Riau Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Riau

Province

Other transcription(s)

• Jawi

رياو

From top, right to left: An-Nur Mosque, Muara Takus, Siak Palace, Sunset view in Ulu Kasok and Green riverside of Kampar River, Riau Main Stadium, Tengku Agung Sultanah Latifah bridge, Idrus Tintin The Malay Art Building Center, Cian Cui Festival in Selatpanjang, Sumatran elephant in the Minas Elephant Sanctuary and Tesso Nilo National Park

Flag	Coat of arms

Nickname(s):

Bumi Lancang Kuning (Land of the Glorious)

Motto(s):

بومي برتواه نڬري برادت
Bumi Bertuah Negeri Beradat (Malay)
(meaning: Ground of Fortunes, Land of Customs)

Location of Riau in Indonesia

Country

Indonesia

Established

10 August 1957

Capital
and largest city

Pekanbaru

Government

• Body

Riau Regional Government

Area

• Total

87,023.66 km² (33,600.02 sq mi)

Area rank

7th

Elevation

10 m (30 ft)

Highest elevation

1,091 m (3,579 ft)

Lowest elevation

0 m (0 ft)

Population

(2017)

• Total

6,657,900

• Rank

10th

• Density

76.5068/km² (198.1517/sq mi)

• Density rank

24th

Demonym(s)

Riauan
Warga Riau (id)
Kaum Riau (ms)

Demographics

• Ethnic groups

Malay (33.28%), Javanese (29.20%), Batak (12.55%), Minangkabau (12.29%), Chinese (4.13%), others (8.55%)

• Religion

Islam (89.27%), Protestantism (7.87%), Buddhism (1.84%), Roman Catholicism (1.06%), Confucianism (0.08%), Hinduism (0.07%)

• Languages

Indonesian (official)
Malay, Minangkabau, Hokkien (regional)

Time zone

UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)

Postcodes

28xxx, 29xxx

Area codes

(62)6xx, (62)76x

ISO 3166 code

ID-RI

Vehicle sign

GRP per capita

US$9,252.17

GRP rank

3rd

HDI

0.724 (High)

HDI rank

6th (2018)

Riau is a province of Indonesia. It is on the central eastern coast of Sumatra. Its capital city is Pekanbaru. Riau is rich in natural resources. It has petroleum, natural gas, rubber, and palm oil.

History

Riau allegedly has been inhabited since the period between 10,000–40.000 BC. Between 5th to 12th century AD, traders and merchants from the Indian subcontinent visited the region to trade with the local people, spreading Hinduism and Buddhism in the process. Therefore, Riau was under the control of several Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms such as the Melayu Kingdom and the Srivijaya empire. In the 14th century, Muslim traders from India and the Arabian Peninsula visited the region, beginning the spread of Islam in the region. By the end of the 14th century, Hindu and Buddhist influence are waning, while Islam influence are growing, leading to the dissolution of many Hindu-Buddhist Kingdoms in Riau. Those kingdoms who still existed transformed itself into an Islamic Sultanates. By the 16th century, there are three great Malay sultanates in the region, namely the Siak Sri Indrapura Sultanate, Indragiri Sultanates and the Johor Sultanate, the latter which would split in the 19th century into the modern Johor Sultanate in the Malay peninsula and the Riau-Lingga Sultanate in the Riau Archipelago. However, by that time Europeans began frequenting the region. first the Portuguese, then the Dutch and the British.

In 1824, the Dutch and British agreed to divide the sphere of influence in the region, with the Malay peninsula falling under the British and Sumatra falling under the Dutch. Soon afterwards, the power of the sultanates in the region began to wane. The sultanates soon became protectorate of the Dutch and was reduced to nothing but a puppet states of the Dutch East Indies, with the Dutch having the authority to intervene in the everydays affair. This happens until 1942, when the Japanese invaded and occupied Riau during the Pacific theater of World War II. After three years of occupation which was marked by atrocities and war crimes, the Japanese surrendered in 1945. The Dutch soon returned to assume control of the region, but left in 1949 after the Dutch–Indonesian Round Table Conference, in which the Dutch agreed to transfer sovereignty of the Dutch East Indies to the Republic of Indonesia. Since then, Riau has been part of the unitary state of Indonesia.

Images for kids

The Siak Sri Indrapura Palace in Siak. Riau was once the seat of many great Malay sultanates
Malay nobles of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura
A painting of Riouw, Dutch East Indies, painted between 1859 and 1861
Giam Siak Kecil – Bukit Batu biosphere reserves]]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, [[Malaysia
A traditional Malay wedding replica in Museum Sang Nila Utama, Pekanbaru. Malay forms the majority of the population in Riau.
Street signs in Pekanbaru, written in both Latin and Jawi script
Jami Mosque of Air Tiris in Kampar Regency.
Typical dress of a Riau Malay couple while enjoying the traditional Gambus.
Rumah Melayu Lipat Kajang in Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Jakarta
Lontiok House in Kampar
Balai Adat Tambisai in Rokan Hulu Regency
Riau dancers performing the tari persembahan during a welcoming ceremony
Gendang (drum) from Riau
Timber industry in Riau has begun to grow since the colonial era
Bagansiapiapi fishing port, the town was used as one of world's fishing trading port in 1900s
Palm oil construction in Riau, 2007
Sumatran elephants in the Balai Raja Wildlife Reserve
People participate in parade of ornamental vessels called Perahu Baganduang in Lubuk Jambi, Kuantan Singingi, 2018
Performers in the Pacu Jalur Festival, Kuantan Singingi Regency
View of the sunset from a beach in the Kepulauan Meranti Regency
Bakar Tongkang or Junk Burning Festival (Chinese: 五月十六日) in Bagansiapiapi, Rokan Hilir, 2019
Soeman H.S Library, the largest provincial library in Sumatra
Kaharudin Nasution Stadium.
Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport
Tanjung Buton Ferry Harbor in Siak Regency
Siak Bridge
Road conditions in Bangkinang
Nasi lemak Riau
Rolled up roti jala
Roti cane with goat curry served in a Riau restaurant
Gulai ayam

Riau facts for kids

History

Images for kids

See also