Sumatra

[soo-mah-truh]

noun

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

Related formsSu·ma·tran, adjective, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for sumatra

Contemporary Examples of sumatra

The foundation has worked to protect tigers from extinction in Nepal, rainforests in Sumatra, and endangered sharks.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Big Christie’s Auction Brings in $38.8 Million
Isabel Wilkinson
May 14, 2013
The Sumatra quake, which killed hundreds of thousands of people Indonesia, was an 8.8.
Hurricane Sandy Will Be Dwarfed by an Earthquake
Winston Ross
November 5, 2012
After filming Amélie I went on a holiday to Sumatra, and I was interested in studying orangutans.
Audrey Tautou on ‘Amélie,’ Her New Film ‘Delicacy,’ & More
Marlow Stern
March 18, 2012

Historical Examples of sumatra

A strange man who wanted to take the night express for Sumatra!
Dave Porter At Bear Camp
Edward Stratemeyer
And then he added: "I wonder if he'll call himself the King of Sumatra, as he did before?"
Dave Porter At Bear Camp
Edward Stratemeyer
I fancy that they, and perhaps the Andamans, once formed a part of Sumatra.
At the Point of the Bayonet
G. A. Henty
Like those they had seen in Java and in Sumatra, they were all set up on stilts.
Four Young Explorers
Oliver Optic
This ape has been described in a former volume, for it is abundant in Sumatra.
Four Young Explorers
Oliver Optic

British Dictionary definitions for sumatra

Sumatra

noun

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)Indonesian spellling: Sumatera

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sumatra in Culture

Sumatra

[(soo-mah-truh)]

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

Note

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.