Riau of East Sumatra

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.

Pekanbaru became the provincial capital in 1959, taking over from the former capital of Tanjungpinang on the island of Bintan. About 160 kms upstream on the Siak River a number of buildings in the traditional style are still in this area, among them the Balai Dang Merdu the Balai Adat and Taman Budaya Riau, or Riau Cultural Park.

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