[soo-mah-truh] 
| a large island in the W part of Indonesia. 20,800,000; 164,147 sq. mi. (425,141 sq. km). |
| Su·ma·tra (sŏŏ-mä'trə) An island of western Indonesia in the Indian Ocean south of the Malay Peninsula. Long an important stopping point on the trading route between China and India, the island came under Dutch control in the 17th century, becoming part of the Dutch East Indies in 1800. Sumatra joined newly independent Indonesia in 1949. Su·ma'tran adj. & n. |
Island in Indonesia in the Indian Ocean northwest of Java and west of Malaysia.
Note: 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.
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