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Sumatra is an island in western Indonesia.
It is the sixth largest island in the world with a population of more than 50 million.
Settler colonies were arriving in Sumatra in 500 BC and several significant kingdoms
flourished there. Marco Polo visited the island in 1292. The powerful Aceh Sultanate ruled
from this time into the 20th century. Sumatra came under the control of the Dutch East Indies
and became a major producer of pepper, rubber, and oil. In the early and mid-twentieth century,
Sumatran academics and leaders were important figures in Indonesia's independence movements
before full independence was gained in 1945.
On 26 December 2004, the western coast and islands of Sumatra, particularly Aceh province,
were struck by a tsunami following Indian Ocean earthquake. More than 170,000 Indonesians
were killed, primarily in Aceh. Other recent major earthquakes struck Sumatra in 2005 and
2010.
Sumatra supports a wide range of vegetation types which are home to a rich variety of
species, including 17 endemic genera of plants. The island is home to 201 mammal species and
580 bird species. The island has lost half of its natural forest cover since 1985, and
many of the remaining species are endangered. The Sumatran Tiger, Sumatran Rhino, and Sumatran
Orangutan are all Critically Endangered, indicating that the highest level of threat to their
survival.
Sumatra is not very densely populated, about 96 people per km2—more than 45 million
people in total. The people represent many different ethnic groups, speaking 52 different
languages. Most of these groups, however, share many similar traditions and the different
tongues are closely related.