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Dumai

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Overview

Dumai is the main port city in Riau province on the Indonesian island of Sumatra.

Typical of such cities, it is quite seedy and there is nothing really much to do once you have arrived except to get out as soon as you ca

Facts

Rank

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Coordinates

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Source

WBP almanac

External sources

Wikivoyage Wikipedia

Media

From Wikipedia1,442 words

WBP editorial3

Port life beyond the cargo yards

While most visitors focus on Dumai's role as a freight hub, the city offers a surprisingly nuanced maritime culture. Early mornings reveal small fleets of tukang ibuk, wooden boats used by local fishers to navigate the shallow estuaries. Their rhythmic splash against the quay provides a live soundtrack to the larger container terminals. Stopping at the modest fish market downstream, you can sample freshly grilled tenggiri alongside a chilled glass of saksak, a regional palm wine. The juxtaposition of global shipping and village‑scale livelihoods creates a texture rarely captured in guidebooks, prompting a reassessment of what a “port city” feels like on the ground.

Cross‑border culinary routes

Dumai's proximity to the Strait of Malacca has turned it into a culinary crossroads. Street stalls line Jalan Ahmad Yani, where you’ll find rendang infused with spices sourced from neighbouring Malaysia, a legacy of historic trade caravans. Venturing a short ride east to the small town of Sungai Tuang, the night market is dominated by satay that employs a distinct Charcoal‑kissed peanut sauce, a subtle nod to Javanese migrants who settled here in the 1970s. Sampling these dishes side by side offers a living lesson in how food maps the flow of people and goods across the archipelago, far beyond the city’s official statistics.

Navigating the city’s green belt

Beyond the industrial skyline, Dumai reserves a slice of low‑lying peatland that doubles as a community recreation space. The Mekar Park corridor runs parallel to the city’s main highway, offering shaded pathways lined with sengon trees and occasional glimpses of local waterfowl. Cyclists and joggers use the route to escape the humidity of the downtown core, and the park’s modest information boards explain the delicate balance between peat preservation and urban expansion. For the environmentally curious traveller, a leisurely stroll here provides insight into how a rapidly growing port city attempts to integrate green infrastructure into its daily rhythm.

Introduction

City in Riau, Indonesia This article is about the city in Indonesia. For the Indonesian navy ship, see KRI Dumai (652). For dūmài (督脈), the extraordinary meridian, see Meridian (Chinese medicine). Not to be confused with Dubai or Dumais. City in RiauDumaiCityCity of DumaiKota DumaiOther transcription(s) • Chinese杜迈 • JawiدومايOffice building in Dumai FlagCoat of armsLocation within RiauDumaiLocation in Sumatra and IndonesiaShow map of SumatraDumaiDumai (Indonesia)Show map of IndonesiaCoordinates: 1°40′0″N 101°27′0″E / 1.66667°N 101.45000°E / 1.66667; 101.45000Country IndonesiaProvince RiauGovernment • MayorPaisal [id] • Vice MayorSugiyarto [id]Area • Total2,065.59 km2 (797.53 sq mi)Population (mid 2024 estimate) • Total349,389 • Density169.147/km2 (438.090/sq mi) Time zoneUTC+7 (WIB)Area code(+62) 765Websitehttp://www.dumaikota.go.id/ Dumai (Jawi: دوماي‎, Chinese: 杜迈) is a coastal city in Riau Province on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, about 188 km from Pekanbaru, the provincial capital. The city has an area of 2,065.59 km2 and had 349,389 inhabitants at the mid 2024 official estimate (comprising 179,604 males and 169,785 females). Dumai has a domestic airport, Pinang Kampai Airport. The city is an important transport and trade centre, both regionally and internationally, especially for traffic to and from Malaysia. The region is rich in oil (petroleum and palm oil).

Administration

[edit] At its inception, the city only consisted of three districts, containing 13 urban villages and 9 rural villages, with a population of just 15,699 people and a density of 83.85/km2. The city is now divided into seven districts (kecamatan), tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census, together with the official estimates as of mid 2024. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres and the number of administrative villages in each district (all 36 classed as urban kelurahan). Kode Wilayah Name ofDistrict(kecamatan) Area in km2 Pop'ncensus2010 Pop'ncensus2020 Pop'nestimatemid 2024 Admin centre No. ofvillages 14.72.03 Bukit Kapur 336.04 38,051 51,564 56,954 Bukit Nenas 7 14.72.05 Medang Kampai 169.74 10,199 16,794 20,196 Teluk Makmur 4 13.72.04 Sungai Sembilan 1,423.79 27,465 41,738 49,448 Lubuk Gaung 6 13.72.01 Dumai Barat (West Dumai) 36.02 89,978 44,292 47,419 Purnama 4 13.72.07 Dumai Selatan (South Dumai) 66.96 (a) 52,791 57,591 Bukit Datuk 5 13.72.02 Dumai Timur (East Dumai) 28.81 88,110 68,930 75,936 Teluk Binjai 5 13.72.06 Dumai Kota (Dumai town) 4.24 (a) 40,673 41,845 Laksamana 5 Total City 2,065.59 253,803 316,782 349,389 36 Notes: (a) the 2010 populations of the Dumai Selatan and Dumai Kota Districts are included in the figures for Dumai Barat and Dumai Timur Districts, from which they were cut out in 2009. The villages (Kelurahan) into which those districts are subdivided are: Kode Wilayah Name ofkelurahan Area in km2 Pop'nestimatemid 2023 Postcode 14.72.03.1001 Bukit Nenas 61.60 9,069 28882 14.72.03.1002 Bukit Kayu Kapur 15.94 6,952 28882 14.72.03.1003 Gurun Panjang 84.76 5,628 28882 14.72.03.1004 Bagan Besar 38.44 9,365 28882 14.72.03.1005 Kampung Baru 63.25 7,835 28882 14.72.03.1006 Bagan Besar Timur 14.03 7,457 28882 14.72.03.1007 Bukit Kapur (village) 58.02 8,857 28882 14.72.05.1001 Teluk Makmur 28.64 5,079 28825 14.72.05.1002 Mundam 28.19 4,541 28825 14.72.05.1003 Guntung 15.73 2,210 28825 14.72.05.1004 Pelintung 97.18 7,008 28825 13.72.04.1001 Lubuk Gaung 96.66 12,694 28826 13.72.04.1002 Tanjung Penyembal 116.96 9,995 28826 13.72.04.1003 Bangsal Aceh 201.48 6,030 28826 13.72.04.1004 Basilam Baru 141.37 6,083 28826 13.72.04.1005 Batu Teritip 543.21 5,713 28826 13.72.04.1006 Sungai Geniot 324.11 6,049 28826 13.72.01.1003 Pangkalan Sesai 3.71 10,670 28824 13.72.01.1006 Purnama 11.57 18,162 28823 13.72.01.1008 Bagan Keladi 17.84 6,816 28821 13.72.01.1009 Simpang Tetap Darul Ihsan 2.90 10,493 28824 13.72.07.1001 Ratu Sima 4.72 15,190 28825 13.72.07.1002 Bukit Timah 16.17 8,948 28826 13.72.07.1003 Mekar Sari 21.07 7,232 28821 13.72.07.1004 Bukit Datuk 20.45 12,910 28825 13.72.07.1005 Bumi Ayu 4.55 11,362 28813 13.72.02.1002 Teluk Binjai 2.65 19,741 28813 13.72.02.1003 Tanjung Palas 12.72 12,357 28816 13.72.02.1004 Jaya Mukti 3.73 20,648 28815 13.72.02.1006 Buluh Kasap 1.61 6,926 28814 13.72.02.1009 Bukit Batrem 8.10 13,962 28811 13.72.06.1001 Laksamana 0.74 3,617 28821 13.72.06.1002 Rimba Sekampung 1.47 14,576 28822 13.72.06.1003 Dumai Kota (village) 0.79 7,483 28811 13.72.06.1004 Bintan 0.60 6,628 28812 13.72.06.1005 Sukajadi 0.64 9,778 28812

Economy

[edit] This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) Macro-economic indicators of the gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) Dumai increasing each year since 2000–2005 is a picture of the success of the development of economy in Dumai. To support the increase in GDP that heavy economic development point of Dumai is to maintain the dominance of construction on industrial sectors, trade, transport and buildings in addition to paying attention to the agricultural sector as a producer of industrial raw materials. Rapid economic growth rate has also provided job opportunities for people, so that the social welfare in Dumai increases. Obstacles faced in addition to capital issues is the Status of land still touted ex HPH.[citation needed] Four districts in Dumai (Sungai Sembilan, Medang Kampai, lime and West Damai) is an area that has the potential of land resources for the development of agribusiness and agro-industries with appropriate technology engineering byocyclo such as rice farming, crops, vegetables, bananas, pineapples, durian, mango, rambutan, palm, cattle (cows, goats, ducks and chickens) as well as the cultivation of farmed freshwater fish (catfish, carp, carp and ornamental fish). more on the produce of the district the river nine to forward is Palm, banana, and crops. Currently the town River nine new basilam village in particular is very deficient means of infra-structures for the construction of the road. Especially the main road construction kaplingan up to the junction with the durian.

Transportation

[edit] Land[edit] There are several transportation modes in Pekanbaru such as taxi, bus, oplet (share taxi), bajaj (auto rickshaw), and ojek (motorcycle taxi). For land transport, Dumai is connected to Trans-Sumatran Highway and Trans-Sumatra Toll Road. Bus services operate to Duri, Padang, Medan, Jambi, Pekanbaru and other cities and regions in Riau Province and Sumatra (Terminal AKAP). Sea[edit] Dumai Port (Pelabuhan Dumai) is located in Dumai, connecting Dumai with regions in Riau Province, other destinations in Indonesia, and the world. This port is a major port in Riau. Air[edit] Pinang Kampai Airport is a domestic airport that serves daily flights to/from several cities in Indonesia such as Jakarta, Pekanbaru, Medan, Batam, etc.[user-generated source]

Climate

[edit] Dumai has a tropical rainforest climate (Af) with heavy rainfall year-round. Climate data for Dumai Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 31.4(88.5) 31.9(89.4) 32.4(90.3) 32.2(90.0) 32.2(90.0) 31.9(89.4) 31.7(89.1) 31.6(88.9) 31.5(88.7) 31.7(89.1) 31.3(88.3) 31.3(88.3) 31.8(89.2) Daily mean °C (°F) 26.7(80.1) 27.1(80.8) 27.5(81.5) 27.5(81.5) 27.6(81.7) 27.4(81.3) 27.1(80.8) 27.1(80.8) 27.0(80.6) 27.2(81.0) 26.9(80.4) 26.8(80.2) 27.2(80.9) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 22.1(71.8) 22.3(72.1) 22.6(72.7) 22.9(73.2) 23.1(73.6) 22.9(73.2) 22.6(72.7) 22.6(72.7) 22.6(72.7) 22.7(72.9) 22.6(72.7) 22.4(72.3) 22.6(72.7) Average rainfall mm (inches) 200(7.9) 150(5.9) 202(8.0) 225(8.9) 191(7.5) 159(6.3) 159(6.3) 200(7.9) 255(10.0) 293(11.5) 299(11.8) 258(10.2) 2,591(102.2) Source: Climate-Data.org

Tourism

[edit] The Great Mosque of Al Mannan Dumai is situated on the waterfront has the potential of tourism development such as nature tourism, culture and shopping. Several area attractions including conservation areas in district Nine, forest River in district of Western and Eastern Damai Damai, Prosperous Gulf Coast region in district and Lake Kampai Phoebe Flowers of seven in Eastern Damai. As the main gate to enter the Riau Mainland, some tourists have repeatedly visited the Dumai, especially those that like to visit Malacca. Dumai is very easily accessible due to good transportation connections. There are some interesting sights on the way to Dumai, such as the Sakai tribe, tropical forests along the river, and water colour is unique as the color of tea. Moreover, it also can be seen hundreds of bobbing oil who raised the pipe from the bowels of the Earth. Ramayana shopping center on General Sudirman street was opened in 2007. At night, a variety of Indonesian food is sold along Ombak street. Dumai has some interesting places to be visit, among others: Teluk Makmur Beach Putri Tujuh Grave (Makam Putri Tujuh) Seascape of Dumai The Great Mosque of Al-Badar (Masjid Raya Al-Badar) Bunga Tujuh Lake Pelintung Cave (Goa Pelintung) Forest Tour of Dumai The Great Mosque of Dumai (Masjid Raya Dumai) Pawang Leon Grave (Makam Pawang Leon) Siti of Sea Grave (Makam Siti Laut) The Great Mosque of Al-Mannan (Masjid Raya Al-Mannan) Magic Footprint Tiger (Tapak Harimau Sakti) Tepak Sirih Monument (Tugu Tepak Sirih)