Siak Regency

Siak (Jawi: ), is a regency (kabupaten) of Riau Province, on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia. It has an area of 8,556.09 km2 and had a population of 376,742 at the 2010 Census and 457,940 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 480,169, comprising 246,489 males and 233,680 females. The administrative centre of the regency is located at Siak Sri Indrapura in Mempura District. The northern part of this regency contains a large part of the Bukit Batu Biosphere Reserve.

Previously the area was part of the Sultanate of Siak Sri Indrapura. At the beginning of the independence of Indonesia, Sultan Syarif Kasim II, the Sultanate of Siak was the last state to join the Republic of Indonesia. Later this region was included in an area under the Siak Kewedanan Bengkalis. On 4 October 1999 under Law No. 53 of 1999, a Siak Regency was established from what had previously been the southern districts of Bengkalis Regency, and Siak Sri Indrapura was declared the administrative capital of Siak Regency.

Administrative districts
Siak Regency is divided into fourteen administrative districts (kecamatan), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and the 2020 Census, together with the official estimates as at mid 2023. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages in each district (a total of 122 rural desa and 9 urban kelurahan), and its post code.

Notes: (a) includes the kelurahan of Minas Jaya. (b) includes 3 kelurahan - Kandis Kota, Simpang Belutu and Telaga Sam Sam. (c) includes 2 kelurahan - Kampung Dalam and Kampung Rempak. (d) includes the kelurahan of Perawang. (e) includes the kelurahan of Sungai Mempura. (f) includes the kelurahan of Sungai Apit.

Water
From Pekanbaru, Siak can be reached by river from Pekanbaru's Port, There is usually a boat that operates every 4-5 times a week with a travel time of around 2–4 hours. In addition to Pekanbaru itself, this port also serves other destinations including Bengkalis, Selat Panjang, and Batam (via Buton Bengkalis).

Land
Other than by river, Siak can also be reached by road, From Pekanbaru which is about a 3 to 4 hour journey. In addition Siak has a bridge that connects Siak with its capital which is named  Tengku Agung Sultana Latifah  which is the name of a previous Sultan of Siak. This bridge was inaugurated on 11 August 2007 and was known as the longest bridge in Indonesia until 2010, until the construction of the Suramadu Bridge in Surabaya was finished.

Tourism


Tours of Siak include the Siak Sri Indrapura Palace, which is a historic palace of the Sultanate of Siak. The palace is very famous, many tourists visit to see the grandeur of the palace and the objects located within, such as the golden throne which belonged to the Sultan, the royal dining chairs and a Komet Music Box of which only one other remains in the world. This palace is open from 10 am to 4 pm.