Sumatra, fabled "Land of Gold" of the ancients, is unlike any other tropical on earth. It is neither the largest landmass in the Indonesian archipelago (Irian Jaya and Kalimantan are larger), nor the most populous (Java has three times as many people), but by most accounts it is the most varied and interesting island to visit. Sumatra indeed has something for everyone-lush rainforests, exotic flora and fauna, cascading rivers, sparkling crater lakes, shimmering white sand beaches and an incredibly diverse array of traditional ethnic groups who inhabit some of the most spectacular volcanic landscapes in the world.
Straddling vital waterways at the western end of an immense island chain, Sumatra is a kind of anchor for the rest of the archipelago. It is truly continental in scope: vast lowland rainforests and coastal wetlands are cut by a network of broad, silt-laden rivers that snake across the island for up to 800 km before emptying into the South China Sea. Unlike all the other islands of a similar scale, however, Sumatra is also volcanic-its lofty range of western peaks forming alongitudinal "spine" dotted with lakes and fertile upland valleys.
The island is extremely rich in natural re sources. Its coal, tin, bauxite, oil, gold, natural gas, timber, rubber, tea, palm oil, cacao and coffee together account for over half of Indonesia's export income, while its long coastline is dotted with harbors giving acces to seas teeming with tropical marine life.
As a result, Sumatra has played a major role in Indonesia history. The first large kingdom in these islands-the Buddhist state of Srivijaya-had its capital on the Musi River near what is now Palembang, and from here controlled a massive volume of trade passing through the Malacca and Sunda straits for over 300 years-conquering all other ports around the coasts and maintaining direct links with harbors in faraway India and China.
Indian civilzation, which was to have such a far-reaching cultural impact in the region, entered Indonesia through Sumatera ports in the first millenium Ad. In the second millenium the same story was repeated-as Islam arrived from the west along the trans-oceanic trade routes, established a foothold in the ports of northeastern Sumatra, and spread from here to the neighboring islands.
Sumatra was of course inhabited long before the arrival of these foreign priests and traders. Well over a dozen major ethnic groups live on the island, speaking more than 25 different languages and hundreds of dialects. Sumatra today supports 40 million people-over 20 percent of Indonesia's huge population-with a size and density similar to that of California, though far less urbanized.
Found here are some of Indonesia's most dynamic peoples. The Acehnese of the north, for example, are fervent Muslims renowned for their fierce resistance to Ducth rule. The Minangkabau of West Sumatra have migrated throughout Indonesia and today form the economic and intellectual elite in many areas. Sumatra's largest group, the Malays, were the great seafaring traders of Asia in pre-modern times, and their tongue forms the basis for the national languages of Indonesia and Malaysia. Last but not least, the Bataks of the northern highlands around Lake Toba are the nation's most resourceful and flamboyant group.
As a travel destination, Sumatra thus has few peers. Its natural habitats possess an unparalleled variety of wildlife-from elephants and rhinos to the world's largest flower (the foul-smelling rafflesia) and the most expensive aquarium fish (the golden arowana or "dragon fish")-while the island's traditional peoples are as fascinating as they are warm and hospitable. In short, Sumatra combines most of the incomparable attractions of the Indonesian island all rolled into one!
