Riau Islands Indonesian Province, Islands Culture

OverviewGeographyHistoryThe Riau Islands region formed part of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire, with its capital at PalembaEuropeans began to arrive in the early 16th century, propelled by a desire to control the Southeast Asian spice trade. In 1511 the Portuguese seized the Malay sultanate of Malacca (or Melaka), on the southwestern coast of the Malay Peninsula. The deposed sultan, Mahmud Shah, subsequeThe persistent rivalry between the Dutch and the British was not fully relieved, however, until thFollowing an interval of Japanese occupation (1942–45) during World War II, the various island groups of the Riau Islands were incorporated in 1950 into the newly formed Republic of Indonesia as part of the province of Central Sumatra. In 1957 Central Sumatra was divided into three provi在britannica上