Introduction

Introduction to Riau

The name 'Riau' was once only used for the chain of islands which seales off the entrance to Selat Malaka (Malacca Street) south and west of Singapore. In 1958, the uncontrolable province 'Central Sumatera' (concluding of the current Jambi, West-Sumatera and Riau) which was formed during the Indonesian revolution, was split up and a new province in the name of Riau was formed. Except the bordering (...)

Batam	Playgarden of Singapore

Batam is just across Singapore, the island state and former British colony which is growing well over the last years that she can show off with her dynamic and strong economy. Batam is so close - just twenty kilometres away - that the sky scrapers are visible as the horizon, and the bright light of the city can be seen at night. In fact Batam has much in common with Singapore for what geograp (...)

Bintan	On the doorstep of history

Bintan played a central role in Malay history for centuries. The ruler of Malakka found his refuge on the island in the 15th century, after the Portuguese banned him from his city. At that time, the inhabitants of Bintan weren't Malay, but orang laut (sea nomads), which were very loyal to their king. After that, the royal court has been replaced several times, to Johor and Lingga, but event (...)

Mainland	Rainforest, rivers and kampungs

The mainland of Riau, with it's three big rivers - Inderagiri, Kamapr and Siak - is far away from the pavesd tourist locations. Initiafive, time and practical knowledge of Indonesian can't be missed. However there is a rewasonable road system (the best connection runs from Pekanbaru to the port of Dumai), the Trans Sumatera highway passes the province entirely and the traveller is pointed to river (...)

Penyengat	Stinger of the Malay world

Pulau Penyengat (Wasp Island), a stretch of land of 2500 by 750 metres, is located in the bay just across Tanjung Pinang. In the 19th century this island was inhabited by about 9,000 people and it once was the cultural capital of the Malay world for a short time. About sixty books were written here, among them the famous Tuhfat al-Nafis, a Buginese-Malay historical story by Raja Ali Haji, a (...)

Karimun	Anonymous spot in Riau

Karimun is a slow, far-away island with a colorfull past. During the Srivijaya period (7th to 13th century) and under the later sultanate Malakka (1400 - 1511), it was a strategic base, inhabited by orang laut who lived on boats which helped the Malay rulers to conquer the sealanes. During the 18th and 19th century Karimun was sometimes used as the location for those who doubted over t (...)

Lingga	Symbol of durability

The Lingga archipelago is a group of scattered islands along both sides of the equator, about 50 to 150 kilometres south of Batam and Bintan, and about ten hours from Tanjung Pinang by slow ferry. The two main islands are Lingga and Singkep; in the north is a number of smaller islands, among them Sebangka and Bakung, which are the biggest ones. Those form the ideal place for real romantic people: (...)

Overview	Riau in Short

The territory of this rich province includes a sizable slice of the eastern Sumatran coast and more than 3,000 islands of all sizes. Riau, although comparatively small in both size and population (about 2.5 million), is the heartland of the Malays and the cradle of Indonesia's Malay-based national language and culture. The first book of Malay grammar, the Bustanul Katibin, was written and publishe (...)