
{| align="right" | |- | |} Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the List of islands by size of the world (approximately 1 E11 m²) and is the largest part of Indonesia. == Geography == The 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 (island), 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 above the soil and underneath", the Oil palm and petroleum. Most of Sumatra used to be covered by tropical rainforest, home to species such as orangutans, tapirs, and Tigers, and some unique plants like the Rafflesia. Unfortunately, economic development coupled with corruption and illegal logging has severely threatened its existence. Conservation areas have not been spared from destruction, either. ''See also: Islands of Indonesia, Riau islands'' ==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 is the Srivijaya, 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 people culture throughout Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. The empire was Thalassocracy, 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-moment magnitude 2004 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. ==Administration== The Provinces of Indonesia of Sumatra (or the smaller islands nearby) are: *Aceh *Bangka-Belitung *Bengkulu *Jambi *Lampung *Riau- capital: Pekanbaru *Sumatera Barat (West Sumatra) - capital: Padang *Sumatera Selatan (South Sumatra) - capital: Palembang *Sumatera Utara (North Sumatra) - capital: Medan, Indonesia ==Demographics== Sumatra is not very heavily populated, about 85 people per sq.km (with more than 40 million people in an area the size of Germany). The most populous regions includes most of Sumatra Utara and central highland in Sumatra Barat, while the major urban centre are Medan and Palembang. The people are of Malay people 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 Lampung and Minangkabau. The highland of northern Sumatra is inhabited by the Batak, while the northernmost coast is dominated by Acehs. Ethnic Indonesian Chinese minorities are also present in urban centers. A majority of people in Sumatra are Muslims. Most central Bataks, meanwhile, are Protestant Christianity - the religion was spread by the Dutch. The rest follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Chinese traditional beliefs. ==Flora and fauna== *Sumatran Pine *Rafflesia *Orangutan *Orang Pendek ==External links== *http://indahnesia.com/Indonesia/Sumatera/Barat/Barat.php?code=SUBHIS: offers a brief history of the Minangkabau region (West Sumatra) Islands of Indonesia hi:सुमात्रा ms:Sumatra zh-min-nan:Sumatra
What is the capital of Sumatra? What sort of political system does it have? Who is the current president? I'm just curious because I want to use Sumatra in a story, but anyways, more info is needed. User:Citizen Premier 02:16, 16 May 2005 (UTC) :Sumatra is not a country; it is one island in Indonesia. I'd check that article for answers to your questions. There are several provinces of Indonesia located on Sumatra. User:Cdc User talk:Cdc 20:44, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
Words begining with Sumatra:
Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra-Andaman_earthquake
Sumatra-Andaman_Islands_earthquake
Sumatralith
Sumatran_Pine
Sumatran_Rhinoceros
Sumatran_Tiger
Sumatra_Barb
Sumatra_barb
Sumatra_class_cruiser
Sumatra_class_cruisers
Sumatra_class_cruisers
Sumatra
{| align="right" | |- | |} Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the List of islands by size of the world (approximately 1 E11 m²) and is the largest part of Indonesia. == Geography == The 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 (island), 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 above the soil and underneath", the Oil palm and petroleum. Most of Sumatra used to be covered by tropical rainforest, home to species such as orangutans, tapirs, and Tigers, and some unique plants like the Rafflesia. Unfortunately, economic development coupled with corruption and illegal logging has severely threatened its existence. Conservation areas have not been spared from destruction, either. ''See also: Islands of Indonesia, Riau islands'' ==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 is the Srivijaya, 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 people culture throughout Sumatra, Malay Peninsula, and western Borneo. The empire was Thalassocracy, 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-moment magnitude 2004 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. ==Administration== The Provinces of Indonesia of Sumatra (or the smaller islands nearby) are: *Aceh *Bangka-Belitung *Bengkulu *Jambi *Lampung *Riau- capital: Pekanbaru *Sumatera Barat (West Sumatra) - capital: Padang *Sumatera Selatan (South Sumatra) - capital: Palembang *Sumatera Utara (North Sumatra) - capital: Medan, Indonesia ==Demographics== Sumatra is not very heavily populated, about 85 people per sq.km (with more than 40 million people in an area the size of Germany). The most populous regions includes most of Sumatra Utara and central highland in Sumatra Barat, while the major urban centre are Medan and Palembang. The people are of Malay people 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 Lampung and Minangkabau. The highland of northern Sumatra is inhabited by the Batak, while the northernmost coast is dominated by Acehs. Ethnic Indonesian Chinese minorities are also present in urban centers. A majority of people in Sumatra are Muslims. Most central Bataks, meanwhile, are Protestant Christianity - the religion was spread by the Dutch. The rest follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Catholicism, and Chinese traditional beliefs. ==Flora and fauna== *Sumatran Pine *Rafflesia *Orangutan *Orang Pendek ==External links== *http://indahnesia.com/Indonesia/Sumatera/Barat/Barat.php?code=SUBHIS: offers a brief history of the Minangkabau region (West Sumatra) Islands of Indonesia hi:सुमात्रा ms:Sumatra zh-min-nan:Sumatra
Sumatra
What is the capital of Sumatra? What sort of political system does it have? Who is the current president? I'm just curious because I want to use Sumatra in a story, but anyways, more info is needed. User:Citizen Premier 02:16, 16 May 2005 (UTC) :Sumatra is not a country; it is one island in Indonesia. I'd check that article for answers to your questions. There are several provinces of Indonesia located on Sumatra. User:Cdc User talk:Cdc 20:44, 16 May 2005 (UTC)
See other meanings of words starting from letter:
S
SB | SC | SD | SE | SF | SG | SH | SI | SJ | SK | SL | SM | SN | SO | SP | SR | SS | ST | SU | SW | SX | SY | SZ |Words begining with Sumatra:
Sumatra
Sumatra
Sumatra-Andaman_earthquake
Sumatra-Andaman_Islands_earthquake
Sumatralith
Sumatran_Pine
Sumatran_Rhinoceros
Sumatran_Tiger
Sumatra_Barb
Sumatra_barb
Sumatra_class_cruiser
Sumatra_class_cruisers
Sumatra_class_cruisers
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