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Sumatra (or Sumatera) is the sixth largest island in the world (about 470,000 km²) and belongs to Indonesia. An old name for Sumatra was "Swarna Dwipa" (Sanskrit for "Island of Gold"), probably due to the very early export of gold from the mines of the Sumatran highlands. Due to its location on the Indian-Chinese trade routes, various trading cities arose, especially on the east coast. This also brought influences from Indian religions to Sumatra. The most famous example is Srivijaya, a Buddhist monarchy with today's Palembang as its center. Through trade and conquest, this kingdom dominated the region in the 7th-9th century and promoted the spread of Malay culture in Sumatra, the Malay Peninsula and West Borneo (Kalimantan). However, the kingdom's influence did not extend much further than the coastal areas. The influence of the Srivijaya kingdom waned in the 11th century. The island was repeatedly invaded from Java by Javanese kingdoms: first Singasari and later Majapahit. During this period, Islam was also introduced, which was spread through contacts with Arab and Indian merchants.
Dimensions | 120x80mm |
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