SUMATRA, an island in the Indian seas immediately under the equator; sep arated from the peninsula of Malacca by the Straits of Malacca and from Java by the Straits of Sunda ; greatest length about 1,000 miles; breadth, about 240 miles; area, 161,600 square miles; pop. about 4,500,000. Banca and other islands adjoin the coast. The W. side of the island is mountainous, with peaks rang ing in height from 2,000 feet in the S. to 5,000 feet further N.; and culminating in Indrapura, a volcano 12,572 feet high. The E. side spreads out into interminable plains. There are several volcanoes in the island. Copper, tin, and iron are found in abundance and deposits of coal exist. The chief rivers are the Rokan, Musi, Jambi, and Indragiri, which all form extensive deltas at their mouths. Sumatra enjoys great equability of climate, but in many low-lying parts is unhealthy; rain falls almost incessantly in the S. Mangroves grow near the coast, and at higher elevations myrtles, palms, figs, and oaks of various species are met with. The camphor tree prevails in the N., and among vegetable curiosities are the upas tree and the gigantic raf flesia. Pepper, rice, sugar, tobacco, in digo, cotton, coffee, are cultivated for export, and camphor, benzoin, catechu, gutta-percha and caoutchouc, teak, ebony, and sandalwood are also exported. Rub ber and oil have in recent years become valuable products. In 1919 340,000 acres were planted with rubber. The fauna includes the elephant, the tapir, the rhinoceros, the tiger, the ourang outang and other apes, some species of deer and antelope, and numerous birds and reptiles. Of the domestic animals
the chief is the pig, next to which rank the cow and the horse.
The island is for the most part under the authority of the Dutch, and their possessions are divided into eight prov inces. The governor resides at Padang. Sumatra has a very mixed population consisting of Malays, Chinese, Arabs, and many native tribes. The Battas are a peculiar and interesting race approaching the Caucasian type. Writing has been known among them from a very early period and their ancient books are writ ten in a brilliant ink on paper made of bark. The native tribes of Sumatra have no temples and no priests, but a form of Mohammedanism prevails among the Malays on the coast. Chief towns, Pal embang and Padang.
The Dutch acquired their territories in Sumatra in the 16th and 17th centuries. The British formed a settlement at Ben kulen in 1685, and in 1811 seized the Dutch possessions on the island. These were restored in 1815, and by treaties in 1834 and 1871 the Dutch were allowed the right to enlarge their territories by treaty, or by conquest and annexation. The tidal wave accompanying the vol canic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 caused great destruction on the S. coast of Sumatra.