Sumatra
Topography of Sumatra
Geography
Location	South East Asia
Coordinates	0°00′N, 102°00′E
Archipelago	Greater Sunda Islands
Area	470,000 km²
Rank	6th
Highest point	Kerinci 3,805 m
Administration
Indonesia
Provinces	Aceh, Bengkulu, Jambi, Lampung, Riau, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, North Sumatra
Largest city	Medan (2,392,922 (as of 2003))
Demographics
Population	45 million (as of 2005)
Density	96/km²
Indigenous people	Acehnese, Batak, Minangkabau, Malay

Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are partially in Indonesia). The Greater Sunda Islands are a group of Islands within the Malay Archipelago. This is a list of Islands in the world ordered by area. It includes all islands with an area greater than 2500 km² (970 square miles Mount Kerinci (also spelled Kerintji, among several other ways and referred to as Gunung Kerinci, Gadang, Berapi Kurinci, Kerinchi The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. See also Sultanate of Aceh Aceh (ʔaˈtɕɛh generally anglicized as ˈɑːtʃeɪ is a special territory ( daerah istimewa) of Indonesia Bengkulu is a province of Indonesia. It is on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra, and borders the provinces of West Sumatra, Jambi is a province of Indonesia located on the east coast of central Sumatra. Lampung is a province of Indonesia, located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. Riau is a province of Indonesia, located in the center of Sumatra Island along the Strait of Malacca. West Sumatra ( Indonesian: Sumatera Barat, abbreviated to Sumbar) is a province of Indonesia. South Sumatra or Sumatera Selatan is a province of Indonesia. North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara is a province of Indonesia. Its capital is Medan. Medan is the capital of the province of North Sumatra, Indonesia. Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups found in the highlands of North Sumatra Indonesia. The Minangkabau ethnic group (also known as Minang or Padang) is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. Malays (Melayu are an Ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast This is a list of Islands in the world ordered by area. It includes all islands with an area greater than 2500 km² (970 square miles The Republic of Indonesia ( (Republik Indonesia is a Country in Southeast Asia. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. New Guinea, located just north of Australia, is the world's second largest island, having become separated from the Australian mainland when the area now known

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Administration 4 Geography 5 Flora and fauna 6 Demographics 7 See also 8 References 9 External links

Etymology

Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit names of Swarnadwīpa ("Island of Gold") and Swarnabhūmi ("Land of Gold"), due likely to the gold deposits of island's highlands. Sanskrit (sa संस्कृता वाक् saṃskṛtā vāk, for short sa संस्कृतम् saṃskṛtam) is a historical Gold (ˈɡoʊld is a Chemical element with the symbol Au (from its Latin name aurum) and Atomic number 79 ^[1] Arab geographers referred to the island as Lamri (Lamuri, Lambri or Ramni) in the 10-13th centuries, in reference to a kingdom near modern day Banda Aceh which was the first landfall for traders. Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an Elevation of 21 m Late in the 14th century the name Sumatra became popular, in reference to the kingdom of Samudra which was a rising power. for the town in Burma see Pasai Burma Pasai, also known as Samudera and Samudera-Pasai sometimes called European writers in the 19th century found that the indigenous inhabitants did not have a name for the island. ^[2]

History

People who spoke Austronesian languages first arrived in Sumatra around 500 BCE, as part of the Austronesian expansion from Taiwan to Southeast Asia. The Austronesian people or Austronesian-speaking people, are a population group present in Oceania and Southeast Asia who speak or had ancestors who spoke With its location in the India-China sea trade route, several trading towns flourished, especially in the eastern coast, and were influenced by Indian religions. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National One of the earliest known kingdoms was Kantoli, which flourished in the 5th century AD in southern Sumatra. Kantoli was an ancient kingdom suspected to be located somewhere between Jambi and Palembang in southern Sumatra around the 5th century of the Kantoli was replaced by the Empire of Srivijaya and then later by the Kingdom of Samudra. Srivijaya or Sriwijaya was an ancient Malay kingdom on the island of Sumatra, Southeast Asia which influenced much of the Malay Archipelago. Samudra is a Sanskrit term for " Ocean " literally the "gathering together of waters" ( Saṃ - meaning "together" Srivijaya was a Buddhist monarchy centered in what is now Palembang. Palembang is a city of 1286000 in the south of the Indonesian island of Sumatra. Dominating the region through trade and conquest throughout the 7th to 9th centuries, the Empire helped spread the Malay culture throughout Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. Malays (Melayu are an Ethnic group of Austronesian peoples predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast The empire was a thalassocracy, or maritime power that extended its influence from island to island. The term thalassocracy (from the θάλασσα meaning sea and κρατείν meaning "to rule" giving θαλασσοκρατία "rule of the sea" Palembang was a center for scholarly learning, and it was there the Chinese Buddhist pilgrim I Ching studied Sanskrit in 671 CE before departing for India. Journey to Srivijaya and Nalanda Zhang Wen Ming became a monk at age 14 and was an admirer of Fa Xian and Xuanzang, both famous monks of his childhood On his journey to China he spent four years in Palembang translating Buddhist texts and writing two manuscripts.

Srivijayan influence waned in the 11th century after it was defeated by the Chola Empire of southern India. Sumatra was then subject to conquests from Javanese kingdoms, first Singhasari and subsequently Majapahit. Singhasari was a kingdom located in east Java between 1222 and 1292 Majapahit was an Indianized kingdom based in eastern Java from 1293 to around 1500. At the same time Islam made its way to Sumatra, spreading through contacts with Arabs and Indian traders.

By the late 13th century, the monarch of the Samudra kingdom had converted to Islam. for the town in Burma see Pasai Burma Pasai, also known as Samudera and Samudera-Pasai sometimes called Marco Polo visited the island in 1292 and Ibn Battuta visited twice during 1345-1346. Marco Polo ( September 15 1254 – January 9 1324 at earliest but no later than June 1325 was a Venetian trader and explorer Abu Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Abdullah Al Lawati Al Tanji Ibn Battuta (أبو عبد الله محمد ابن عبد الله اللواتي الطنجي بن بطوطة (born February Samudra was succeeded by the powerful Aceh Sultanate, which survived to the 20th century. The Sultanate of Aceh was a Sultanate centered in the modern area of Aceh Province, Sumatra, Indonesia, which was a major regional power in the With the coming of the Dutch, the many Sumatran princely states gradually fell under their control. The Netherlands ( Dutch:, ˈnedərlɑnt is the European part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, which consists of the Netherlands the Netherlands Aceh, in the north, was the major obstacle, as the Dutch were involved in the long and costly Aceh War (1870-1905). See also Sultanate of Aceh Aceh (ʔaˈtɕɛh generally anglicized as ˈɑːtʃeɪ is a special territory ( daerah istimewa) of Indonesia

On December 26, 2004, the western coast and islands of Sumatra, particularly Aceh province, were devastated by a nearly 15 meter high tsunami following the 9. Events 1481 - Battle of Westbrook - Holland defeats troops of Utrecht. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " See also Sultanate of Aceh Aceh (ʔaˈtɕɛh generally anglicized as ˈɑːtʃeɪ is a special territory ( daerah istimewa) of Indonesia A tsunami ((tsuːˈnɑːmi is a series of waves created when 2-magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake. TalkMoment magnitude scale#Real world examples please.--> The moment magnitude scale The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake was an undersea Earthquake that occurred at 005853 UTC on December 26 2004 with an Epicentre off the west coast of The death toll surpassed 170,000 in Indonesia alone, primarily in Aceh.

In 2005 there was an 8. 7 magnitude aftershock of the previous earthquake in December 2004. See 2005 Sumatran Earthquake. The 2005 Sumatra earthquake, referred to as the Nias Earthquake by the scientific community was a major earthquake on 28 March 2005 located off the west coast of northern In addition to the subduction megathrust earthquake off the west coast, Sunda arc, the Great Sumatran Fault, a transform fault, runs the entire length of the island. In Geology, a subduction zone is an area on Earth where two tectonic plates meet and move towards one another with one sliding underneath the other A megathrust earthquake occurs at Subduction zones (destructive plate boundaries where one Tectonic plate is forced under (subducts another A transform fault is a fault which runs along the boundary of a Tectonic plate. The pressure on this fault increased dramatically after the December 2004 earthquake, and seismologists are afraid an earthquake is going to occur soon. An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth 's crust that creates Seismic waves Earthquakes are recorded with a Seismometer The fault ends directly below the devastated city of Banda Aceh. In Geology a fault, or fault line, is a planar rock fracture which shows evidence of relative movement Banda Aceh is the provincial capital and largest city of Aceh, Indonesia, located on the island of Sumatra, with an Elevation of 21 m

Administration

The administrative regions of Sumatra (or the smaller islands nearby) are:

• Aceh - capital: Banda Aceh
• Bangka-Belitung - capital: Pangkalpinang
• Bengkulu - capital: Bengkulu
• Jambi - capital: Jambi
• Lampung - capital: Bandar Lampung
• Riau - capital: Pekanbaru
• Riau Islands - capital: Tanjung Pinang
• West Sumatra (Sumatera Barat) - capital: Padang
• South Sumatra (Sumatera Selatan) - capital: Palembang
• North Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) - capital: Medan

Geography

The longest axis of the island runs approximately 1,790 km (1,100 miles) northwest - southeast, crossing the equator near the center. An island (ˈaɪlənd or isle (/ˈaɪl/ is any piece of land that is completely surrounded by water in two dimensions above high tide and isolated from other significant The equator (sometimes referred to colloquially as "the Line") is the intersection of the Earth 's surface with the plane perpendicular to the At its widest point the island spans 435 km (270 miles). The interior of the island is dominated by two geographical regions: the Barisan Mountains in the west and swampy plains in the east. The Bukit Barisan mountains are a Mountain range on the western side of Sumatra, Indonesia, covering nearly 1700 km (1050 mi of the island

To the southeast is Java, separated by the Sunda Strait. Java (Jawa is an Island of Indonesia and the site of its Capital city Jakarta. The Sunda Strait ( Indonesian: Selat Sunda) is the Strait between the Indonesian Islands of Java and the island of Sumatra To the north is the Malay Peninsula, separated by the Straits of Malacca. The Malay Peninsula or Thai-Malay Peninsula (Semenanjung Tanah Melayu (คาบสมุทรมลายู is a major Peninsula located in Southeast The Strait of Malacca is a narrow 805 km (500 mile stretch of water between Peninsular Malaysia (West Malaysia) and the Indonesian island of Sumatra To the east is Borneo, across the Karimata Strait. Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located at the centre of Maritime Southeast Asia. The Karimata Strait is the wide Strait that connects the South China Sea to the Java Sea, between the Islands of Sumatra and Borneo West of the island is the Indian Ocean. The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's Oceanic divisions covering about 20% of the water on the Earth 's surface

The backbone of the island is the Barisan mountains chain, with the active volcano Mount Kerinci's 3,805 m (12,467 ft) the highest point, located at about the midpoint of the range. Mount Kerinci (also spelled Kerintji, among several other ways and referred to as Gunung Kerinci, Gadang, Berapi Kurinci, Kerinchi The volcanic activity of this region endowed the region with fertile land and beautiful sceneries, for instance around the Lake Toba. Lake Toba ( Danau Toba) is a Lake and Supervolcano, 100 km long and 30 km wide and 505 m It also contains deposits of coal and gold.

To the east, big rivers carry silt from the mountain, forming the vast lowland interspersed by swamps. Even if mostly unsuitable for farming, the area is currently of great economic importance for Indonesia. It produces oil from both above and below the soil—palm oil and petroleum. An oil is a substance that is in a viscous Liquid state ( "oily") at ambient temperatures or slightly warmer and is The oil palms ( Elaeis) comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family Petroleum ( L petroleum, from Greek πετρέλαιον, lit

Most of Sumatra used to be covered by tropical rainforest, but economic development coupled with corruption and illegal logging has severely threatened its existence. Tropical rainforests are generally found near the Equator. They are common in Asia, Australia, Africa, South America, Central Conservation areas have not been spared from destruction, either.

The island is the world's 5th highest island, although only the third highest in the Indonesian archipelago. This is a list of Islands in the world ordered by their highest point.

See also: Islands of Indonesia and Riau islands

Flora and fauna

Sumatra supports a wide range of vegetation types which are home to a rich variety of species, including 17 endemic genera of plants. Indonesia comprises 17508 Islands (based from " Seminar Nasional Penetapan Nama Pulau-pulau Kecil Dalam Presektif Sejarah or "National Seminary Riau Islands ( Indonesian: Kepulauan Riau ( Kepri or Riau Kepulauan) is a province of Indonesia, consisting of Riau Archipelago Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth ^[3] Unique species include: Sumatran Pine, Rafflesia arnoldii (world's largest individual flower), Titan arum (world's tallest and largest inflorescence flower). The Sumatran Pine ( Pinus merkusii) is a Pine native to southeast Asia, mainly in the mountains of northern Sumatra, and with Rafflesia arnoldii is a member of the genus Rafflesia. It is noted for producing the largest individual flower on earth The titan arum or Amorphophallus titanum (from Ancient Greek amorphos, "without form misshapen" + phallos, " Penis An inflorescence is a group or cluster of Flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main Branch or a complicated arrangement of branches

The island is home to 201 mammal species and 580 bird species. There are 9 endemic mammal species on mainland Sumatra and 14 more endemic to the nearby Mentawai Islands. The Mentawai Islands are a chain of about seventy islands and islets off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. ^[3] The species present include: Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Orangutan, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sumatran Elephant, Sumatran Striped Rabbit, Dhole, Dayak Fruit Bat, Malayan Tapir, Malayan Sun Bear and the Bornean Clouded Leopard. The Sumatran tiger ( Panthera tigris sumatrae) is a subspecies of Tiger found on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The Sumatran Orangutan ( Pongo abelii) is the rarer of the two species of Orangutans Living and endemic to Sumatra island of Indonesia, they are Hairy rhinoceros redirects here For the Extinct Megafauna, see Wooly rhinoceros. The Sumatran Elephant ( Elephas maximus sumatrensis) is a Subspecies of the Asian Elephant. The Sumatran Striped Rabbit ( Nesolagus netscheri) also known as the Sumatra Short-eared Rabbit or Sumatran Rabbit, is a Rabbit found only in The Dhole ( Cuon alpinus) also known as the Asiatic Wild Dog, Indian Wild Dog or Red Dog is a Mammal of the order Carnivora The Dayak fruit bat or Dyak fruit bat ( Dyacopterus spadiceus) is a relatively rare frugivorous bat species found only on the Sunda Shelf of southeast The Malayan Tapir ( Tapirus indicus) also called the Asian Tapir, is the largest of the four species of Tapir and the only one native to Asia The Sun Bear ( Helarctos malayanus) is a Bear found primarily in the Tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia. The Bornean Clouded Leopard (Neofelis diardi is a medium-sized wild cat found on Borneo, Sumatra and the Batu Islands in the

The major threats to Sumatran forest are the pulp and paper industry and expansion of palm oil plantations. The global pulp and paper industry is dominated by North American ( United States, Canada) Northern European ( Finland, Sweden Palm oil is an edible plant oil derived from the Fruit of the Arecaceae Elaeis Oil palm.

The island includes more than 10 National Parks, including 3 which are listed as the Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra World Heritage Site—Gunung Leuser National Park, Kerinci Seblat National Park and Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park. Tropical Rainforest Heritage of Sumatra site was listed in UNESCO World Heritage list in 2004 A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a site (such as a Forest, Mountain, Lake, Desert, Monument, Building, complex Gunung Leuser National Park is a National park covering 7927 km² in northern Sumatra, Indonesia, straddling the border of North Sumatra Kerinci Seblat National Park is the largest National park in Sumatra Indonesia. Bukit Barisan Selatan National Park is a national park in Sumatra, Indonesia.

See also: List of national parks of Indonesia

Demographics

Sumatra is not very densely populated, about 96 people per km²—more than 45 million people in total. This is the list of 50 officially recognized National parks in Indonesia. The Minangkabau ethnic group (also known as Minang or Padang) is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. It is nonetheless the fourth most populous island in the world. Land masses Afro-Eurasia &mdash 5500 million people Americas &mdash 900 million people Australia &mdash 21 million people The most populous regions include most of North Sumatra and central highlands in West Sumatra, while the major urban centers are Medan and Palembang.

The people composed of many different ethnic groups, speaking 52 different languages. Most of these groups, however, share many similar traditions and the different tongues are closely related. Malay-speaking people dominate the eastern coast, while people in the southern and central interior speak languages related to Malay, such as the Lampung and Minangkabau people. The Malay language ( ISO 639-1 code MS is an Austronesian language spoken by the Malay people and people of other ethnic groups who reside in the The Minangkabau ethnic group (also known as Minang or Padang) is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. The highland of northern Sumatra is inhabited by the Bataks, while the northernmost coast is dominated by Acehs. Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of ethnic groups found in the highlands of North Sumatra Indonesia. The Acehnese (also Achinese) a people in Aceh in Indonesia. Their language which is also called Acehnese, belongs to the Western Malayo-Polynesian Ethnic Chinese minorities are also present in urban centers. Chinese Indonesians ( Hakka: Thong ngin Min: Teng lang Indonesian: Tionghoa Indonesia, or (derisively Cina totok) are ethnically

A majority of people in Sumatra are Muslims (87%), while 10% are Christians, 2% are Buddhist and 1% Hindu. A Muslim (مسلم pronounced Muslim, not Muzlim) is an adherent of the Religion A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices A Hindu ( Devanagari: हिन्दू is an adherent of the philosophies and scriptures of Hinduism, a set of religious, Philosophical ^[4] Most central Bataks are Protestant Christians—a religion introduced by Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen, a German. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen (1834 &ndash May 23, 1918) was a German Lutheran Missionary to Sumatra who also translated the The German people (Deutsche are an Ethnic group, in the sense of sharing a common German culture, descent and speaking the German language as

See also

• Music of Sumatra

References

External links

• Sumatra travel guide from Wikitravel
• William Marsden, The History of Sumatra, (1783); 3rd ed. (1811) on line.

Wikitravel is a Web -based project "to create a free, complete up-to-date and reliable worldwide travel guide.

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