Talk:Riau Islands

isIn or isNotIn Sumatra?

My call would be that this province is part of Sumatra. This does not mean that it is not administratively independent, because there isn't really a single administrative unit which covers the whole of Sumatra. Sumatra is just a geographical division for Indonesia, like Java (which has 4 independently administered provinces and two special territories), Irian (2 provinces) or Maluku (2 provinces). The Riau Islands were part of a larger Riau province which included a portion of the Sumatra "mainland" and also because of its proximity to Sumatra, the islands have been regarded as part of Sumatra. Of course the Natuna and Anambas islands are miles away from Sumatra, but that should not be the deciding factor. The southern Maluku islands of Wetar and Kisar are more geographically linked to Nusa Tenggara, but because of the political connection, are deemed part of the Maluku archipelago and in Maluku province.(WT-en) Slleong 00:02, 22 Feb 2006 (EST)