Selat Panjang
Encyclopedia
Selat Panjang is the capital of Kepulauan Meranti Regency, which is part of the province of Riau in Indonesia
. Meranti Archipelago Regency is a new regency in Riau province which was established in 2009 and it has been separated from Bengkalis Regency.Tebing Tinggi island is separated by a narrow channel from Sumatra
, and is west of Singapore
across the Strait of Malacca
.
Selat Panjang has a dense population of about 100,000. The largest ethnic group is Malay
, almost all Islamic in belief, but 40% of the population are ethnic Chinese
. There are also smaller ethnic groups such as Tamils. Although relationships are generally harmonious, in February 2001 the Chinese were the target of a riot triggered by a gambling dispute.
language known as Riau Hokkien. This form of Hokkien
is very similar to Singaporean Hokkien
and Southern Malaysian Hokkien in terms of accent as well as lexicon. Riau Hokkien is spoken in the middle and southern part of the Indonesian island of Sumatra
and is very different from Medan Hokkien
which is used in the northern part of the Sumatra island.
swamps and dense forest, but it is rapidly being cleared for pulpwood
and palm oil
plantations. Mudskippers thrive in the tidal flats. Lake Nambus is about 30 minutes by road from the port of Selat Panjang, near Tanjung Village, surrounded by protected forest. During the month of Safar
local people swim in the lake.
and Merbau Islands. The TA field is close to Selat Panjang. New sago
plantings were started in the region on peat soils in 1989, with US$2 million per year expected to be invested the crop.
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...
. Meranti Archipelago Regency is a new regency in Riau province which was established in 2009 and it has been separated from Bengkalis Regency.Tebing Tinggi island is separated by a narrow channel from 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...
, and is west of 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...
across 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:...
.
People
Malay Indonesian
Malay Indonesians are ethnic Malays living throughout Indonesia, as one of the indigenous peoples of the island nation. Indonesia has the second largest ethnic Malay population, the first is Malaysia. Historically, Indonesian, the national language of Indonesia, was derived from the Malay spoken...
, almost all Islamic in belief, but 40% of the population are ethnic Chinese
Chinese people
The term Chinese people may refer to any of the following:*People with Han Chinese ethnicity ....
. There are also smaller ethnic groups such as Tamils. Although relationships are generally harmonious, in February 2001 the Chinese were the target of a riot triggered by a gambling dispute.
Language
Riau Malay is used as a lingua franca while the local Chinese population speaks a form of Min NanMin Nan
The Southern Min languages, or Min Nan , are a family of Chinese languages spoken in southern Fujian, eastern Guangdong, Hainan, Taiwan, and southern Zhejiang provinces of China, and by descendants of emigrants from these areas in diaspora....
language known as Riau Hokkien. This form of Hokkien
Hokkien
Hokkien is a Hokkien word corresponding to Standard Chinese "Fujian". It may refer to:* Hokkien dialect, a dialect of Min Nan Chinese spoken in Southern Fujian , Taiwan, South-east Asia, and elsewhere....
is very similar to Singaporean Hokkien
Singaporean Hokkien
Singaporean Hokkien is a local variant of the Hokkien dialect spoken in Singapore. It is closely related to the Southern Malaysian Hokkien spoken in Southern Malaysia as well as Riau Hokkien spoken in the Indonesian province of Riau...
and Southern Malaysian Hokkien in terms of accent as well as lexicon. Riau Hokkien is spoken in the middle and southern part of the Indonesian 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...
and is very different from Medan Hokkien
Medan Hokkien
Medan Hokkien is a local variant of Hokkien spoken in Medan, Indonesia. It is the lingua franca in Medan as well as other northern city states of North Sumatra surrounding it, and is characterised by the pronunciation of words according to the Zhangzhou dialect, together with widespread use of...
which is used in the northern part of the Sumatra island.
Climate & Environment
Located near to the equator, temperatures vary little during the year, typically with a high of 90o and low of 74o in each month. Rainfall ranges from under 3 inches (7.6 cm) in February to 9 inches (22.9 cm) in September, totalling about 70 inches (177.8 cm) per year. The land is flat. At one time it was entirely covered by peatPeat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
swamps and dense forest, but it is rapidly being cleared for pulpwood
Pulpwood
Pulpwood refers to timber with the principal use of making wood pulp for paper production.-Applications:* Trees raised specifically for pulp production account for 16% of world pulp production, old growth forests 9% and second- and third- and more generation forests account for the balance...
and palm oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
plantations. Mudskippers thrive in the tidal flats. Lake Nambus is about 30 minutes by road from the port of Selat Panjang, near Tanjung Village, surrounded by protected forest. During the month of Safar
Safar
Safar is the second month in the Islamic calendar.The root of the name, صفر ṣafr, has three basic areas of meaning: 1) whistle, hiss, chirp; 2) be yellow, pale ; 3) to be empty, devoid, vacant...
local people swim in the lake.
Economy
The town's main activities are fishing, agriculture, timber and retail. Selat Panjang has a small port with limited capacity. Electricity supply is not yet optimal. The people of the area are largely dependent on water transport, still often using dugouts to get around. However, both oil and natural gas have been found in Tebing Tinggi and the neighboring PadangPadang Island
Padang Island is an island in Riau province, Indonesia, close to the east coast of Sumatra island. The area is 1109 km². It should not be confused with the city of Padang, Sumatra, or the island Padang in Borneo....
and Merbau Islands. The TA field is close to Selat Panjang. New sago
Sago
Sago is a starch extracted in the spongy center or pith, of various tropical palm stems, Metroxylon sagu. It is a major staple food for the lowland peoples of New Guinea and the Moluccas, where it is called saksak and sagu. A type of flour, called sago flour, is made from sago. The largest supply...
plantings were started in the region on peat soils in 1989, with US$2 million per year expected to be invested the crop.