Sumatera Utara

▪ province, Indonesia

English  North Sumatra 

      propinsi (province), northern Sumatra, Indonesia, bounded by the Indian Ocean to the west, the Strait of Malacca (Malacca, Strait of) to the east, the semiautonomous province of Aceh to the north and northwest, and the provinces of Sumatera Barat (West Sumatra) to the south and Riau to the south and southeast. It includes the Indian Ocean islands of Nias and Mursala and the Batu (Batu Islands) group. The capital is Medan, in the northern part of the province.

      The area formed part of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire (Śrivijaya empire) of Palembang in the 7th century and, later, of the Hindu Majapahit empire of eastern Java, which lasted until the early 16th century. After Islam arrived and the sultanate of Aceh was established in the latter half of the 16th century, northern Sumatra became part of the Aceh kingdom and was the site of battles between the sultan of Aceh and the sultans of southern Sumatra. The British and Dutch vied for control of the region during the 17th and 18th centuries; the British surrendered their interests in Sumatra to the Dutch in 1871, and the Dutch gained complete control of the province by 1903. Following Japanese occupation during World War II, the region was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia in 1950 as the province of Sumatera Utara. Political unrest in the province and requests for greater autonomy were suppressed by the Indonesian government in 1956. The economy subsequently expanded, notably with the growth of industry and tourism. In December 2004 a large tsunami (Indian Ocean tsunami) in the Indian Ocean inundated Sumatera Utara's west coast and offshore islands and caused widespread death and destruction.

      The central Batak Plateau of the Barisan Mountains, running northwest-southeast, covers about two-thirds of the province. It is surmounted by both active and extinct volcanic cones, including Mount Sinabung (8,041 feet [2,451 metres]), Mount Sibayak (6,870 feet [2,094 m]), and Mount Sorikmerapi (7,037 feet [2,145 metres]). Near the centre of the plateau, at an elevation of 2,985 feet (910 metres), is Lake Toba (Toba, Lake), the remnant of an ancient and massive volcanic eruption. At the lake's centre is Samosir Island, 27 miles (44 km) long and 12 miles (19 km) wide, which is linked with the western shore of the lake by a narrow man-made isthmus. The plateau is flanked on the southwestern side by coastal lowlands with swamps to the north and south. Flat lowlands extend northeastward from the plateau's northeastern side, and a wide belt of swampland covers the southeastern part of the province. The coastal regions, deeply indented by estuaries, are where most of the lowland settlements are situated. The Asahan River drains Lake Toba from its southeastern shore, and the Barumun, Bila, and Kuala rivers also descend from the eastern slopes of the plateau and flow into the Strait of Malacca. The Gadis River drains the western slopes into the Indian Ocean.

      The plateau is covered by tropical rainforests of teak, ironwood, and banyan and by mixed subtropical forests including oak, maple, walnut, and laurel. Bamboo is common in the uplands. The coastal regions are covered with tidal and freshwater swamp forests, including a broad belt of mangroves. Agriculture, based on shifting cultivation, dominates the economy and produces rice, cassava, tobacco, rubber, palm oil, sisal, tea, coffee, pepper, and fruits and vegetables. Industries process foods and tobacco and produce aluminum, beverages, textiles, carved wood, leather and rubber goods, chemicals, metal goods, machinery, and transport equipment. Roads and the railway run parallel to the northeastern coast.

      Medan is the province's largest city; other important urban areas include Binjai, Pematangsiantar, Tanjungbalai, and Tebingtinggi. The population is mainly Acehnese, Batak, and coastal Malay. There are also Chinese and South Asians. Area 27,640 square miles (71,587 square km). Pop. (2000) 11,649,655; (2006 est.) 12,643,000.

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