Pekanbaru
Encyclopedia
Pekanbaru is the capital of Riau, a province in Indonesia
on the island of Sumatra
. It has an area of 632.26 km² and a population of 903,902. Located on the Siak River
, which drains to the Strait of Malacca
. Pekanbaru has direct access to the busy strait and was long known as a trading port (the city name is derived from the Indonesian
words of 'new market' or 'new town', "pekan" meaning 'market' or 'town', and "baru" meaning 'new'). The city is divided into 12 subdistricts
(kecamatan). The Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport serves Pekanbaru with direct flights to Batam
, Jakarta
, Malaysia (Malacca
and Kuala Lumpur
), Singapore
and other destinations in Indonesia. A settlement has existed on the city site since the 17th century. In the late 19th century, the city developed to serve the coffee and coal industries, and the Dutch
built roads to help ship goods to Singapore
and Malacca
.
and Palembang
with a population of 903,902 recorded in the 2010 census. The city is highly urbanized, drawing many of its people from the neighbouring province of West Sumatra
. In addition to Riau Malays natives, the city also has other ethnic groups. The Minangkabau are the largest ethnic group, forming 37.7% of population. Javanese, Batak
, and Tionghoa are the other main ethnic groups inhabiting Pekanbaru.
.
under the Koppen climate classification
. As with many cities with a tropical rainforest climate, Pekanbaru features relatively constant temperatures throughout the course of the year, with average high temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius and average lows of around 23 degrees Celsius. The city has no dry season
month, but does feature wetter and drier months. Its driest month (July) sees on average about 40% of the precipitation as its wettest month (November). Pekanbaru on average sees roughly 2600 mm of rain per year.
is produced in Riau, and much of Pekanbaru's economy is based on the petroleum industry
. International oil companies, such as Chevron
from US, as well as other Indonesian companies, have established their offices in the region. The city is connected by road to an oil refining and exporting port at Dumai
. Many facilities, including an airport, three stadiums (building a fourth), a swimming pool, one of the two bridges that cross the Siak River near the city, the roads in Rumbai area, and also the road to Dumai, were partially or fully financed by oil companies working in the area.
Because Pekanbaru is a major gateway into Indonesia from Singapore, the city has becoming a favorite stop before travelers go further inland in Indonesia. The Pasar Pusat (centre market) is a food-trip destination and is considered a household-goods trove. Pasar Bawah and Pasar Tengeh in the port area have Chinese goods, including ceramics and carpets.
Pekanbaru is the new commercial center for the Sumatra region. Many large companies, such as bank, insurance, restaurant, and cafe, have opened branches in the downtown.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
on the island of Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia , and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538...
. It has an area of 632.26 km² and a population of 903,902. Located on the Siak River
Siak River
The Siak is a river of Riau, Sumatra, Indonesia, approximately 370 kilometres in length. It flows through the town of Pekanbaru before emptying into the Strait of Malacca.-References:...
, which drains to the Strait of Malacca
Strait of Malacca
The Strait of Malacca is a narrow, stretch of water between the Malay Peninsula and the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It is named after the Malacca Sultanate that ruled over the archipelago between 1414 to 1511.-Extent:...
. Pekanbaru has direct access to the busy strait and was long known as a trading port (the city name is derived from the Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
words of 'new market' or 'new town', "pekan" meaning 'market' or 'town', and "baru" meaning 'new'). The city is divided into 12 subdistricts
Subdistricts of Indonesia
In Indonesia, a kecamatan or district is a subdivision of a regency or of a city . A district is itself divided into kelurahan or administrative villages....
(kecamatan). The Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport serves Pekanbaru with direct flights to Batam
Batam
Batam is an island and city in Riau Islands Province of Indonesia, known for its free trade zone area as part of the Sijori Growth Triangle, is located off Singapore's south coast...
, Jakarta
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
, Malaysia (Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
and Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
), Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and other destinations in Indonesia. A settlement has existed on the city site since the 17th century. In the late 19th century, the city developed to serve the coffee and coal industries, and the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
built roads to help ship goods to Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Malacca
Malacca
Malacca , dubbed The Historic State or Negeri Bersejarah among locals) is the third smallest Malaysian state, after Perlis and Penang. It is located in the southern region of the Malay Peninsula, on the Straits of Malacca. It borders Negeri Sembilan to the north and the state of Johor to the south...
.
The City
Pekanbaru is one of the cleanest big cities in Indonesia and in 2011, received the "Adipura" ('clean city') award in the category of large city for the seventh consecutive time. The city is also notable for its wide main streets. However, Pekanbaru regularly suffers from smoke or smog due to forest fires, particularly in the dry season, since there is very little rain to put the fires out. The fires also can be traced to people simply burning their trash or freshly cut grass. Most of the fires are intentionally started, but often unintentionally grow dangerous.Demographics
Pekanbaru is the third most populous city on Sumatra Island, after MedanMedan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
and Palembang
Palembang
Palembang is the capital city of the South Sumatra province in Indonesia. Palembang is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, and has a history of being a capital of a maritime empire. Located on the Musi River banks on the east coast of southern Sumatra island, it has an area of 400.61 square...
with a population of 903,902 recorded in the 2010 census. The city is highly urbanized, drawing many of its people from the neighbouring province of West Sumatra
West Sumatra
West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...
. In addition to Riau Malays natives, the city also has other ethnic groups. The Minangkabau are the largest ethnic group, forming 37.7% of population. Javanese, Batak
Batak (Indonesia)
Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia. The term is used to include the Toba, Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Angkola and Mandailing, each of which are distinct but related groups with distinct, albeit related, languages and...
, and Tionghoa are the other main ethnic groups inhabiting Pekanbaru.
Subdistricts
The city is divided into 12 subdistrictsSubdistricts of Indonesia
In Indonesia, a kecamatan or district is a subdivision of a regency or of a city . A district is itself divided into kelurahan or administrative villages....
.
- Bukit Raya
- Lima Puluh
- Marpoyan Damai
- Payung Sekaki
- Pekanbaru Kota
- Sail
- Senapelan
- Sukajadi
- Rumbai
- Rumbai Pesisir
- Tampan
- Tenayan Raya
Climate
Pekanbaru has a tropical rainforest climateTropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, also known as an equatorial climate, is a tropical climate usually found along the equator...
under the Koppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
. As with many cities with a tropical rainforest climate, Pekanbaru features relatively constant temperatures throughout the course of the year, with average high temperatures around 31 degrees Celsius and average lows of around 23 degrees Celsius. The city has no dry season
Dry season
The dry season is a term commonly used when describing the weather in the tropics. The weather in the tropics is dominated by the tropical rain belt, which oscillates from the northern to the southern tropics over the course of the year...
month, but does feature wetter and drier months. Its driest month (July) sees on average about 40% of the precipitation as its wettest month (November). Pekanbaru on average sees roughly 2600 mm of rain per year.
Economy
After oil was discovered in the region in the 1930s, Pekanbaru's economy has depended heavily on oil revenues which have made it the city with the highest per capita income in Indonesia. Most of Indonesia's petroleumPetroleum
Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...
is produced in Riau, and much of Pekanbaru's economy is based on the petroleum industry
Petroleum industry
The petroleum industry includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transporting , and marketing petroleum products. The largest volume products of the industry are fuel oil and gasoline...
. International oil companies, such as Chevron
Chevron Corporation
Chevron Corporation is an American multinational energy corporation headquartered in San Ramon, California, United States and active in more than 180 countries. It is engaged in every aspect of the oil, gas, and geothermal energy industries, including exploration and production; refining,...
from US, as well as other Indonesian companies, have established their offices in the region. The city is connected by road to an oil refining and exporting port at Dumai
Dumai
Dumai is a city in Riau province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. The city has an area of 1727 km² and has 174,465 inhabitants . Dumai is an important transport and trade centre, both regionally and international ....
. Many facilities, including an airport, three stadiums (building a fourth), a swimming pool, one of the two bridges that cross the Siak River near the city, the roads in Rumbai area, and also the road to Dumai, were partially or fully financed by oil companies working in the area.
Because Pekanbaru is a major gateway into Indonesia from Singapore, the city has becoming a favorite stop before travelers go further inland in Indonesia. The Pasar Pusat (centre market) is a food-trip destination and is considered a household-goods trove. Pasar Bawah and Pasar Tengeh in the port area have Chinese goods, including ceramics and carpets.
Pekanbaru is the new commercial center for the Sumatra region. Many large companies, such as bank, insurance, restaurant, and cafe, have opened branches in the downtown.