Pekanbaru

Pekanbaru

It is 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 is divided into 12 subdistricts (kecamatan). The Sultan Syarif Kasim II International Airport serves Pekanbaru. A settlement has existed on the ite 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.
In 1749 under the terms of a peace treaty between the Sultan of Johor and the Dutch East India Company Siak was put under Dutch administration. The Sultan moved residence to a palace in Senapelan built in 1760.
At Senapelan Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Alamudin unsuccessfully tried to organize a major regional fair. In the early 1780s his son Sultan Muhammad Ali managed to establish the grand fair. Due to the important commercial value for this part of Sumatra the settlement itself was renamed Pakanbaru by the local council of tribal elders on 23 June 1784. Translated Pekan Baru, literally means New Fair.

June 23 is officially Pakanbaru.

celebrated as the founding day of -

Following the collapse of the VOC all company ownership of Pakanbaru was transferred to the Dutch crown. During the colonial Dutch East Indies era in the 19th and early 20th century the city remained important, especially as a major trading point: Siak river navigation conditions provide a stable relationship with shipping from the Malacca Strait. Additionally the city became a major center of the coffee industry and coal industry. The urban influence of the sultans gradually became more and more nominal, especially after the capital of the Sultanate moved to Sri Indrapura in 1830. Actual management functions were carried out by representatives of the Dutch colonial administration, i.e., by the post of assistant-resident and controller.
During the Second World War from February 1942 to August 1945 the city was occupied by the armed forces of Japan. In an effort to strengthen the military and logistical infrastructure in this part of Sumatra, the Japanese launched the construction of a 220 km long railway, connecting Pakanbaru to the coast of Malacca Straits.
The Pekanbaru Railway was constructed under harsh conditions by forced labour. 6,500 Dutch, mostly Indo-Europeans, and British prisoners of war and over 100,000 Indonesian, mostly Javanese, forced workers called Romushas were put to work by the Japanese army. By the time the work was completed in August 1945 almost a 3rd of the European POWs and over half of the Indonesian coolies had died. The railway was never fully utilised. Today it remains unused and in an advanced state of decay.
Pekanbaru is one of the cleanest big cities in Indonesia. In 2011, it received the "Adipura" award in the category of large city for the 7th consecutive time. The city is 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 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.
Pekanbaru is the 3rd most populous city on Sumatra Island, after Medan and Palembang with a population of 1,290,902 recorded in 2012. 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 has other ethnic groups. The Minangkabau are the largest, forming 37.96% of population. Javanese, Batak, and Tionghoa are the other main ethnic groups inhabiting Pekanbaru.

The city is divided into

12 subdistricts.

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 petroleum 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, a swimming pool, one of the two bridges that cross the Siak River near the city, the roads in Rumbai area, and 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 become a favorite stop before travelers go further inland. The Pasar Pusat 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.
There are several transportation mode in Pekanbaru such as taxi, bus, oplet, bajaj (auto rickshaw), ojek (motorcycle taxi) and Trans Metro Pekanbaru (bus rapid transit).
For land transport, Pekanbaru is connected to Padang, Medan, Jambi, Palembang, and other cities or regions in Riau Province and Sumatra Island by the existence of Bandar Raya Payung Sekaki Terminal Bus. The terminal was officially open for public in 2007, replacing Pekanbaru's former "Mayang Terurai Terminal Bus" due to heavy congestion.
Sungai Duku Port is by the Siak River, connecting Pekanbaru with regions in Riau Province and Riau Islands such as Siak, Tanjung Buton, Selatpanjang, Bengkalis, and Batam. Moreover, this port serves direct ferry to Malacca, Malaysia which approximately takes 6â€"8 hours per trip.
Football is the most popular sport in Indonesia. In Pekanbaru, PSPS Pekanbaru is the local club that has been competing in Indonesian Super League since the 2000s. Kaharudin Nasution Sport Center Rumbai Stadium is the home stadium for PSPS Pekanbaru.
In 2012, 2013 AFC U-22 Asian Cup qualification, 2012 Pekan Olahraga Nasional and 2012 Pekan Paralympic Nasional was held in Riau Province. Since then, many sport facilities have been built in Pekanbaru because this city was home for many sports venue during these multi-national events, such as the prominent Riau Main Stadium.
Several golf course can be found in Pekanbaru, such as Pekanbaru Golf Course Country Club at Kubang Kulim, Simpang Tiga Golf Course at AURI Complex, Rumbai Golf Course at IKSORA Rumbai Complex and Labersa Golf Course at Labersa Hotel and Convention Center.
The TVRI Riau and Riau TV (private) are some of the popular local television stations in Pekanbaru. Several local newspapers are operating in Pekanbaru, such as Riau Pos, Haluan Riau, Tribun Pekanbaru, Pekanbaru Pos, Pekanbaru MX and Korau Riau.

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