Tanjungpinang

Tanjungpinang (often written as Tanjung Pinang) is the capital of Indonesia’s Riau Islands province. The city sits on the southwestern part of Bintan Island, along with smaller islands like Dompak and Penyengat, covering about 150 square kilometers. Its name comes from a beach tree that juts into the sea, marking a natural guide for travelers heading to the Bintan River. With a 2020 census count of 227,663, it is the province’s second-largest city after Batam; by mid-2025, the official estimate was 241,266 (roughly split between 121,415 males and 119,851 females).

This city has deep roots in Malay culture, once serving as the capital of the Johor-Riau Sultanate (later the Riau-Lingga Sultanate). Its history stretches back to the 3rd century, when it was a busy stop on the India–China trade route. The Srivijaya empire, based in Sumatra, controlled much of the region from the 7th to 13th centuries, but piracy grew, and by the 12th century, Chinese sailors called Bintan “Pirate Island.” According to the Malay Annals, a Srivijayan prince named Seri Teri Buana stayed on Bintan after Palembang was sacked, gathering strength before founding Singapura (Singapore). Later, the Malacca Sultanate (1400–1511) ruled the area, but after the Portuguese captured Malacca in 1511, the exiled Sultan Mahmud Shah set up his capital on Bintan, launching attacks against the Portuguese. In 1526, the Portuguese razed Bintan.

Alauddin Riayat Shah II, son of Mahmud Shah, founded the Johor Sultanate in 1528, and Bintan came under its control. A key trading port called Bandar Riau opened there. When war with Jambi threatened Johor in 1722, the capital moved to Riau, which became a hub for trade and Islamic learning. Conflict with the Dutch, who had taken Malacca from the Portuguese, led to a battle on 6 January 1784: a Dutch fleet of 13 ships attacked Riau but was repelled by Malay and Bugis forces, destroying the Dutch command ship *Malaka's Wal Faren*. The Malays then blockaded Malacca, but a defeat and succession crisis shifted power. The capital moved from Riau to Lingga in 1788, and the sultanate is sometimes called the Johor–Riau–Lingga Empire. The British took Malacca from the Dutch in 1795, and during a succession crisis (1812–1818), both powers crowned rival sultans.