SUMATERA

"Sumatra" redirects here. For other uses of Sumatra, see Sumatra (disambiguation). Sumatra Sumatra Topography.png Topography of the island of Sumatra geography Location of Southeast Asia Coordinates 0 ° 00 'N 102 ° 00' E Great Sunda Islands Islands Area of ​​470 000 km ² The highest altitude of 3805 m The highest peak of Kerinci state Indonesia Aceh province, Bengkulu, Jambi, Lampung, Riau, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, North Sumatra, Bangka Belitung, Riau Islands Medan's largest city (pop. 3,418,645 (2009)) demography Population 45 million (per 2005) Density 96/km ² Ethnic groups of Aceh, Batak, Minangkabau, Malay, Rejang Sumatra or Sumatra is the world's sixth largest island located in Indonesia, with an area of ​​443,065.8 km2. Island population is about 42,409,510 people (2000). The island is also known by other names, namely Pulau Percha, Andalas, or Suwarnadwipa (Sanskrit, meaning "golden island"). Later in the year 1286 inscription carved Padang Roco swarnnabhūmi (Sanskrit, means "golden land") and Bhumi Proto ("Land of Malay") to refer to this island. Further in the text Negarakertagama of the 14th century is also re-called "Earth Malay" (Melayu) to the island.Origin of the name of Sumatra originated from the existence of the Indian Empire (located on the east coast of Aceh). Begins with a visit Ibn Battuta, the Moroccan adventurers into the country in 1345, he pronounced the word became Samatrah Ocean, and then to Sumatra or Sumatra, then the name is listed in the maps made ​​in the 16th century the Portuguese, to be referred to the island , so it came to be known widely until now . The original name of Sumatra, as recorded in historical sources and folklore, is the "Island of Gold".

The term island Ameh (Minangkabau language, means island of gold) encountered in the eyes of the Minangkabau Cindur story. In Lampung folklore names are listed Tanoh mas to mention the island of Sumatra. A traveler from China named I-tsing (634-713), who for years lived in Srivijaya (Palembang) in the 7th century, calling the name of Sumatra with chin-chou, which means "golden land". Solomon explained that a.s. king of Israel received 420 talents of gold from Hiram, king of Tyre who became his subordinate. Gold was obtained from the land of Ophir. Book Al-Qur'an, Surat Al-Anbiya '81, explained that the ships of Solomon sailed into "the land which We have blessed him" (al-Ardha-l-Na Lati FIHA barracks). Many historians argue that the country Ophir was located in Sumatra. It should be noted, the city of Tyre was the center of the marketing of goods from the Far East. Ptolemaios wrote Geographike Hyphegesis based on information from a merchant named Marinus of Tyre. And many European adventurers in the 15th century and the 16th in search of gold to Sumatra with the notion that therein lies the country Ofir Prophet Sulayman. Said the first time the name comes from the title of a Sumatran Srivijaya king of Hajj (the king) Sumatrabhumi ("King of Sumatra land"), is based on China news he sent envoys to China in 1017. Another opinion says the name comes from the name Ocean Sumatra, Aceh in the kingdom in the 13th century and the 14th century. European travelers since the 15th century using the name of the kingdom to the whole island. Similarly, the island of Borneo called Kalimantan, from the name of Brunei, northern areas of the island, first visited by Europeans. Similarly Lombok island was named Selaparang, while Lombok is the name of the area on the east coast of the island Selaparang the early Portuguese sailors visited.Transition Ocean (the name of the kingdom) to Sumatra (island name) is interesting to trace. Odorico da Pordenone in the story of his voyage in 1318 mentions that he sailed to the east of the Coromandel, India, for 20 days, then up to the kingdom Sumoltra. Told in the book of Ibn Bathutah Rihlah ila l-Masyriq (Odyssey to the East) that in 1345 he stopped at the royal Samatrah. In the next century, the name of the country or kingdom on Aceh was taken over by the traveler, other travelers to mention the whole island.In 1490 Ibn Majid make a map of the area around the Indian Ocean island and it said "Samatrah". Map was copied by Ibn Majid Roteiro in 1498 and appeared the name "Camatarra". Map made ​​by Amerigo Vespucci in 1501 include the name "Samatara", while the map Masser in 1506 led to the name "Samatra". Ruy d'Araujo in 1510 called the island "Camatra", and Alfonso Albuquerque in 1512 wrote "Camatora". Antonio Pigafetta in 1521 using the name of a rather 'true': 'Somatra ". But so many other travelers record a more 'chaotic' wrote: "Samoterra", "Samotra", "Sumotra", even "Zamatra" and "Zamatora".