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

More than five million people across Borneo and Sumatra are directly exposed to the health risks from haze, deputy health minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said last month.

From Barron's ● Sep. 5, 2026

The first was the Kolang meteorite, which fell in North Sumatra, Indonesia, in 2020.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 8, 2026

Couple that with their tropical native climate of Sumatra, Indonesia, and you’re in for a sweaty, stinky viewing experience.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 10, 2026

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

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026

Chastened, they sailed on, but en route word reached them that Sumatra had fallen to the French and so they observed the transit inconclusively from the Cape of Good Hope.

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