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Sumatra

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Geography of Asia

                                                  Political map of Sumatra
                                                                   Enlarge
                                                  Political map of Sumatra

   Sumatra (also spelled Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of 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).

History

   An ancient name for Sumatra was Swarna Dwipa, (Sanskrit for Isle of
   Gold), apparently based on the fact that mines in the Sumatran
   highlands were exporting gold from fairly early times.

   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. The most notable of these were the Srivijaya and
   the Sumudra. Srivijaya was a Buddhist monarchy centered in what is now
   Palembang. Dominating the region through trade and conquest throughout
   the 7th–9th century, the kingdom helped spread the Malay culture
   throughout Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. The empire was
   thalassocratic, a maritime power that extended its influence from
   island to island.

   Srivijaya influence waned in the 11th century. The island was then
   subject to conquests from Javanese kingdoms, first Singhasari and
   subsequently Majapahit. 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 sumatra kingdom (now in Aceh)
   had converted to Islam. Ibn Battuta, who visited the kingdom during his
   journey, pronounced the kingdom "Sumatra", hence the name of the
   island. Samudra was succeeded by the powerful Aceh Sultanate, which
   survived to the 20th century. With the coming of the Dutch, the many
   Sumatran princely states gradually fell under their control. Aceh, in
   the north, was the major obstacle, as the Dutch were involved in the
   long and costly Aceh War (1870-1905).

   On 26 December 2004, the western coast and islands of Sumatra,
   particularly Aceh province, were devastated by a nearly 15 metre high
   tsunami following the 9.2- magnitude Indian Ocean earthquake. 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. 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. The pressure on this fault increased dramatically after the
   December 2004 earthquake, and seismologists are afraid an earthquake is
   going to occur soon. The fault ends directly below the devastated city
   of Banda Aceh.

Administration

   Districts
   Enlarge
   Districts

   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 northwest -
   southeast, crossing the equator near the centre. The interior of the
   island is dominated by two geographical regions: the Barisan Mountains
   in the west and swampy plains in the east.

   To the southeast is Java, separated by the Sunda Strait. To the north
   is the Malay Peninsula, separated by the Straits of Malacca. To the
   east is Borneo, across the Karimata Strait. West of the island is the
   Indian Ocean.

   The backbone of the island is the Barisan mountains chain. The volcanic
   activity of this region endowed the region with fertile land and
   beautiful sceneries, for instance around the Lake Toba. 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.

   Most of Sumatra used to be covered by tropical rainforest, but economic
   development coupled with corruption and illegal logging has severely
   threatened its existence. Conservation areas have not been spared from
   destruction, either.

   The island is the world's 8th highest island, although only the third
   highest in the Indonesian archipelago.

Flora and fauna

   The island is home to a host of species including: Sumatran Pine,
   Rafflesia arnoldii (world's largest flower), Titan arum (world's
   tallest flower), Sumatran Tiger, Orangutan, Sumatran Rhinoceros,
   Sumatran Elephant, Malayan Tapir, Malayan Sun Bear, Clouded Leopard,
   and many birds and butterflies.

   The major threats to Sumatran forest are the pulp and paper industry
   and expansion of palm oil plantations.

   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.

Demographics

   Sumatra is not very densely populated, about 85 people per km²—more
   than 40 million people in total. It is nonetheless the fourth most
   populous island in the world. The most populous regions includes most
   of North Sumatra and central highlands in West Sumatra, while the major
   urban centres are Medan and Palembang.

   The people are of Malay stock composed of many different tribes,
   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 highland of northern Sumatra is
   inhabited by the Bataks, while the northernmost coast is dominated by
   Acehs. Ethnic Chinese minorities are also present in urban centers.

   A majority of people in Sumatra are Muslims (90%). Most central Bataks,
   meanwhile, are Protestant Christians—a religion introduced by the
   Dutch. The rest follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Chinese
   traditional beliefs.

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