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SOUTH SUMATRA

One of the greatest kingdoms in Indonesia history, the Buddhist Empire of Sriwijaya, prospered and grew along the bank of the Musi River in South Sumatra over a thousand years ago. Located in the southern-most rim of the Shout China Sea, close to one of the world's busiest shipping lanes linking the Far East with Europe, the region's historical background is rich and colorful.

The Sriwijaya Kingdom practiced a bustling and lucrative trade with ancient China its era of powerful dynasties and in 672, the Chinese scholar Tsing recorded that a thousand monks and scholars could be seen translating and studying Sanskrit in what is now the regional capital of Palembang. However, few relics of this memorable era remain.

Stretching from the foothills of the mighty Bukit Barisan mountain range in the West Sumatra to the island of Bangka and Belitung in the East, the province of Shout Sumatra is relatively flat but very fertile, with numerous rivers cutting across the landscape and meandering their way to the sea. Coffee and tea are grown in plantations in various parts of the province but the area's enormous wealth comes from oil, natural gas, coal, tin and quartz.

Palembang is still the gateway to the province, and together with Pangkal Pinang on the island of Bangka and Tanjung Pandan on Bilitung, provides the region with three major airports. All three cities have direct connections with Medan, Batam, Padang and Jakarta and the future will see the introduction of flights to Singapore. Air-conditioned buses from points north and west of Palembang are also regular available, as well as from major cities in Java and Bali.

The province of Jambi located on the east coast of Central Sumatra faces the Straits of Malaka sharing borders with four other provinces in Sumatra and has long been a melting pot for different ethnic groups. The earliest inhabitants were the Kubus, who were among the first wave of Malays to migrate to Sumatra. The ancient kingdom of Melayu developed and grew in Jambi and maintained relations with the mighty kingdoms of Sriwijaya, Majapahit and Singasari, but was eventually attacked and annexed by Sriwijaya in the middle of the 17th century. Encompassing an area of 53,435 sq.kms, almost 60% of which is forest, the province is home to a large variety of fauna and flora and an exhilarating place for active and adventurous visitors.

Besides, South Sumatra is sometimes called the region of nine rivers, indicating nine big rivers: Musi, Ogan, Komering, Lematang, Lakitan, Kelingi, Rawas, Batanghari Leko dan Lalan which can be sailed and navigated. This rivers flow through the region. Each of which has branches in ten.

The Eastern area of the mainland limited by costal line consists of swamp and brackish land influenced by tidal rise and fall. The main vegetation is palm and like and mangroves trees. The middle area Westward consists of lowland and wide valleys. Westward far ahead there is a hilly and mountainous area as the chains of Bukit Barisan lengthening along Sumatra Island from Aceh to Lampung.
Among the peaks of Bukit Barisan in
South Sumatra are Mount Dempo (3159 meters), Mount Seminung (1945 meters), Mount Patah (2107 meters), and Mount Bungkuk (2125 meters). Beneath Mount Seminung lies Ranau Lake of 128 square kilometers which not only reflects the beautiful panorama of nature but also is ideal for water sports. Such as skiing, diving, swimming, canoeing, etc.
Most of mountainous and hilly area and the lowland are covered with dense forests and jungles. In general, the height of the area is 900 to 1200 meters above the sea level. The high region provides water resources of some big rivers witch flow into
Bangka strait.
South Sumatra mainland which consists of lowland and plateaus and mountains is a potential area for plantations, agriculture and horticulture plants. In this area there are plantations of rubber, coffee, tea, cassia Vera, palm oil, rice, vegetables, and many kinds of fruits.
In the Eastern part of the region are two big islands,
Bangka and Belitung. Each Island is surrounded by other small islands. There are islands of Lepar, Pongok, Nangka, etc at Bangka's offshore. And Seliu, Mindanau, and other small islands at Belitung.
Both islands also have plateaus with the peaks of
Mount Maras (699m) and Mount Menumbing (455m) in and Mount Tajamlaki in Belitung.


Generally, the species of flora and fauna in
South Sumatra are the same as those of the other places, especially in Sumatra. Dense forests and the field of tall grass cover an area of 3000 meters above the sea level. Several woods of good quality for building materials can be found in the forests besides rattan, many kinds of orchids, rafflesia, etc.
The animals consist of elephant, tiger, deer, wild goat, tapir, crocodile, many kinds of primate families such as monkey, ape, gibbon, etc. Some are protected rare animals, including hundred kinds of birds and water animals.


South Sumatra Province with its provincial capital Palembang is lead by a Governor as Head of the Region Governmental administration and Development policy. The region is divided into 8 Regencies : Ogan Komering Ulu, Ogan Komering Ilir, Musi Rawas, Musi Banyuasin, Muara Enim, Lahat, Bangka and Belitung, 2 Municipalities : Palembang and Pangkal Pinang, and 4 Administrative Municipalities : Prabumulih (in Muara Enim), Baturaja (in Ogan Komering Ulu), Pagar Alam (in Lahat and Lubuk Linggau (in Musi Rawas).
South Sumatra has been inhabited by humans since prehistoric times. The evidence of the ancient times among others is megalithic sites in various forms and sizes which can be seen either in museums or in the open space.
Those megalithic cultural heritages in the forms of statues of humans, animals, menhir, dolmen (whetstone), punden berundak (punden with steps), coffins, mortars, etc. made of stones were artistically carved by the ancestors. Each of them is of small size up to giant size. The evidence of civilization of 2500 - 1000 BC eras will impress not only such domestic and foreign tourists but also some experts who came searching for the sake of sciences.