Sumatra
 | Sumatra, political map |
|  | Sumatra, geographic map
by Julianto Halim |
|
Sumatra (also spelled
Sumatara and
Sumatera) is the
sixth largest island of the world (approximately
470,000 km²) and is the third largest island of
Indonesia after
Borneo (of which
Kalimantan belongs to Indonesia) and
New Guinea.
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 Samudra 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 9.0-
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.
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:
MedanThe longest axis of the
island runs approximately northwest - southeast, crossing the
equator near the center. 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.
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.
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.
*
Music of Sumatra*
Sumatran Orangutan Society International non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of Sumatran orangutans
*
Sumatran Tiger Conservation Program*
indahnesia.com - Sumatra
