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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).
Etymology
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.[citation needed] 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. Late in the 14th century the
name Sumatra became popular, in reference to the kingdom
of Samudra which was a rising power. European writers in
the 19th century found that the indigenous inhabitants
did not have a name for the island
History
People who spoke Austronesian languages first
arrived in Sumatra around 500 BCE, as part of the
Austronesian expansion from Taiwan to Southeast Asia.
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.
One of the earliest known kingdoms was Kantoli, which
flourished in the 5th century AD in southern Sumatra.
Kantoli was replaced by the Empire of Srivijaya and then
later by the Kingdom of Samudra. Srivijaya was a
Buddhist mona
rchy
centered in what is now Palembang. 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.
The empire was a thalassocracy, or maritime power that
extended its influence from island to island.
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.
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 (now in Aceh) had converted to Islam. Ibn
Battuta, who visited the kingdom during his journey,
pronounced the kingdom's name as "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 December 26, 2004, the western coast and islands of
Sumatra, particularly Aceh province, were devastated by
a nearly 15 meter high tsunami following the
9.2-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
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. 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.
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, with the active volcano Mount Kerinci's 3,805 m
(12,467 feet) the highest point, located at about the
midpoint of the range. 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 5th 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
individual flower), Titan arum (world's tallest and
largest inflorescence flower), Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran
Orangutan, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sumatran Elephant,
Sumatran Striped Rabbit, Malayan Tapir, Malayan Sun
Bear, Bornean 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 96 people
per km²—more than 45 million people in total. It is
nonetheless the fourth most populous island in the
world. 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 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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