Riau Islands

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Lore & Background

The Riau Islands have for centuries been the home of Malay and Orang Laut people. Chinese maritime records indicate that Bintan and Temasek, the old name of Singapore, were inhabited by Malay corsairs. Large quantities of Chinese ceramics have been recovered on Bintan, some dating back to the early Song dynasty (960–1127). Arab explorer Ibnu Battuta wrote about Riau in the 13th century: 'Here there are little islands, from which armed black pirates with poised arrows emerged, possessing armed warships; they plunder people but do not enslave them.' Between the 7th and 13th centuries, the area was influenced by the Srivijaya Empire, as seen from the discovery of the Pasir Panjang Inscription in Karimun Regency, which shows Buddha's footprints, indicating early settlement and the spread of Buddhism. After Srivijaya's decline, the Riau Islands became part of the Bentan Kingdom around 1100 AD, with Raja Iskandar Syah as one of its most notable rulers. Later, the islands were part of the Johor Sultanate, which was partitioned after the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1824, placing the archipelago under Dutch influence. A Dutch protectorate, the Riau-Lingga Sultanate, was established between 1824 and 1911 before direct Dutch rule. The archipelago became part of Indonesia following the Japanese occupation (1942–1945) and the Indonesian National Revolution (1945–1949).

Reader's Guide

The Riau Islands separated from the province of Riau in September 2002, becoming Indonesia's third-youngest province. A free trade zone of the Indonesia–Malaysia–Singapore Growth Triangle, the Riau Islands has experienced rapid industrialization since the 1970s. It is one of the country's most prosperous provinces, having a GDP per capita of Rp 72,571,750 (US$8,300.82) as of 2011, the fourth highest among all provinces in Indonesia. As of 2018, the Riau Islands has a Human Development Index of 0.748, also the fourth highest. The population is highly diverse, including Malays, Chinese, Javanese, Minangkabau, and others. The area around Batam is home to many expatriates, with approximately 80% from other Asian countries, and most westerners from the United Kingdom, rest of Europe, Australia, and the United States. The province has the second largest number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia, after Bali. The etymology of 'Riau' has several possible origins: from the Portuguese word 'rio' (river), from the word 'riahi' (sea water) allegedly derived from Sinbad al-Bahar, or from the Malay word 'riuh' (crowded, frenzied working people). The name became famous after Raja Kecil moved the Malay kingdom center from Johor to Ulu Riau in 1719.

Did You Know?

• The Riau Islands comprises 2,408 islands, of which 1,798 have names.
• The Pasir Panjang Inscription in Karimun Regency shows Buddha's footprints, indicating the spread of Buddhism long before Islam arrived.
• Arab explorer Ibnu Battuta wrote about Riau in the 13th century, describing armed black pirates.
• The Riau Islands has the second largest number of foreign tourist arrivals in Indonesia, after Bali.
• The name 'Riau' may come from the Portuguese word 'rio' (river), the word 'riahi' (sea water), or the Malay word 'riuh' (crowded, frenzied working people).