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Pekanbaru

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Pekanbaru
ڤكنبارو
File:Pekanbaru Pitures2.jpg
Official seal of Pekanbaru
Seal
Nickname: 
Kota Bertuah (Indonesian): "The City of Good Fortune"
Location of Pekanbaru in Indonesia
Location of Pekanbaru in Indonesia
CountryIndonesia
ProvinceRiau
Area
 • Total632.26 km2 (244.12 sq mi)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total943,902
 • Density1,430/km2 (3,700/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+7 (WIB)
Postal code
28131
Area code0761
Websitewww.pekanbaru.go.id

Pekanbaru (Jawi: ڤكنبارو ;Chinese: 北干巴鲁; pinyin: běigānbālǔ) 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.

History

Dutch East Indies Company

In 1749 under the terms of a peace treaty between the Sultan of Johor and the Dutch East India Company (VOC) Siak was put under Dutch administration. The Sultan moved residence to a palace in Senapelan built in 1760.

Sultan Sharif Kasim II Siaka and his wife, 1910 - 1920. The last Sultan of Siak who ceded his kingdom to the Republic of Indonesia.

At Senapelan Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Alamudin unsuccessfully tried to organize a major regional fair. In the early 1780's 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. Today June 23 is officially celebrated as the founding day of Pakanbaru.

Dutch East Indies

File:Kantor Walikota Pekanbaru dulu.jpg
Mayor's Pekanbaru Office 1899

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. via the post of assistant-resident and controller.

WWII

[[image:Jalan Imam Bojol doeloe.jpg|rigth|thumb|Imam Bonjol Street 1930 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 kilometers long railway, connecting Pakanbaru to the coast of Malacca Straits.

The Pakanbaru Railway was constructed under harsh conditions by forced labour. 6500 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 third 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.

The City

Pekanbaru is one of the cleanest big cities in Indonesia[1] and in 2011, received the "Adipura" ('clean city') award in the category of large city for the seventh consecutive time.[2] 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 Medan 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.[3] Javanese, Batak, and Chinese Indonesian are the other main ethnic groups inhabiting Pekanbaru.

Subdistricts

The city is divided into 12 subdistricts.[4]

  1. Bukit Raya
  2. Lima Puluh
  3. Marpoyan Damai
  4. Payung Sekaki
  5. Pekanbaru Kota
  6. Sail
  7. Senapelan
  8. Sukajadi
  9. Rumbai
  10. Rumbai Pesisir
  11. Tampan
  12. Tenayan Raya

Climate

Pekanbaru has a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen 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.

Climate data for Pekanbaru
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 30
(86) 		31
(87) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		32
(89) 		32
(89) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(88) 		31
(87) 		30
(86) 		31
(88)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 23
(74) 		23
(74) 		23
(74) 		23
(74) 		24
(75) 		23
(74) 		23
(73) 		23
(73) 		23
(73) 		23
(74) 		23
(74) 		23
(73) 		23
(74)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 180
(7.1) 		210
(8.3) 		220
(8.7) 		250
(9.8) 		200
(7.9) 		160
(6.3) 		120
(4.7) 		170
(6.7) 		210
(8.3) 		240
(9.4) 		300
(11.8) 		270
(10.6) 		2,580
(101.6)
Source: http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weather.php3?s=90169&refer=&units=metric

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.[citation needed] 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 (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.

Tourism

Tourist attractions in Pekanbaru include the Great Mosque of An-Nur, Alam Mayang Fishing Garden, Sang Nila Utama Museum, Riau Cultural Park, Princess Kaca Mayang Garden, and Sari Valley Artificial Lake. Pekanbaru is becoming known as a center of Malay culture; a Malay culture festival was held there in 2004. The city has the only still existing 10 foot and 300 pound dragon.[citation needed] The city is also considered the home of an unpopular stinky flower which is the biggest flower in the world[citation needed].

References

  1. ^ Template:Id icon Presiden Berikan Penghargaan Kalpataru dan Piala Adipura
  2. ^ http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2011/06/07/pekanbaru-get-7th-adipura-award.html
  3. ^ Bappeda Kota Pekanbaru
  4. ^ http://www.wilayahindonesia.com/kabupaten-per-propinsi/kabupaten-di-riau/kota-pekanbaru/
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