Tanjung Pinang, Riau Islands - Indonesia

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Tanjung Pinang or Tanjungpinang is the capital and second largest city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands after Batam. A city with about 200,000 residents. It is a trading port between islands in the Riau archipelago. Tanjung Pinang is located on south of Bintan island and has ferry and speedboat connections to Batam, Singapore (40 km away), and Johor Baru.

Tanjung Pinang was a political center 500 years ago, when the Portuguese won the battle of Malacca and the Sultan Mahmud of Malacca fled to Tanjung Pinang to create a resistance against the Portuguese's very hostile expansion.

Tanjung Pinang has always played a leading role in Malay culture. A few hundred years ago, Tanjung Pinang became a powerful trading port, attracting regional, Western, Indian and Chinese traders. Migrants including Chinese were also attracted, much in the same way how Malacca had developed into a regional power three centuries earlier.

The cultural center for stage performances of Malay music and dances is located in Tanjung Pinang. The center organizes regularly festivals and other performance. Culture happenings such as music and dance. Renowned Buddhist temples are located outside central Tanjung Pinang in a small town named Senggarang.

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