestry for direct consumption or commercial use, such as lumber, paper, or fodder for livestock. Wood, by far the dominant product of forests, is used for many purposes, such as wood fuel (e.g. in fo ...
s. Local government income benefits from a greater share of tax revenue (mainly from crude oil) due to the decentralisation law of 2004. The province has natural resources, both riches contained in the bowels of the earth, in the form of oil and gas, as well as gold, as well as forest products and plantations. Along with the implementation of regional autonomy, gradually began to apply the system for results or financial balance between central and local. The new rules provide expressly limits the obligations of investors, resource utilization, and revenue-sharing with the surrounding environment.
Riau's economy in the first quarter of 2017 grew by 2.82 percent, improving compared to the same period in the previous year which grew 2.74 percent (year-over-year). This growth was supported by growth in almost all businesses, except mining and
excavation which contracted 6.72 percent. The highest growth occurred in the Corporate Services Business Field at 9.56 percent, followed by the processing Industry of 7.30 percent, and government administration, defense and obligatory social security of 6.97 percent. Riau's economy in the first quarter of 2017 contracted by 4.88 percent compared to the fourth quarter of 2016. This contraction was influenced by seasonal factors in the Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Business Field (−5.04 percent). In addition, contractions occur due to a decrease in several business fields, including: Mining and Excavation (−3.50 percent); Processing Industry (−5.41 percent); Large Trade and Retail, Car and Motorcycle Repair (−2.46 percent); and Construction (−8.94 percent).
Energy and natural resources
![Pelabuhan Dumai (preview)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Pelabuhan_Dumai_%28preview%29.jpg)
The energy and mineral resources sector is one sector that plays a major role in the development of the province. The leading commodities in the energy and mineral resources sector in Riau include electricity and mining.
Electricity is an important commodity for human life at this time. Without electricity, almost certainly many construction sectors will be paralyzed. Most of the electricity in Riau Province is still supplied by the
Perusahaan Listrik Negara
PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (Persero) ( 'State Electricity Company', abbreviated as PLN) is an Indonesian government-owned corporation which has a monopoly on electric power distribution in Indonesia and generates the majority of the country' ...
(PLN).
From 2013 to 2015, the electricity capacity produced was 114 Kva/Kwh in hydropower, 94.6 Kva/Kwh in diesel power and 131.2 Kva/Kwh in the gas power. The amount of this electricity capacity does not increase or shrink as well as the number of power generating units. Throughout Riau Province there are 1 unit of hydroelectric power plants, 65 units of diesel power plants and 6 units of gas power plants.
Farming
The agricultural sector is also one of the factors that play a role in the economic development of Riau. The main commodities of agriculture are rice,
corn and
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...
s. In addition, other agricultural products which are commodities of Riau Province are peanuts,
green beans,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
and
sweet potatoes. In 2015, rice production in Riau reached 393,917 tons of milled dry grain. The production was calculated to increase by 2.2 percent compared to production in 2014. The increase in production was influenced by the increase in the harvested area of 107,546 hectares which increased by around 1,509 hectares (1.42%) compared to the previous year. In addition, rice productivity also increased by around 0.26 quintal / hectare or around 0.71%.
While the increase occurred in
corn production, which amounted to 30,870 tons of dry shelled rice, this production increased by around 7.75 percent or 2,219 tons of dry shelled rice. This increase can be affected because of an increase in the area of maize production by 368 hectares (3.1%) compared to the production area in 2014 of 12,057 hectares. The increase also occurred in corn productivity in 2015 amounting to 1.09 quintal / hectare from 2014 or around 4.59%.
Soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...
production also decreased in 2015 by 187 tons of
dry beans (8.02%) from
soybean
The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean, which has numerous uses.
Traditional unfermented food uses of soybeans include soy milk, from which tofu a ...
production in 2014. The decrease in production was influenced by the harvested area of 1,516 hectares which decreased by around 514 hectares (25.32%). However, soybean productivity increased by 2.66 quintal / hectare or 23.15% compared to the previous year.
In 2015, peanut production was lower than in previous years. This production fell by 8.39 percent compared to 2014 and 16.65 percent compared to 2013. The decline in production was influenced by the declining area of peanut farming compared to 2013 and 2014, each of 18.41 percent and 9.23 percent .
In 2015,
green beans
Green beans are young, unripe fruits of various cultivars of the common bean (''Phaseolus vulgaris''), although immature or young pods of the runner bean (''Phaseolus coccineus''), yardlong bean ( ''Vigna unguiculata'' subsp. ''sesquipedalis' ...
production was lower than in previous years. This production fell by 7.28 percent compared to 2014 and 3.39 percent compared to 2013. The decline in production was influenced by the decline in the area of green beans compared to 2013 and 2014, respectively 1.53 percent and 3.67 percent.
In addition,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...
production also experienced a decline in 2015 of 11.89 percent compared to 2014. Actually, cassava production had increased in 2014 by 14.08 percent. This decrease in production was also influenced by the decline in cassava farming area by 11.61 compared to 2014.
In the last three years,
sweet potato production in 2015 was the lowest. This yield fell by 5.36 percent in 2014 and again fell by 18.05 percent. As before, the decline in production was also influenced by the declining area of sweet potato farming by 4.96 percent in 2014 and 18.83 percent in 2015.
Fishing
![COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Vissershaven in Bagan Siapi-api Oost-Sumatra TMnr 10008073](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/COLLECTIE_TROPENMUSEUM_Vissershaven_in_Bagan_Siapi-api_Oost-Sumatra_TMnr_10008073.jpg)
One of Riau's leading commodities is the fisheries sector. The geographical condition of Riau where 17.40% of the total area is an oceanic area and there are 15 rivers making the fisheries sector well developed. In addition, the vast extent of untapped land is a great potential for inland aquaculture to develop. In addition, the market demand for fishery products has increasingly made the catchment sector not enough so that fish farming activities such as cages, ponds, public fisheries and ponds are well developed.
Riau fisheries production mostly comes from marine fisheries. In 2015, the data showed that marine fisheries were 106,233.1 tons or decreased 1 percent from the previous year. In addition, the number of fishery households decreased to 14,610 households, an increase of 0.98 percent. In addition, there was also a decline in the number of fishing vessels as many as 123 units.
The land fishery product processing industry can be divided into four types, namely floating nets, ponds, public fisheries and ponds. In 2015, fish production from floating nets was 5,378.56 tons or decreased by 82.52 percent. This decrease was caused by a decrease in the number of floating nets as many as 157,638 units. Fish production in public fisheries also decreased by 3.9 percent due to a decrease in the number of households. Fish pond production increased by 5,425.2 tons or 10.8 percent. Temporary data on fish pond production showed a drastic decrease of 82.23 percent even though the number of fish ponds increased by 89.15 hectares compared to 2014.
Stockbreeding
Along with increasing public consumption needs for livestock products, both in terms of consumption of livestock meat and other livestock products, such as milk and eggs, the Riau provincial government through the Agriculture and Livestock Service Office continues to try to meet these needs. In addition to the commitment of Riau province to increase food self-sufficiency in 2020, the number of animal populations continues to be increased to meet consumption needs. This is reflected in the increase in some aspects of livestock in Riau in the last 3 years.
Agriculture and plantation
![Riau palm oil 2007](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Riau_palm_oil_2007.jpg)
Plantation growing is rubber and
oil palm
''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms containing two species, called oil palms. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African oil palm '' Elaeis guineensis'' (the species name ''guineensis'' referring to its c ...
plantations, either run by the state or by the people. There is also a citrus and coconut plantations. For oil palm plantation area currently Riau province has a land area of 1:34 million hectares. In addition there have been about 116 palm oil mills (PKS) which operates with the production of coconut palm oil (CPO) 3.3868 million tons per year.
Industry
In this province there are several international companies engaged in the oil and gas as well as the processing of forest products and oil. In addition there is also a copra and rubber processing industry. Several major companies including Chevron Pacific Indonesia a subsidiary of Chevron Corporation, PT. Indah Kiat Pulp & Paper Tbk in Perawang, and PT. Riau Andalan Pulp & Paper in Pangkalan Kerinci Riau provincial mining. Minerals are petroleum, gas, and coal.
Finance and banking
In the field of banking in the province is growing rapidly, this marked the number of private banks and rural banks, in addition to local government-owned banks such as Bank of Riau Kepri.
Transportation
Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport in
Pekanbaru is the largest airport in the province. It serves as the gateway to Pekanbaru and Riau in a whole. The airport serves flights to other major cities in Indonesia such as
Jakarta,
Surabaya,
Bandung and
Medan
Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four mai ...
. Moreover, the airport also serves international flights to cities neighbouring countries such as Singapore,
Malacca and
Kuala Lumpur
, anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera''
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia
, pushpin_map_caption =
, coordinates =
, sub ...
in Malaysia. Furthermore, the airport also was used for
hajj embarkation to
Jeddah and
Medina
Medina,, ', "the radiant city"; or , ', (), "the city" officially Al Madinah Al Munawwarah (, , Turkish: Medine-i Münevvere) and also commonly simplified as Madīnah or Madinah (, ), is the second-holiest city in Islam, and the capital of the ...
in Saudi Arabia. On 16 July 2012, a Rp 2 trillion ($212 million) new terminal has been opened to accommodate 1.5 million passengers a year. The new terminal spanning 17,000 square meters and a more spacious aircraft apron which can accommodate 10 wide-body aircraft, twice the capacity of the old apron. The new terminal is designed with a mix of Malay and modern architecture. The physical form of the building is inspired from the typical flying fauna form of Riau, Serindit birds. To meet the technical requirements of a world-class airport, the airport runway is extended from 2,200 meters to 2,600 meters and then to 3,000 meters.
There are other smaller airports in Riau which mostly serves regional or charter flights, such as
Pinang Kampai Airport
Pinang Kampai Airport is a domestic airport located at Dumai, a city in Riau province. It serves Dumai and surrounding areas. This airport serves flights to and from several cities and towns in Indonesia. This airport is able to serve Boeing ...
in
Dumai,
Tuanku Tambusai Airport
Tuanku Tambusai Airport is a domestic airport located in the Danausati village, district Rambah Samo, Rokan Hulu, Rambah Samo County, Rokan Hulu, Riau, in Indonesia. It serves Pasir Pangaraian and surrounding areas. This airport is able to serve ...
in Pasir Pangaraian,
Japura Airport in
Rengat
Rengat (Jawi script, Jawi: رڠات ) is a ''kecamatan'' (subdistrict) in Riau province of Indonesia and it is the capital (seat) of Indragiri Hulu Regency.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF keeps a conservation forest (it is named "Bukit Tiga ...
,
Sei Pakning Airport in
Tembilahan Tembilahan ( Jawi:تمبيلاهن ) is a town and district of Indragiri Hilir Regency, Riau province of Indonesia. It is also the capital of the regency. Tembilahan district has an area of 197.37 km², consisting of 6 villages. Tembilahan's ...
,
Sei Pakning Airport in
Sungai Pakning and
Sultan Syarief Haroen II Airport in
Pangkalan Kerinci.
File:Check in counter Sultan Syarif Kasim II Interantional Airport Pekanbaru.jpg, Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport
File:Pelabuhan Tj Buton Riau - panoramio.jpg, Tanjung Buton Ferry Harbor in Siak Regency
File:Jembatan Siak.jpg, Siak Bridge
File:Bangkinang, Kampar, Riau 10.jpg, Road conditions in Bangkinang
Bangkinang (Jawi script, Jawi: ), is a town in Riau Province of Indonesia. It is the capital of Kampar Regency, Riau, which is from Pekanbaru (Riau provincial capital). As the capital of the regency adjacent to the provincial capital and a connec ...
The
Trans-Sumatran Highway
The Trans-Sumatra Highway (Indonesian: ''Jalan Raya Trans-Sumatra'') is a primary north–south road in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, 2,508.5 km in length, and connecting the northern island at Banda Aceh to Bandar Lampung in the south ...
runs along the length of the province. Riau serves as a junction of the highway, with
North Sumatra to the north,
Jambi to the south and
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
to the west. Most of the roads have been paved, but there are some sections that is in poor condition. Road damage was allegedly due to the large number of trucks carrying palm oil crops passing from Riau to
North Sumatra or vice versa. As part of the
Trans-Sumatra Toll Road program, the government is currently constructing the 131,48 km long
Pekanbaru–Dumai Toll Road, which would connect
Pekanbaru, the provincial capital and the port city of
Dumai on the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
.
The first section between Pekanbaru and Minas is expected to begin operation in December 2019 and the whole toll road is expected to begin operation in 2020.
Another toll road connecting Pekanbaru and
Padang
Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
in
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
is also under the planning stage. Construction is expected to start on the Riau side due to land clearing issue on the West Sumatran side. The project would also include the construction of the construction of an 8.95 km tunnel in the
Payakumbuh
Payakumbuh ( Indonesian: Kota Payakumbuh, Minangkabau: Payokumbuah, Jawi: ) is the second largest city in West Sumatra province, Indonesia, with a population of 116,825 at the 2010 Census and 139,576 at the 2020 Census. It covers an area of 80 ...
area that will penetrate the
Bukit Barisan Mountains, which would be the longest tunnel in Indonesia.
The Port of Dumai is the largest port in the province. It serves both passengers and cargo. The port serves ferries to
Batam
Batam is the largest city in the province of Riau Islands, Indonesia. The city administrative area covers three main islands of Batam, Rempang, and Galang (collectively called Barelang), as well as several small islands. Batam Island is the c ...
and
Tanjung Pinang
Tanjungpinang, also written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly on the southern Bintan Island, as well as other smaller islands such as Dompak Islan ...
in the
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
, as well as international destinations such as Singapore, Johor and
Malacca in Malaysia. River transportation is also important in Riau, as the province is crossed by many large rivers.
After the
Pekanbaru Railway was abandoned at the end of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, there is currently no active railway line in Riau. However, there has been a proposal of reactivating the Pekanbaru-West Sumatra railway to connect Pekanbaru and
Padang
Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...
on the western coast of
Sumatra, as well as building the Pekanbaru-Duri-
Rantau Prapat
Rantauprapat is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and it is the seat (capital) of Labuhan Batu Regency. Rantauprapat is also a village within the district of Rantau Utara (North Rantau). It consists of 3 main roads. A number of citizen ...
railway which would connect Riau and the existing railway line in
North Sumatra, as well as building the Pekanbaru-
Jambi-
Betung-
Palembang railway which would connect Riau with Jambi and th existing railway line in
South Sumatra
South Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Selatan) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southeast of the island of Sumatra, The province spans and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 Census. The capital of the province is Palembang. The prov ...
. Overall, this railway system would form the Trans-Sumatra Railway.
Tourism
![Kelompok gajah Balairaja](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/31/Kelompok_gajah_Balairaja.jpg)
The prime tourist attractions of Riau can be divided into natural environment, as well as the culture and history of the Riau
Malay people
Malays ( ms, Orang Melayu, Jawi: أورڠ ملايو) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to eastern Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands that lie between these locations — areas that are ...
.
Tourist attractions in Riau are diverse, ranging from marine tourism, because of the location of Riau which is directly facing the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
. And also natural tourism is equally attractive when compared to other provinces in Sumatra. This province has a long history and is present throughout the province, thus making its historical and cultural tourism diverse and well-known.
Each of the regencies in Riau has a tourist attraction within.
![Danau Sipogas Rokan Hulu - panoramio](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Danau_Sipogas_Rokan_Hulu_-_panoramio.jpg)
The
Indragiri Hilir Regency
Indragiri Hilir (or Lower Indragiri) is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. The regency has an area of 13,525.10 km2 and had a population of 661,779 at the 2010 census. The annual st ...
has a long story before the Dutch colonial period. Quite a lot of power shifts while still in the kingdom. Starting from Keritang Kingdom, Kemuning Kingdom, Batin Enam Suku Kingdom to Indragiri Kingdom. besides having an interesting history, Indragiri Hilir Regency also has interesting tourist attractions, and one of them is Solop Beach which is also a mainstay of tourist attractions in Riau. As Indragiri Hilir was once the seat of the Indragiri Sultanate, there are many relics from the sultanate than can be still found throughout the region, such as the Indragiri Kings Cemetery in
Rengat
Rengat (Jawi script, Jawi: رڠات ) is a ''kecamatan'' (subdistrict) in Riau province of Indonesia and it is the capital (seat) of Indragiri Hulu Regency.
The World Wide Fund for Nature, WWF keeps a conservation forest (it is named "Bukit Tiga ...
and traditional houses with typical Malay architecture. Moreover, Indragiri Hilir is also known for its many waterfalls. Similar to Indragiri Hilir, the
Indragiri Hulu Regency
Indragiri Hulu ( or Upper Indragiri) is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. The regency has an area of 8,198.71 km2 and had a population of 363,442 at the 2010 census, 408,704 at the 2015 cens ...
is filled of many tourism spots, such as waterfalls and relic of ancient Malay kingdoms. Furthermore, Indragiri Hulu also serves as the gateway to the
Bukit Tigapuluh National Park
Bukit Tigapuluh National Park (also called ''Bukit Tiga Puluh'' and ''Bukit Tigapulah'') - ''The Thirty Hills'' - is a 143,223 hectare National Park in eastern Sumatra, consisting primarily of tropical lowland forest, largely in Riau province, wit ...
.
The location of
Kampar Regency
Kampar is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It has an area of 11,289.28 km2 and had a population of 686,204 at the 2010 Census, 793,005 at the 2015 Intermediate Census and 841,332 at the 2020 Census. The administrative centre of ...
which is directly adjacent with the province of
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
allows its culture to be greatly influenced by the culture of the
Minangkabau people. Kampar Regency also has some famous and historical attractions, such as the
Muara Takus
Muara Takus ( id, Candi Muara Takus) is a Buddhist temple complex, thought to belong to the Srivijaya empire. It is situated in Kampar Regency in Riau province, Sumatra, Indonesia. Its surviving temples and other archaeological remains are thought ...
Buddhist Temple. There are also many spectacular waterfalls spread throughout Kampar. Moreover, there are also tombs of Malay and Minangkabau kings in Kampar. The city of
Bangkinang
Bangkinang (Jawi script, Jawi: ), is a town in Riau Province of Indonesia. It is the capital of Kampar Regency, Riau, which is from Pekanbaru (Riau provincial capital). As the capital of the regency adjacent to the provincial capital and a connec ...
has many tourist attractions that have nuances of nature, history, religion and culinary that cannot be found in any parts of Indonesia.
![Festival Perahu Baganduang](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Festival_Perahu_Baganduang.jpg)
The
Kepulauan Meranti Regency
Meranti Islands is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, and lies off the eastern coast of the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The regency comprises the islands of Tebing Tinggi, Rangsang, Padang and Merbau, together with minor offshore islan ...
has a variety of marine tourism destinations. Therefore, making it one of the biggest contributors to tourist attractions in Riau that attract both domestic and international tourists each year. The capital
Selat Panjang has a
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
-majority population, making it one of the few cities to have this characteristic. This explains why the culture of Selat Panjang as well as the whole of Kepulauan Meranti is highly influenced by both Chinese and Malay culture. Moreover, there are several Chinese temples that can be found in Selat Panjang and the surrounding area, including the
Hoo Ann Kiong Temple
Hoo Ann Kiong Temple (, known as Vihara Sejahtera Sakti in Indonesian) is the oldest Chinese Taoism temple in Selat Panjang. This temple is the oldest in Riau province and on Jalan Ahmad Yani, Selat Panjang, Riau. It is one of the cultural he ...
, which so the oldest Chinese
Taoism
Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...
temple in
Selat Panjang.
Kuantan Singingi Regency, commonly known as Kuansing, is a ''rantau'' (migration) area for the
Minangkabau people from
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
. Therefore, the culture and customs of Kuansing is highly influenced by Minangkabau culture. On the other hand, Kuansing also contains many tourist destinations. Kuansing is known for its cultural festival that usually happens during the
Eid al-Fitr and other holidays such as the Baganduang Boat Festival (
Indonesian: ''Festival Perahu Baganduang''). The Baganduang Boat Festival was first held as a festival in 1996. These boats are then decorated with flags, coconut leaves, umbrellas, long cloths, pumpkins, photos of the president and vice president, and other objects that have traditional symbols. For example, rice symbolizes agricultural fertility and buffalo horns that symbolize livestock. In the festival, guests were presented with a variety of entertainment, including ''Rarak Calempong'', ''Panjek Pinang'', and ''Potang Tolugh''. The process of making a baganduang boat is usually blessed with a Malay ceremony. Another festival in Kuansing is the
Pacu Jalur Festival. Pacu Jalur is the largest annual festival for the people of the
Kuantan Singingi Regency, especially in the capital, Taluk Kuantan, which is along the bank of the
Kuantan River
The Kuantan River ( ms, Sungai Kuantan) is a river in Pahang, Malaysia. It runs from Sungai Lembing through Kuantan City before flowing out to South China Sea.
One section of the Kuantan River flows past an ancient mangrove forest. This forest, w ...
. Originally, the festival was held to commemorate the Islamic holidays such as the
Mawlid, or the commemoration of the New Year's Eve. But after the
Indonesian independence
The Proclamation of Indonesian Independence ( id, Proklamasi Kemerdekaan Indonesia, or simply ''Proklamasi'') was read at 10:00 on Friday, 17 August 1945 in Jakarta. The declaration marked the start of the diplomatic and armed resistance of th ...
, Pacu Jalur is now usually held to celebrate the Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia.
[Sejarah Pacu Jalur Kuansing hingga jadi event nasional](_blank)
accessdate 24 August 2017 Pacu Jalur is a long rowing boat race, similar to the
Dragon Boat
A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family ...
race in neighboring
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
and Singapore, which is a boat or canoe made of wood that can reach 25 to 40 meters in length. In the Taluk Kuantan area, the native people called the longboat used in the festival as ''Jalur''. The boat rower team ranges from 50 to 60 people.
Pelalawan Regency
Pelalawan is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. The regency has an area of 13,067.29 km² and had a population of 301,829 at the 2010 Census and 390,046 at the 2020 Census, including ...
has a long history, even as the name Pelalawan was taken from the name of the former Pelalawan Kingdom. And the Pelalawan Kingdom was once victorious in 1725 and was very famous with its Sultan Syed Abdurrahman Fachrudin. Apart from its history, Pelalawan also stores quite a lot of tourist attractions besides its history. Remnants of the old Pelalawan Kingdom can still be seen throughout the regency, such as Sayap Pelalawan palace where the former Sultan of Pelalawan reside. Inside the Pelalawan Wing Palace there are many relics, such as keris weapons, spears, and various other relics placed in the palace central room. Another remnants is tomb of the
sultans of Pelalawan. Most of the tourist who frequented the tomb are usually pilgrims and certain days the tomb is quite crowded with pilgrims. Moreover, Pelalawan serves as the gateway to the
Tesso Nilo National Park.
Rokan Hilir Regency
Rokan Hilir ("Lower Rokan") is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, on Sumatra island, Indonesia. It occupies the lower part of the catchment area of the Rokan River, and has an area of 8,851.59 km2. It had a population of 553,216 at ...
as one of the regencies in Riau which is directly facing the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
, was once the largest fish producer in Indonesia. Since the Dutch colonial era, Rokan Hilir with its capital
Bagansiapiapi
Bagansiapiapi or simply known as Bagan () is a city in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The city is the capital of Rokan Hilir Regency in the Riau Province and is located on the east coast of Sumatra, on the Rokan River delt ...
has already become more advanced than other region especially in terms of trade. The tourism industry in Rokan Hilir is also quite well known both on a national and international scale. Rokan Hilir is known for its tourist spots and festival such as the Junk burning festival. Known in the local
Riau Hokkien as ''Go Gek Cap Lak'' (Chinese: 五月十六日;
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...
: ''wǔ yuè shíliù rì'';
Hokkien
The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages ...
POJ: ''gō͘-go̍eh-cha̍p-la̍k-ji̍t''), the
Junk burning festival is an annual ritual of the community in Bagansiapiapi which has been well known overseas and is included in the Indonesian tourism tourist. Every year this ritual can attract tourists from
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
, Singapore,
Thailand
Thailand ( ), historically known as Siam () and officially the Kingdom of Thailand, is a country in Southeast Asia, located at the centre of the Indochinese Peninsula, spanning , with a population of almost 70 million. The country is b ...
,
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
to
Mainland China
"Mainland China" is a geopolitical term defined as the territory governed by the People's Republic of China (including islands like Hainan or Chongming), excluding dependent territories of the PRC, and other territories within Greater China. ...
. Now this annual event is heavily promoted by the government of Rokan Hilir Regency as a source of tourism. The initial history of the festival was started by Chinese people who lived in Bagansiapiapi to commemorate their ancestors and also as a gesture of gratitude to the God Kie Ong Ya. Other than that, Bagansiapiapi and the surrounding area has many Chinese temples that can be visited.
The
Rokan Hulu Regency
Rokan Hulu is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. Rokan Hulu Regency was created as a result of the division of Kampar Regency, of which it was previously the western half. The new Regency was esta ...
has the nickname ''Negeri Seribu Suluk''. The district is bordered by two provinces, namely
North Sumatra and
West Sumatra
West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...
. It is certain that the acculturation of culture in Rokan Hulu Regency has become more diverse, starting from customs and traditions. Rokan Hulu contains many lakes, waterfalls and caves that is spread throughout the region. One of the historical assets that is still standing firmly in Rokan Hulu, is the
Palace of Rokan Hulu. This palace, which is already 200 years old, is a relic of the Nagari Tuo Sultanate. Although there are some parts of the repair but the architecture is still intact and also the carvings on the wood are still clearly visible.
Siak Regency
Siak ( Jawi: ), is a regency (''kabupaten'') of Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 8,556.09 km² and had a population of 376,742 at the 2010 Census and 457,940 at the 2020 Census, comprising 236,494 male an ...
is the number two richest district in Riau after
Bengkalis Regency
Bengkalis Regency is a regency of Indonesia in the Riau province. The regency, which includes the whole of Bengkalis and Rupat Islands in the Strait of Malacca, has been established since 1956. The regency was formerly divided into 13 districts (o ...
. The main export of Siak Regency is petroleum which finally can deliver it to become the second richest regency in the province. On the other hand, the regency is currently boosting the tourism sector to attract more visitors. As Siak was once the house of the
Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura
The Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura, often called Sultanate of Siak (Indonesian: Kesultanan Siak Sri Inderapura; Jawi: ), was a kingdom that was located in the Siak Regency, Riau from 1722 to 1949 CE. It was founded by ''Raja Kechil,'' who wa ...
, the regency contains remnants of the sultanate that is still well-preserved, such as the
Siak Sri Indrapura Palace. The palace complex has an area of about 32,000 square meters consisting of 4 palaces namely Istana Siak, Istana Lima, Istana Padjang, and Istana Baru. Each of the palace including ''Siak Palace'' itself has an area of 1,000 square meters. The palace contains royal ceremonial objects, such as a gold-plated crown set with diamonds, a golden throne and personal objects of Sultan Syarif Qasyim and his wife, such as the ''Komet'', a multi-centennial musical instrument which is said to have been made only two copies in the world. Presently, the ''komet'' is still functioning and is used to play works by composers such as
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
,
Mozart and
Strauss
Strauss, Strauß or Straus is a common Germanic surname. Outside Germany and Austria ''Strauß'' is always spelled ''Strauss'' (the letter " ß" is not used in the German-speaking part of Switzerland). In classical music, "Strauss" usually re ...
. Siak is also home to the tomb of
Sultan Syarif Kasim II, the last Sultan of Siak.
Dumai is a city located in Riau whose location is very strategic especially for international trade because of its location in the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
. In addition, Dumai is the largest city in Indonesia at this time. Dumai is home to many beaches and mangrove forests.
The capital of Riau,
Pekanbaru, contains several tourist attractions. The Idrus Tintin Art Building is named after an Indonesian artist named Idrus Tintin. Judging from the architecture of the Idrus Tintin Art Building almost looks like a Malay Royal Palace, even though this building functioned as an art performance venue. Various works by Indonesian artists are displayed in the building. The
An-Nur Great Mosque is the pride of Pekanbaru. An-Nur Great Mosque is one of the grandest mosques in Indonesia. An-Nur Great Mosque was built in 1968 from the side of its architecture which is similar to the
Taj Mahal
The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...
in India. Therefore, many people Riau called the mosque as the "Taj Mahal of Riau".
Soeman H.S Library is named after
Soeman H.S, a novelist from Riau and his name is immortalized as the name of the library in downtown Pekanbaru. The
architectural style
An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...
of the building is similar to open books or like a
''rehal'' (placemats for the
Qur'an
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , s ...
). This tourist spot in Riau has quite a collection of books, and has even been the largest library in Asia.
Cuisine
The cuisine of Riau is heavily influenced by
Malay and
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
cuisines, and also slightly influenced by
Chinese
Chinese can refer to:
* Something related to China
* Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity
**''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation
** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...
and
Javanese cuisine
Javanese cuisine is the cuisine of Javanese people, a major ethnic group in Indonesia, more precisely the province of Central Java, Yogyakarta and East Java.
Definition
Javanese cuisine refers exclusively to the cuisine of Javanese people, ...
s. The cuisine in Riau is somewhat similar to the cuisine in the
Malay Peninsula across the
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow stretch of water, 500 mi (800 km) long and from 40 to 155 mi (65–250 km) wide, between the Malay Peninsula (Peninsular Malaysia) to the northeast and the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the southwest, connec ...
.
Traditional Malay cuisine in Riau has much in common with other Malay cuisines in other part of the
Malay world and Sumatran cuisine which generally uses spices and
coconut milk to produce spicy, fatty and thick
curry
A curry is a dish with a sauce seasoned with spices, mainly associated with South Asian cuisine. In southern India, leaves from the curry tree may be included.
There are many varieties of curry. The choice of spices for each dish in trad ...
.. Most dishes use basic ingredients of fish, from
pangasius
''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''.
T ...
,
mystus
''Mystus'' is a genus of fish in the family Bagridae native to Asia. Phylogenetic relationships within this genus are poorly understood, though it has been suggested that there are two major lineages.
Species
There are currently 46 recognized s ...
,
anchovy
An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water.
More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...
,
Spanish mackerel
Scomberomorini is a tribe of ray-finned saltwater bony fishes that is commonly known as the Spanish mackerels, seerfishes or seer fish. This fish closely resembles the King Mackerel. This tribe is a subset of the mackerel family (Scombridae) ...
s,
rays
Ray may refer to:
Fish
* Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea
* Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin
Science and mathematics
* Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point
* Ray (gra ...
, and
prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...
s, and often uses
buffalo or ox meat. Additional ingredients commonly used are
Belacan
Shrimp paste or prawn sauce is a fermented condiment commonly used in Southeast Asian and Southern Chinese cuisines. It is primarily made from finely crushed shrimp or krill mixed with salt, and then fermented for several weeks. They are eith ...
. Almost every Malay dish is served with white rice or with ''
nasi lemak'' and is usually eaten using hands.
''Nasi Lemak'' is a typical Riau food in the form of rice cooked with coconut milk to provide a savory flavor and fragrant aroma. ''Nasi Lemak'' is generally served with side dishes such as eggs, fried anchovy, chili sauce, cucumber slices and other side dishes. This ''nasi lemak'' is easily found in stalls and restaurants in
Pekanbaru. In archipelagic region like
Riau Islands
The Riau Islands ( id, Kepulauan Riau) is a province of Indonesia. It comprises a total of 1,796 islands scattered between Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and Borneo including the Riau Archipelago. Situated on one of the world's busiest shipping lan ...
province of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, usually seafood are used to accompany nasi lemak, such as ''ikan bilis'' (
anchovy
An anchovy is a small, common forage fish of the family Engraulidae. Most species are found in marine waters, but several will enter brackish water, and some in South America are restricted to fresh water.
More than 140 species are placed in 1 ...
), ''ikan tamban'' (''
Sardinella longiceps
Indian oil sardine
The Indian oil sardine (''Sardinella longiceps'') is a species of ray-finned fish in the genus ''Sardinella
''Sardinella'' is a genus of fish in the family Clupeidae found in the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. They are ...
''), ''ikan selar kuning'' (''
Selaroides leptolepis''), ''sotong'' or ''cumi-cumi'' (squid) or small
prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...
s. The Riau islands traditional nasi lemak is quite similar to Malaysian version; it comes as a platter of coconut rice wrapped in banana leaf, with cucumber slices, small dried anchovies (''ikan bilis''), roasted peanuts, hard boiled egg, and hot spicy sauce (''sambal'').
The Riau islands version however, comes with an addition of small fish locally known as ''ikan tamban'', usually fried with ''
sambal
Sambal is an Indonesian chilli sauce or paste, typically made from a mixture of a variety of chilli peppers with secondary ingredients, such as shrimp paste, garlic, ginger, shallot, scallion, palm sugar, and lime juice. ''Sambal'' is an ...
'' chili paste and very crispy, the whole fish is edible.
Prawn
Prawn is a common name for small aquatic crustaceans with an exoskeleton and ten legs (which is a member of the order decapoda), some of which can be eaten.
The term "prawn"Mortenson, Philip B (2010''This is not a weasel: a close look at nature' ...
s and
squids are also commonly stir-fried in chili paste as ''sambal udang'' or ''sambal cumi''. In Indonesia, nasi lemak is often sprinkled with ''bawang goreng'' (crispy fried
shallot
The shallot is a botanical variety (a cultivar) of the onion. Until 2010, the (French red) shallot was classified as a separate species, ''Allium ascalonicum''. The taxon was synonymized with '' Allium cepa'' (the common onion) in 2010, as the ...
granules). In
Pekanbaru city in Sumatran province of Riau however, freshwater river fishes are commonly used as ''lauk'' to accompany nasi lemak. The freshwater fishes includes ''ikan selais'' (''
Kryptopterus cryptopterus'') and ''ikan patin'' (''
Pangasius
''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''.
T ...
''). Other fish such as ''ikan lomek'' (''
Harpadon nehereus'') is also commonly used. These fishes are usually cooked in
Minang style ''lado ijo'' (green chili pepper), minced and fried as ''perkedel ikan'', or just plainly fried.
File:Nasi Lemak Sambal Cumi in Indonesia 2.jpg, '' Nasi lemak'' Riau
File:Rotijala.jpg, Rolled up ''roti jala''
File:Roti Cane Kari Kambing.jpg, ''Roti cane
Roti canai (pronunciation: /tʃanaɪ/) or roti prata, also known as roti chenai and roti cane (/tʃane/), is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thaila ...
'' with goat curry served in a Riau restaurant
File:Gulai ayam.JPG, ''Gulai
''Gulai'' is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables su ...
ayam''
The ''
Gulai
''Gulai'' is a class of spicy and rich stew commonly found in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore. The main ingredients of this dish are usually poultry, goat meat, beef, mutton, various kinds of offal, fish and seafood, as well as vegetables su ...
Ikan Patin'' (
Catfish
Catfish (or catfishes; order Siluriformes or Nematognathi) are a diverse group of ray-finned fish. Named for their prominent barbels, which resemble a cat's whiskers, catfish range in size and behavior from the three largest species alive ...
soup) has a very delicious and powerful taste and it can be easily be found around Pekanbaru. ''Gulai Ikan Patin'' is a typical Pekanbaru food that has a deep yellow sauce to soak the pieces of catfish. The people of Riaum especially Pekanbaru, generally also consume other ingredients other than the catfish. There are sidedishes accompanying the dish, such as boiled yams, leaf tops and more. ''Gulai Ikan Patin'' is usually cooked with the ''
etlingera elatior
''Etlingera elatior'' (also known as torch ginger, ginger flower, red ginger lily, torch lily, wild ginger, ''combrang, bunga kantan'', Philippine wax flower, ගොඩ ඕලු (goda olu), ගොඩ නෙලුම් (goda nelum), සිද් ...
'' to enhance the flavouring.
''
Asam pedas
Asam pedas ( Minangkabau: ''asam padeh''; "sour and spicy") is a Maritime Southeast Asian sour and spicy fish stew dish. Asam pedas is believed to come from Minangkabau cuisine of West Sumatra, Indonesia and has spread throughout to the islands o ...
'' (or ''Asam padeh'' in
Minangkabau Minangkabau may refer to:
* Minangkabau culture, culture of the Minangkabau people
* Minangkabau Culture Documentation and Information Center
* Minangkabau Express, an airport rail link service serving Minangkabau International Airport (''see belo ...
) is a Malay-Minangkabau dish that can be found in Riau and the surrounding area.. It is a type sour and spicy fish stew dish.
The main ingredients in ''asam pedas'' are usually seafood or freshwater fish. They are cooked in ''asam'' (
tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...
) fruit juice with
chilli and spices. The cooking process involves soaking the pulp of the tamarind fruit until it is soft and then squeezing out the juice for cooking the fish. ''Asam'' paste may be substituted for convenience. Vegetables such as ''terong'' or ''brinjals'' (Indian
eggplants),
okra
Okra or Okro (, ), ''Abelmoschus esculentus'', known in many English-speaking countries as ladies' fingers or ochro, is a flowering plant in the mallow family. It has edible green seed pods. The geographical origin of okra is disputed, with su ...
and tomatoes are added. Fish and seafood – such as
mackerel,
mackerel tuna
''Euthynnus affinis'', the mackerel tuna, little tuna, wavyback skipjack tuna, kawakawa, or tongkol is a species of ray-finned bony fish in the family Scombridae, or mackerel family. It belongs to the tribe Thunnini, better known as the tunas. ...
,
tuna
A tuna is a saltwater fish that belongs to the tribe Thunnini, a subgrouping of the Scombridae ( mackerel) family. The Thunnini comprise 15 species across five genera, the sizes of which vary greatly, ranging from the bullet tuna (max len ...
,
skipjack tuna,
red snapper
Red snapper is a common name of several fish species. It may refer to:
* Several species from the genus ''Lutjanus'':
** ''Lutjanus campechanus'', Northern red snapper, commonly referred to as red snapper in the Gulf of Mexico and western Atlanti ...
,
gourami
Gouramis, or gouramies , are a group of freshwater anabantiform fishes that comprise the family Osphronemidae. The fish are native to Asia—from the Indian Subcontinent to Southeast Asia and northeasterly towards Korea. The name "gourami", of ...
,
pangasius
''Pangasius'' is a genus of medium-large to very large shark catfishes native to fresh water in South and Southeast Asia. The term "pangasius" is sometimes used to specifically refer to the commercially important basa fish, ''P. bocourti''.
T ...
,
hemibagrus
''Hemibagrus'' is a genus of catfishes (order Siluriformes) of the family Bagridae.
The genus ''Hemibagrus'' is known from Southeast Asia, India, and southern China. Members of this genus are found ubiquitously in river drainages east of the G ...
or
cuttlefish – either the whole body or sometimes only the
fish heads are added to make a spicy and tart
fish stew
Fish stew is a generic name for a stew with a base or food ingredients of fish or seafood. It is also rarely used to refer to stew ponds.
List of fish stews
Types of fish stew from around the world include:
* ''Asam Pedas'' ( Indonesian) and ...
. It is important that the fish remain intact for serving so generally the fish is added last. In the Riau region, the most common fish used in asam pedas is ''
tongkol'' (mackerel tuna).
Aside from the main dish, typical Riau restaurant also serves local snacks. An example is the ''
roti jala''. ''Roti jala'' typical Riau food which is influenced by
Malay culture
Malays ( ms, Orang Melayu, Jawi: أورڠ ملايو) are an Austronesian ethnic group native to eastern Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and coastal Borneo, as well as the smaller islands that lie between these locations — areas that are col ...
.
''Roti jala'' is a dish that is generally present at large parties such as weddings. This food is made from the basic ingredients of flour which, after being cooked, will be served with a spill of durian sauce for those who like sweet foods. Aside from being served with sauce, ''roti jala'' is also commonly eaten with curry chicken, mutton or beef. ''Roti jala'' has a triangular shape that is produced from a mold. Although it is usually white in color, some creative cooker also gives food coloring such as ''
pandanus'' to make the ''roti jala'' green in color. ''
Roti cane
Roti canai (pronunciation: /tʃanaɪ/) or roti prata, also known as roti chenai and roti cane (/tʃane/), is an Indian flatbread dish found in several countries in Southeast Asia, especially in Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and Thaila ...
'' is a typical Riau food. This bread has much in common with ''
roti pratha'' in
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and Singapore aside from the taste and eating method.
Sports
![Kaharuddin Nasution Stadium gate](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/Kaharuddin_Nasution_Stadium_gate.JPG)
Riau has a football team,
PSPS Pekanbaru
Persatuan Sepakbola Pekanbaru dan Sekitarnya (commonly known as PSPS) is an Indonesian football team based in Pekanbaru, Riau. They currently play in Liga 2. They play at the Riau Main Stadium.
Players Current squad
...
, based in
Kaharuddin Nasution Stadium, Pekanbaru. There is also has local football team
PS Siak
Persatuan Sepakbola Siak, simply known as PS Siak (English: ''Football Association of Siak'') is an Indonesian football club based in Siak Sri Indrapura, Siak Regency, Riau. They compete in Liga 3.
Coaching staff
Honours
* Liga 3 Riau
**Ch ...
. In 2012, Riau hosted
Pekan Olahraga Nasional
The National Sports Week ( id, Pekan Olahraga Nasional, abbreviated as PON) is a multi-sport event held every four years in Indonesia. The participants of this event are the athletes from all provinces of Indonesia. It is organized by the National ...
.
See also
*
Zapin Api
Zapin Api (lit: "Zapin of Fire"; Jawi: زاڤين اڤي) is a firedance technique of the classical Malay Zapin founded in Pulau Rupat Utara, Bengkalis, Riau, Indonesia. The identifying characteristic of Zapin Api is the incorporation of fir ...
, a type of performing arts from the shores of Riau
*
List of people from Riau
This is a listing of notable people born in, or notable for their association with, Riau.
__NOTOC__
A
Zakaria bin Muhammad Amin, ulama, politician, and writer (Bangkinang)
B
* Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, poet ( Indragiri Hulu)
J
* Defri Juli ...
*
Deforestation in Indonesia
Deforestation in Indonesia involves the long-term loss of forests and foliage across much of the country; it has had massive environmental and social impacts. Indonesia is home to some of the most Biodiversity, biologically diverse forests in th ...
*
2012 Pekan Olahraga Nasional
2012 Pekan Olahraga Nasional or 2012 National Sports Week was a multi-sport event in Indonesia which was held in Riau from 9–20 September 2012. The previous edition was held in East Kalimantan. Thousands of athletes, officials, and journalists ...
References
{{Authority control
Strait of Malacca
Provinces of Indonesia
States and territories established in 1957