Riau with its capital, Pekanbaru, once applied only to the chain of islands guarding the entrance to the Malacca strait south and west of Singapore. But now Riau include not only the neighboring Lingga Archipelago, but also a huge chunk of Sumatran mainland and a few hundred remote islands lying in the South China Sea to the north of Borneo (the Natuna, Anambas, Serasan and Tambelan groups). For centuries the islands have provided a safe haven to traders and sailors from Europe, India, China, retaining today the flavor of an ancient “crossroads of the world”. The romantic history of this region is rich with tales of piracy and international conflict. Riau, which includes a large part of East Sumatra, is homeland to 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.

The Riau mainland is densely-jungle lowland formed over many millennia by alluvial deposits brought by the Rokan, Siak, Kampar and Inderagiri rivers – all of which begin high in the western Bukit Barisan range and flow some 300 to 550 km eastward to the coast. The lowlands are poorly drained, however and are not particularly suitable for agriculture. For traveler this is not particularly exciting area, as the sights are few and the facilities are limited. The Riau islands, on the other hand, are one of Indonesian’s best travel destinations. Easy to reach from Singapore, the islands of Batam and Bintan have good facilities and beautiful beaches. They are jumping-off points to thousands of tropical beautiful islands. This is the realm of the “orang laut” or “sea people” – former pirates and traders who have settled in villages perched on stilts above the shore.

Pekanbaru in Sumatra 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, it 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.