Sumatra, Indonesia

Sumatra, Indonesia (28 April 2006)


Sumatra is one of the major islands of Indonesia. Covering 473,481 sq km (182,812 sq mi), it is the sixth largest island in the world, and the biggest which is entirely within Indonesia. Sumatra has a population exceeding 50 million people (2011 estimate), making it the fourth most populous island in the world behind Java, Honshu and Great Britain. Its biggest city, which is also the provincial capital of North Sumatra, is Medan.

Map of Sumatra, Indonesia

Tourist Destinations in Sumatra

Major Cities in Sumatra

Provinces of Sumatra

Provincial capital in parenthesis.

National Parks in Sumatra

Sumatra measures approximately 1,790 km (1,110 mi) from end to end. The equator cuts it in half. At its widest point, Sumatra is 435 km (270 mi). The Barisan mountain range forms the spire of the island. It follows the western coast of the island, while the east coast of Sumatra, is covered with mangrove swamps.

Sumatra is separated from Java by the Sunda Straits. The Strait of Malacca separates it from the Malay Peninsula, while the Karimata Strait separates it from the island of Borneo. The tallest mountain in Sumatra is an active volcano, Mount Kerinci, which is 3,805 m (12,467 ft). Sumatra also has the biggest lake in Indonesia, Lake Toba, the result of a massive eruption some 70,000 years ago.

Once covered with dense rainforest, Sumatra is today overwhelmingly deforested, and rainforest land is being converted to palm oil plantations. Illegal logging is another issue that has threatened the rainforest of Sumatra. Slash and burn cultivation in Sumatra and other Indonesian islands have been blamed for causing haze to envelope Southeast Asia, usually between June and October.

Visiting Sumatra

There are international airports in Medan, Palembang, Pekanbaru, Padang and Banda Aceh, with most of the international flights dominated by low-cost carrier, AirAsia. Most of the visitors to Sumatra come from Malaysia and Singapore, arriving through Medan.

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