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

Triggered by a rare cyclone in November, the deluge killed more than 1,000 people and displaced hundreds of thousands across the island of Sumatra.

From BBC

At a church in Sumatra, dozens of worshippers sang hymns at a Christmas mass, gathered together for their first service since deadly floods swept the Indonesian island.

From Barron's

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

An unusual silence in the forests of north Sumatra in Indonesia is worrying wildlife experts and conservationists.

From BBC

Monsoon rains paired with two rare tropical storm systems, sometimes known in the region as cyclones, dumped record deluges across Sri Lanka, and parts of Indonesia's Sumatra, southern Thailand and northern Malaysia last week.

From Barron's