SUMATERA

Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera) is an island in western Indonesia, westernmost of the Sunda Islands. It is the largest island entirely in Indonesia (two larger islands, Borneo and New Guinea, are shared between Indonesia and other countries), and the sixth largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 with a population of 50,365,538. Its biggest city is Medan with a population of 2,109,330. Settler colonies were arriving in Sumatra in 500 BC and several significant kingdoms flourished there. I Ching, a Chinese Buddhist monk, studied Sanskrit and spent four years of his life working in Palembang. The explorer Marco Polo also visited Sumatra in 1292. Sumatra has a huge range of plant and animal species but has lost almost 50% of its tropical rainforest in the last 35 years and many species are Critically Endangered such as Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhino and Sumatran Orangutan. 97% of Sumatrans are thought to be Muslim. The island is home to 22% of total population of Indonesia. Contents [hide] 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Administration 4 Geography 5 Largest cities 6 Flora and fauna 7 Demographics 8 See also 9 References 10 External links   Topography of Sumatra Geography Location South East Asia Coordinates 0°00′N 102°00′E Archipelago Greater Sunda Islands Area 473,481 km2 (182,812 sq mi) Area rank 6th Highest elevation 3,805 m (12,484 ft) Highest point Kerinci Country Indonesia Provinces Aceh, Bengkulu, Jambi, Lampung, Riau, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, North Sumatra Largest city Medan (pop. 2,109,330 (as of 2010)) Demographics Population 50,365,538 (as of 2010) Density 96 /km2 (249 /sq mi) Ethnic groups Acehnese, Batak, Minangkabau, Malay

Rank	City, province	Population
1	Medan, North Sumatra	1,770,000
2	Palembang, South Sumatra	1,277,000
3	Padang, West Sumatra	986,000
4	Bandar Lampung, Lampung	940,000
5	Pekanbaru, Riau	796,000
6	Jambi, Jambi	457,000
7	Bengkulu, Bengkulu	386,000
8	Banda Aceh, Aceh	295,000
9	Pematang Siantar, North Sumatra	205,000
10	Lubuklinggau, South Sumatra	201,000