Originally part of Riau Province, the Riau Islands were split off as separate province in 1 July 2004 with Tanjungpinang as its capital, located at Bintan Islands. The major ethnic group of the province is Malay, others are Javanese, Sundanese Buginese, Minangkabau and Batak.
Total area of this province is 21,992 km2. This province consists of hundreds of islands. The province has no land borders with other provinces. All of the borders are waters. Riau Islands borders to The South China Sea and Singapore Strait in the north, Karimata Strait in the south and east, and Berhala Strait in the west side.
The economy of Riau Islands is contributed mostly by industrial and mining sector, for instance, bauxite deposits in Singkep Islands. Indonesia government determines Batam as one of the biggest industrial area in Indonesia.
