Sumatra

American  

[soo-mah-truh] / sʊˈmɑ trə /

noun

1. a large island in the W part of Indonesia. 164,147 sq. mi. (425,141 sq. km).

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Sumatra British  

/ sʊˈmɑːtrə /

noun

1. Indonesian spellling: Sumatera.  a mountainous island in W Indonesia, in the Greater Sunda Islands, separated from the Malay Peninsula by the Strait of Malacca: Dutch control began in the 16th century; joined Indonesia in 1945. Northern coastal areas, esp Aceh province, suffered devastation as a result of the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Pop: 42 409 510 (2000). Area: 473 606 sq km (182 821 sq miles)

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Sumatra Cultural  

1. Island in Indonesia in the Indian Ocean northwest of Java and west of Malaysia.

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Discover More

Though much of the island is covered by swampland and impenetrable rain forest, Sumatra's industries — including oil, coal, gold, silver, rubber, timber, and tobacco — produce over half of Indonesia's income.

Other Word Forms

• Sumatran
  adjective

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

Sumatra

Native to Sumatra, Indonesia, these plants are endangered in the wild and only bloom for 24 to 48 hours every few years.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 14, 2026

Hailing from the rainforests of Sumatra, Indonesia, corpse flowers are a massive, putrid spectacle.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

The only documented example occurred in Sumatra, where two large earthquakes struck three months apart in 2004 and 2005.

From Science Daily ● May 2, 2026

And in 2019, at least 35 people were killed when a bus plunged into a ravine on the western island of Sumatra.

From Barron's ● Dec. 22, 2025

Their instructions were to travel to Sumatra and chart the transit there, but after just one night at sea their ship was attacked by a French frigate.

From "A Short History of Nearly Everything" by Bill Bryson