| 
|
|
-
- The 3,000 islands of the Riau province straddle the
Straits of Malacca, one of the oldest and business trading routes
in the world. For centuries the islands have provided a safe haven
to traders and sailors from Europe, India and China and as a result
they have strong foreign historical links. Riau, which includes
a large part of East Sumatra, is the heartland of the Malays and
the source of Indonesia's Malay-based national language.
The first book of Malay grammar, called Bustanul Katibin, was
written and published here in 1857 and Malay was also adopted
by foreign seafarers and traders in the 14th and 15th centuries
so that they could communicate and be successful,effectively creating
a language of trade and power.
The Kingdom of Malacca played a leading role in the
history of the area since its founding in 1402 by Parameswara.
With the arrival of the Portuguese however, a period of wars
for control of the Malay states around the Straits, began. The
situation was aggravated with the arrival of the Dutch and British
in the early 17th century. A turbulent conflict followed which
was partially resolved by the Treaty of London in 1824, which
gave the Dutch control of all territories claimed by European
countries south of Singapore. This area included Riau, and effectively
severed its links with Johor and the mainland. The Dutch subjugated
and dissolved the rebellious Riau Sultanate in 1911, but the
province's influence remained strong.
Pekanbaru, the provincial capital lies in Sumatra,
just east of the Bukit Barisan mountain range and is developing
quickly. It only became the provincial capital in 1959, taking
over from the former capital of Tanjungpinang on the island
of Bintan. Tanjungpinang is, however, still the most important
town in the province. Its proximity to Singapore has made it
a main business and shopping port and together with the nearby
island of Batam, is promising to become an area of major investment
and development in the years ahead. The future looks bright
for Riau; because of its strategic position with the rest of
Asia it is rapidly being developed as a major economic zone.
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
|
|
|
 |
