Sumatra, the sixth-largest island in the world, is one of the Greater Sunda Islands of the Malay Archipelago including the islands of Indonesia and the Philippines.
This big island is subdivided into the autonomous province of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Riau, Jambi, Bengkulu, South Sumatra and Lampung.
It is often less-visited by tourists compared with some of the big hits in Indonesia such as Bali or Lombok. This is a shame, as Sumatra offers a completely different side of this vast and amazing country and is covered in gorgeous primary rainforest which Sumatran tigers, elephants, and orangutan still call home.
A TASTE OF HISTORY
Because of the gold deposits in the highlands, Sumatra was known in ancient times by the Sanskrit name of Swarnadwīpa ("Island of Gold"). However, during the centuries, the island has known by other names as namely, Andalas or Percha Island. It was not until the 14th century that the Sumatra name became popular thanks to the kingdom of Samudra Pasai.
The Sultanate of Aceh replaced the kingdom of Samudra Pasai. This government survived to the 20th century when the Dutch gradually took control over the island. During World War II Sumatra was occupied by Japan (1942–45), and in 1950 the island became part of the Republic of Indonesia.
Since then Sumatrans have at times expressed dissatisfaction with the central government over financial and political issues, often in the form of insurrections and other regional movements. The Free Aceh Movement fought against Indonesian government forces in the Aceh Insurgency from 1976 to 2005.
The island experienced a major natural disaster in late 2004 when the great Indian Ocean tsunami (spawned by a severe earthquake off the coast of Aceh) inundated the areas along the northwest coast causing widespread death and destruction.
THE WEATHER
The island is located close to the equator, which means there is tropical weather almost all year. It is always hot and humid in Sumatra Island. If one minute it is all sunshine and hay on the island, the next moment you can expect a rainfall.
Most of Sumatra used to be covered by rainforest, home to species such as the orangutan, the tapir, the Sumatran rhino and the Sumatran tiger, and some unique plants, such as the rafflesia. Unfortunately, economic development along with corruption and illegal logging have seriously threatened its existence. Even protected areas have not been saved from destruction.
Nowadays, the high Barisan Mountains run northwest-southeast for some miles reaching the highest elevation at Mount Kerinci. Whereas the east part of the island is covered by the swampy plains.
THE RELIGION
Most Sumatrans are Muslims, though some are Christians and animists. It is said that Indonesia is one of the countries with the biggest community of muslims. However, substantial evidence of Islam in Indonesia exists only from the end of the 13th century, in northern Sumatra.
At the XIII century, the Samudra Pasai kingdom needed the muslim foreigners to gain their economic and political fame. Religious institutions were created to make foreigns muslims feel like home. During the years, Islam was getting more and more important, until the XVI century when the Sultanate of Aceh took the kingdom, the northern Sumatra, became a self-consciously Muslim state.
HOW TO GET AROUND
Medan is the capital of Sumatra and the central point where are all the international flights. The other airports in Sumatra are Pekanbaru Airport, Batam Airport, Palembang Airport (south province), and Banda Aceh airport (Province of Aceh). These airports can be used for inter-city connectivity.
Another way to travel around Sumatra is by bus. Most of the important cities of the island are connected by this transport. Even though it is much cheaper than by flight it can have some inconveniences, such as the fast driving if the Indonesian people that can make you feel uncomfortable.
Moreover, most of the towns in Sumatra are rural and it can be difficult to find the small bus station. That happened to us when our bus from Banda Aceh to Bukkit Lawang left us in the middle of a town called Binjai, from where we were supposed to take another bus to our final destination Bukkit Lawang. Nobody understood english and some people wanted to take us by bejak. We did fifty turns until we found the other bus station.
MY TRIP TO SUMATRA
As I had a limited time to spend in Sumatra I decided to visit only the north of Sumatra and the province of Ache. However, the main attractions are located there.
With the adventurous feeling with us, we took a flight from Kuala Lumpur to Banda Aceh and started our trip at Aceh Province by catching a ferry to Pulau Weh where we would spend a whole week diving. To know more about our trip and all the places we discovered, click at Aceh province or Pulau Weh, the paradisiac island.
After this incredible days, we came back to Banda Aceh where we took a bus to go to Bukkit Lawang where we had an adventurous jungle trekking to see orangutans. To know more about our trip and all the places we discovered, click at Bukkit Lawang, an enchantment village.
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