Where
to Go
Gunung Leuser National Park
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Lake Toba
Berastagi
Mt. Sibayak
volcano
Mt. Sinabung
volcano
Sipisopiso
Waterfall
Tongging
Ketembe
Lake Kawar
Medan
What
to Do
Jungle
Trekking
Elephant
Trekking
White-Water
Rafting
River-Tubing
Volcano
Climbing
Bohorok
Orangutan Centre
Maimoon Palace
What
to Know
About "Hello
Mister Travel"
Introduction
to Sumatra
Topography
History
Getting to Sumatra
Getting Around Sumatra
Terms & Conditions
Accommodation
Bukit Lawang
Tangkahan
Berastagi
Tongging
Tuk Tuk
Ketembe
The Tours
Bukit Lawang Short Stay
The Jungle Trail
The Toba Trail
The North Sumatran Trail
Topography
Sumatra is flanked on its outer (western) edge by a string of nonvolcanic islands, including Simeulue, Nias, and the Mentawai group, none of which is densely populated. Sumatra runs from northwest to southeast for a length of more than 1,000 miles (1,600 km) and a maximum width, including offshore islands, of about 325 miles (525 km) and is bisected by the Equator. The island divides into four main physical regions: the narrow coastal plain along the west; the Barisan Mountains, which extend the length of the island close to its western edge and include 10 active volcanoes; an inner nonvolcanic zone of low hills grading down toward the stable platform of the Asian mainland; and the broad alluvial lowland, as much as 150 miles (240 km) wide and no more than 100 feet (30 metres) above sea level, that constitutes the eastern half of the island.
Much of eastern Sumatra is a low-lying swampy forest that is difficult to penetrate, which seriously impedes the development of the inland area. The mountain watershed is close to the west coast, and much of the soil cover in the hills and lowlands is built up by debris from the volcanoes. There are a number of beautiful lakes in Sumatra, the most famous of which is Lake Toba, which lies in the north at an elevation of 2,953 feet (900 metres) above sea level and covers some 440 square miles (1,140 square km).
Indonesia. (2008). Encyclopędia Britannica. Ultimate Reference Suite. Chicago: Encyclopędia Britannica.
