Sumatra

[soo-mah-truh]

noun

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

Sumatra

/ 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)

Sumatra

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

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

The death toll on the island of Sumatra has risen to more than 440, the government says.

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At least two cities on Indonesia's worst-affected Sumatra island were still unreachable on Sunday, and authorities said they had deployed two warships from Jakarta to deliver aid.

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It said 402 people were also still missing as authorities raced to reach some areas of hardest-hit Sumatra island, where thousands of people were stranded without critical supplies.

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Indonesia's disaster agency said on Saturday that nearly 300 people were still missing after flooding devastated Sumatra.

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On Friday, rescuers in Indonesia were struggling to reach the worst-affected areas of Sumatra island, while workers at a hospital in southern Thailand moved bodies into refrigerated trucks after the morgue exceeded capacity.

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