province, Indonesia
Riau, propinsi (or provinsi; province), east-central Sumatra, Indonesia. It is bounded by the province of North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) to the north and northwest, by the Strait of Malacca to the east and Berhala Strait to the southeast, and by the provinces of Jambi to the south and West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) to the west. Riau includes the islands of Rupat, Bengkalis, Rangsang, and Rantau in the Strait of Malacca. The capital is Pekanbaru, in the west-central part of the province. Area 33,600 square miles (87,024 square km). Pop. (2009 est.) 5,538,367.
Indonesia in its entirety (upper map) and the islands of Java, Bali, Lombok, and Sumbawa (lower map). Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
The Batak Plateau and the Padang Highlands of the Barisan Mountains, situated along the western boundary of Riau, are the only major uplands in the province. The Tigapuluh Mountains, with an average elevation of 2,369 feet (722 metres), thrust northward near the province's south-central boundary. A belt of swamps, fed by the Rokan, Tapung, Siak, Kampar, and Indragiri rivers flowing eastward from the highlands, extends inward from the coast to a maximum width of about 150 miles (240 km); swamps also cover the greater part of Rupat and Bengkalis islands. The region is subject to occasional flooding, and the coast is deeply indented by estuaries. The swamp vegetation includes sedge, pandanus, rattan, and ferns; dense bamboo thickets border the swamps at many places, and the estuaries are dotted with mangroves.
Riau's population consists primarily of Malay peoples, and Islam is the predominant religion. The Minangkabau, Batak, and Chinese communities are among the most prominent minority groups.
Agriculture is a major occupation in Riau, with rice, corn (maize), cassava, soybeans, copra (dried coconut meat), gambier (a plant producing a resin used for tanning and dyeing), and pepper among the main products. There also are moderate logging and fishing industries. The principal large-scale industry is the extraction of petroleum from fields near Pekanbaru. Sungai Pakning and Dumai, both on the northern coast, have oil refineries. Other manufacturing activities include food processing, papermaking, and wood carving. Much of the internal transport is by riverboat; good roads are confined largely to the hinterland around Pekanbaru. There is an international airport in Pekanbaru, and several smaller facilities handle domestic flights.
The region formed part of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire, with its capital at Palembang (in southeastern Sumatra), and served as a base for the conquest of kingdoms on the Malay Peninsula in the 7th century ce. The Hindu Majapahit empire of eastern Java established supremacy over the region in the 14th century, after the fall of the Srivijaya empire. Muslim states were established in the 16th century, following the disintegration of the Majapahit empire. When the Portuguese seized the Malay state of Malacca in 1511, its last sultan retained Johore (Johor) on the Malay Peninsula and the Riau archipelago at its southern tip. The Dutch arrived in 1596, and the British followed shortly afterward. Rivalries between the European powers and attacks by sea pirates adversely affected the fortunes of the region, which had come under Dutch control by the end of the 18th century.
After an interval of Japanese occupation (1942–45) during World War II, the province was incorporated into the newly formed Republic of Indonesia in 1950 as part of the province of Central Sumatra. In 1957 Central Sumatra was divided into the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi, and Riau. At that time, Riau included the neighbouring Riau and Lingga archipelagos as well as the Anambas, Tambelan, and Natuna island groups in the waters between the Malay Peninsula and northwestern Borneo. Those island territories were separated administratively from mainland Riau in 2002 to become Riau Islands province.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Virginia Gorlinski, Associate Editor.
Sumatra, Indonesian island, the second largest (after Borneo) of the Greater Sunda Islands, in the Malay Archipelago. It is separated in the northeast from the Malay Peninsula by the Strait of Malacca and in the south from Java by the Sunda Strait.…
Indonesia, country located off the coast of mainland Southeast Asia in the Indian and Pacific oceans. It is an archipelago that lies across the Equator and spans a distance equivalent to one-eighth of Earth's circumference. Its islands can be grouped into the Greater Sunda Islands of Sumatra (Sumatera), Java (Jawa),…
North Sumatra, propinsi (or provinsi; province), northern Sumatra, Indonesia, bounded by the semiautonomous province of Aceh to the northwest, by the Strait of Malacca to the north and northeast, by the provinces of Riau to the southeast and West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) to the south, and by…
Strait of Malacca
Strait of Malacca, waterway connecting the Andaman Sea (Indian Ocean) and the South China Sea (Pacific Ocean). It runs between the Indonesian island of Sumatra to the west and peninsular (West) Malaysia and extreme southern Thailand to the east and has an area of about 25,000 square miles (65,000 square…
Jambi, kotamadya (municipality) and propinsi (or provinsi; province), southeastern Sumatra, Indonesia. The province is bounded by the province of Riau to the north, by the Strait of Berhala to the east, and by the provinces of South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) and Bengkulu to the south and West…
Rupat Island
Raja Ali Haji bin Raja Amhad
Mahmud Muzaffar Shah
Bengkalis Island
Riau Islands
China, country of East Asia. It is the largest of all Asian countries and has the largest population…
India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting…
Canada, second largest country in the world in area (after Russia), occupying roughly the northern two-fifths…