Sumatra (
Indonesian:
Sumatera) is an island in western
Indonesia and part of the
Sunda Islands. It is the largest island that is entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands,
Borneo and
New Guinea, are shared between Indonesia and other countries) and the
sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km
2 (including adjacent islands such as the Riau Islands and Bangga Belitung Islands).
Sumatra is an elongated landmass spanning a diagonal northwest-southeast axis. The
Indian Ocean borders the west, northwest, and southwest sides of Sumatra with the island chain of
Simeulue,
Nias and
Mentawai bordering the southwestern coast. On the northeast side the narrow
Strait of Malacca separates the island from the
Malay Peninsula, an extension of the Eurasian continent. On the southeast the narrow
Sunda Strait separates Sumatra from
Java. The northern tip of Sumatra borders the
Andaman Islands, while on the lower eastern side are the islands of Bangka and Belitung,
Karimata Strait and the
Java Sea. The
Bukit Barisanmountains, which contain several active volcanoes, form the backbone of the island, while the northeast sides are outlying lowlands with swamps, mangrove and complex river systems. The
equator crosses the island at its center on
West Sumatra and
Riauprovinces. The climate of the island is
tropical, hot and humid with lush
tropical rain forest once dominating the landscape.
Etymology[edit]
Sumatra was known in ancient times by the
Sanskrit names of
Swarnadwīpa ("Island of Gold") and
Swarnabhūmi ("Land of Gold"), because of the gold deposits of the island's
highland.
[2] The first word mentioning the name of
Sumatra was the name of
SrivijayanHaji (king)
Sumatrabhumi ("King of the land of Sumatra"),
[3] who sent an envoy to
China in 1017.
Arab geographers referred to the island as
Lamri (Lamuri, Lambri or Ramni) in the tenth through thirteenth 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 Pasai, which was a rising power until it was replaced by
Sultanate of Aceh. Sultan Alauddin Shah of Aceh, on letters written in 1602 addressed to
Queen Elizabeth I of
England, referred to himself as "king of Aceh and Samudra".
[4] The word itself is from
Sanskrit "
Samudra", (समुद्र), meaning "
gathering together of waters, sea or ocean".
[5]
European writers in the 19th century found that the indigenous inhabitants did not have a name for the island.
[6]
History[edit]
| Historical population |
|---|
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|
| 1971 | 20,808,148 | — |
|---|
| 1980 | 28,016,160 | +34.6% |
|---|
| 1990 | 36,506,703 | +30.3% |
|---|
| 1995 | 40,830,334 | +11.8% |
|---|
| 2000 | 42,616,164 | +4.4% |
|---|
| 2005 | 45,839,041 | +7.6% |
|---|
| 2010 | 50,613,947 | +10.4% |
|---|
| sources:[7] |
Srivijaya was a
Buddhist monarchy centred 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
Nusantara. The empire was a
thalassocracy or maritime power that extended its influence from island to island. 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. 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. At the same time, Islam made its way to Sumatra through
Arabs and
Indian traders in the 6th and 7th centuries AD.
[9] By the late 13th century, the monarch of the
Samudra kingdom had converted to Islam.
Marco Polo visited the island in 1292, and
Ibn Battuta visited twice during 1345–1346. 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 (1873–1903).
Administration[edit]
Traditional house in Nias North Sumatra
The ten
administrative Provinces (
provinsi) of Sumatra - including the smaller islands nearby - are listed below with their populations at the 2000 and 2010 Censuses,:
[12] Note some 4 million of these residents of Sumatra do not live on the island itself—but on nearby islands administered collectively as "Sumatra". The final two of the provinces below do not have territory on the actual island.
|
| Aceh | 157,956.00 | 4,073,006 | 4,486,570 | 4,731,705 | Banda Aceh |
North Sumatra
(Sumatera Utara) | 72,981.23 | 11,642,488 | 12,326,678 | 13,527,937 | Medan |
West Sumatra
(Sumatera Barat) | 42,012.89 | 4,248,515 | 4,845,998 | 5,098,790 | Padang |
| Riau | 87,023.66 | 3,907,763 | 5,543,031 | 6,359,790 | Pekanbaru |
| Jambi | 50,058.16 | 2,407,166 | 3,088,618 | 3,412,459 | Jambi |
South Sumatra
(Sumatera Selatan) | 91,592.43 | 6,210,800 | 7,446,401 | 7,996,535 | Palembang |
| Bengkulu | 19,919.33 | 1,455,500 | 1,713,393 | 1,828,291 | Bengkulu |
| Lampung | 34,623.80 | 6,730,751 | 7,596,115 | 7,972,246 | Bandar Lampung |
Bangka-Belitung
(Kepulauan Bangka Belitung) | 16,424.14 | 899,968 | 1,223,048 | 1,380,762 | Pangkal Pinang |
Riau Islands
(Kepulauan Riau) | 8,256.10 | 1,040,207 | 1,685,698 | 2,031,895 | Tanjung Pinang |
| Totals | 480,847.74 | 42,616,164 | 50,613,947 | 54,339,256 | |
Geography[edit]
Map of geological formation of Sumatra island
The longest axis of the island runs approximately 1,790 km (1,110 mi) northwest–southeast, crossing the equator near the centre. At its widest point, the island spans 435 km (270 mi). The interior of the island is dominated by two geographical regions: the
Barisan Mountainsin the west and swampy plains in the east. Sumatra is the closest Indonesian island to mainland Asia.
The backbone of the island is the Barisan Mountain chain, with the active volcano
Mount Kerinci as the highest point at 3,805 m (12,467 ft), 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
Lake Toba. It also contains deposits of coal and gold. The volcanic activity stems from Sumatra's location on the
Pacific Ring of Fire—which is also the reason why Sumatra has had some of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded: in
1797,
1833,
1861,
2004,
2005, and
2007.
To the east, big rivers carry silt from the mountains, 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.
Sumatra is the largest producer of
Indonesian coffee. Small-holders grow Arabica coffee (
Coffea arabica) in the highlands, while Robusta (
Coffea canephora) is found in the lowlands. Arabica coffee from the regions of Gayo, Lintong and Sidikilang is typically processed using the
Giling Basah (wet hulling) technique, which gives it a heavy body and low acidity.
[13]
Most of Sumatra used to be covered by
tropical rainforest, but economic development coupled with corruption and
illegal logging has severely threatened its existence. Even designated conservation areas have not been spared from this destruction.
The island is the world's
fifth highest island, and the third highest in the Indonesian archipelago.
Largest cities[edit]
Medan, the largest city in Sumatra
Palembang, the second largest city in Sumatra
Batam, the third largest city in Sumatra
The largest cities in Sumatra by population, listed by their 2010 census populations,
[12] are:
|
| 1 | Medan | North Sumatra | 2,109,339 | 1 July 1590 | 265.10 |
| 2 | Palembang | South Sumatra | 1,452,840 | 17 June 683 | 374.03 |
| 3 | Batam | Riau Islands | 1,153,860 | 18 December 1829 | 715.0 |
| 4 | Pekanbaru | Riau | 903,902 | 23 June 1784 | 633.01 |
| 5 | Bandar Lampung | Lampung | 879,851 | 17 June 1682 | 118.50 |
| 6 | Padang | West Sumatra | 833,584 | 7 August 1669 | 694.96 |
| 7 | Jambi | Jambi | 529,118 | 17 May 1946 | 205.00 |
| 8 | Bengkulu | Bengkulu | 300,359 | 18 March 1719 | 144.52 |
| 9 | Dumai | Riau | 254,332 | 20 April 1999 | 2,039.35 |
| 10 | Binjai | North Sumatra | 246,010 | | 90.24 |
| 11 | Pematang Siantar | North Sumatra | 234,885 | 24 April 1871 | 60.52 |
| 12 | Banda Aceh | Aceh | 224,209 | 22 April 1205 | 61.36 |
| 13 | Lubuklinggau | South Sumatra | 201,217 | 17 August 2001 | 419.80 |
Flora and fauna[edit]
The island is home to 201 mammal species and 580 bird species, such as the
Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo. There are 9 endemic mammal species on mainland Sumatra and 14 more endemic to the nearby
Mentawai Islands.
[14] There are about 300 freshwater fish species in Sumatra.
[15]
The Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhinoceros, Sumatran Elephant, Sumatran Ground-Cuckoo, and Sumatran Orangutan are all Critically Endangered, indicating the highest level of threat to their survival. In October 2008, the Indonesian government announced a plan to protect Sumatra's remaining forests.
[16]
Demographics[edit]
Minangkabau women carrying platters of food to a ceremony
Sumatra is not particularly densely populated, with just over 100 people per km
2 – more than 50 million people in total. Because of its great extent, it is nonetheless the fourth
[17] 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.
Ethnic Groups[edit]
The people of Sumatra is multi-lingual, multi-diverse, and multi-religious. There are over 52
languages spoken, all of them belong to
Austronesianlanguage family (except Chinese and Indians). Most of these groups share many similar traditions, and the different tongues are closely related.
Ethnic Malays dominate most of the eastern coast in the provinces of
Riau,
Bangka-Belitung,
South Sumatra,
Riau Islands, northern parts of
Lampung and
Bengkulu and in the easternmost parts of
North Sumatra and
Aceh, while people in the southern and central interior speak languages related to
Malay, such as
Lembak (that speak
Col language),
Kerinci (that speak
Kerinci language) and
Minangkabau people (that speak
Minangkabau). The highlands of northern Sumatra is inhabited by the
Bataknese, the northernmost coast is dominated by the
Acehnese, while southernmost coast is dominated by
Ethnic Javanese.
Chinese and
Tamil minorities are present in urban centres.
Languages[edit]
All Languages of Sumatra belongs to
Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian sub-branch of
Malayo-Polynesian in which in turn a branch of Austronesian language family. Within Nuclear Malayo-Polynesian, they were divided into several sub-branches that is
Chamic (which are represented by
Acehnese in which its closest relatives are languages spoken by
Ethnic Chams in Cambodia and Vietnam),
Malayic (
Malay,
Minangkabau and other closely related languages),
Northwest Sumatran (
Batak languages,
Gayo and others),
Lampungic (includes Proper Lampung and
Komering) and
Bornean (represented by
Rejang in which its closest linguistic relatives are
Bukar Sadong and
Land Dayak spoken in
West Kalimantan and
Sarawak (
Malaysia)). Northwest Sumatran and Lampungic branches are endemic to the island. Like all parts of Indonesia,
Indonesian (which was based on Riau Malay) is the official language and the main Lingua franca. Although Sumatra has its own local Lingua franca,
variants of Malay like Medan Malay and
Palembang Malay[18] are popular in North and South Sumatra, especially in urban areas. Minangkabau (Padang dialect)
[19] is popular in West Sumatra, some parts of North Sumatra, Bengkulu, Jambi and Riau (especially in
Pekanbaru and areas bordered with West Sumatra). While Acehnese are also use as an inter-ethnic communication in some parts of Aceh province.
Religion[edit]
A majority of people in Sumatra are Muslims (87%), while 10% are Christians, 2% are Buddhist and 1% are Hindu.
[20] Most central Bataks are Protestant Christians, a religion introduced by the
German Rhenish Missionary Society.
Rail transport[edit]
See also[edit]