Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 475,807.63 km2 (182,812 mi.2), including adjacent islands such as the Simeulue, Nias, Mentawai, Enggano, Riau Islands, Bangka Belitung and Krakatoa archipelago.
Aceh, officially the Province of Aceh, is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northern end of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a special autonomous status, Aceh is a religiously conservative territory and the only Indonesian province practicing the Sharia law officially. There are ten indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 80% to 90% of the region's population.
On 26 December 2004, at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7), a major earthquake with a magnitude of 9.1–9.3 struck with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. The undersea megathrust earthquake, known by the scientific community as the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, was caused by a rupture along the fault between the Burma Plate and the Indian Plate, and reached a Mercalli intensity up to IX in some areas.
Simeulue Regency is a regency in the Aceh special region of Indonesia. It occupies the whole island of Simeulue, 150 km off the west coast of Sumatra, with an area of 1,838.09 square kilometres. It had a population of 80,674 at the 2010 census and 92,865 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 94,876.
Indonesia was the first country to be seriously affected by the earthquake and tsunami created by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake on 26 December 2004, swamping the northern and western coastal areas of Sumatra, and the smaller outlying islands off Sumatra. Nearly all the casualties and damage took place within the province of Aceh. The time of arrival of the tsunami was between 15 and 30 minutes after the deadly earthquake. According to the country's National Disaster Relief Coordination Agency, around 130,000 people were dead and 37,063 were missing. In addition, the UN estimated that 655,000 people were homeless and sheltering in scattered refugee camps across the province.
The 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake occurred on 28 March off the west coast of northern Sumatra, Indonesia. At least 915 people were killed, mostly on the island of Nias. The event caused panic in the region, which had already been devastated by the massive tsunami triggered by the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, but this earthquake generated a relatively small tsunami that caused limited damage. It was the third most powerful earthquake since 1965 in Indonesia.
Operation Sumatra Assist was the Australian Defence Force's (ADFs) contribution to disaster relief in Indonesia following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake. ADF personnel were deployed within hours of the earthquake. They served mainly in Aceh. Medical and engineering staff were prominent, with helicopters and cargo aircraft, supported offshore by HMAS Kanimbla and its two Sea King helicopters.
The Banyak Islands are a group of inhabited islands located between Simeulue and Nias off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia's Aceh Province. Surveys of the area approximate around 71 islands and additional mangrove stands in shallow off-shore areas, although locals count 99 islands. The largest island in the group is Tuangku, with the principal town of Haloban. Two other major islands located either side of Tuangku are Bangkaru and Ujung Batu. Tuangku is separated from Bangkaru by a fault line.
Simeulue is an island of Indonesia, 150 kilometres (93 mi) off the west coast of Sumatra. It covers an area of 1,754 square kilometres, including minor offshore islands. It had a population of 80,674 at the 2010 census and 92,865 at the 2020 census. The official estimate as at mid 2021 was 93,762. Its capital is Sinabang.
Sinabang is a town on the east coast of Simeulue Island, which lies off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. Sinabang is the administrative seat (capital) of the Simeulue Regency, in Aceh Province of Indonesia and has a population of approximately 20,000.
The Sigulai language is an Austronesian language spoken on Simeulue island off the western coast of Sumatra in Indonesia. It belongs to the Malayo-Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages. Sikule is one of Northwest Sumatra–Barrier Islands languages, which are a sub-group of Western Malayo-Polynesian.
Lasikin Airport is an airport in Sinabang, Simeulue island, Aceh, Indonesia. The airport was damaged by the 2004 tsunami and destroyed by the 2005 Nias–Simeulue earthquake. It was reopened on 1 November 2007 following 45 billion rupiah of spending by the Aceh-Nias recovery agency with control tower and enlarged runway facilitating larger turboprop aircraft.
The April 2010 Sumatra earthquake occurred on with a moment magnitude of 7.8 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of VIII (Severe). The shock occurred near the Banyak Islands, off the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. A tsunami watch was issued according to the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Honolulu which was later canceled. A 40 cm surge was reported in the Banyak Islands an hour after the quake, along with 62 injuries. Power outages were reported throughout the province of North Sumatra as well as in Aceh. This quake is one in a sequence of large earthquakes along the Sunda megathrust in the 2000s.
The May 2010 Northern Sumatra earthquake occurred with a moment magnitude of 7.2 on May 9 at 12:59 PM local time in Indonesia. The epicenter was 215 km from Banda Aceh on the northwestern tip of Sumatra. According to USGS, it is likely that this earthquake occurred along the interface of the Indo-Australia Plate and the Sunda Plate. It was one of a sequence of large earthquakes along the Sunda megathrust in 2000s. It was also felt in Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Thailand. Broken windows and cracks in the walls were reported in the control tower at Cut Nyak Dhien Airport near Meulaboh.
The 2002 Sumatra earthquake occurred at 01:26 UTC on 2 November. It had a magnitude of 7.4 on the moment magnitude scale with an epicenter just north of Simeulue island and caused three deaths. This earthquake is regarded as a foreshock of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which had an epicenter about 60 km to the northwest.
Babi Island is an island located in Aceh, Indonesia.
The 2012 Indian Ocean earthquakes were magnitude 8.6 and 8.2 Mw undersea earthquakes that struck near the Indonesian province of Aceh on 11 April at 15:38 local time. Initially, authorities feared that the initial earthquake would cause a tsunami and warnings were issued across the Indian Ocean; however, these warnings were subsequently cancelled. These were unusually strong intraplate earthquakes and the largest strike-slip earthquake ever recorded.
The Simeulue people are an indigenous group of people inhabiting Simeulue Island off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. They are mostly found in Teupah Barat, Simeulue Timur, Simeulue Tengah, Teupah Selatan and Teluk Dalam districts. The Simeulue people speak Simeulue, a Northwest Sumatra–Barrier Islands language closely related to Sikule and Nias. The language also has a strong Acehnese and Malay influence.
The 1907 Sumatra earthquake occurred on January 4 at 05:19:12 UTC. The estimated magnitude is 7.5–8.0 , with an epicentre close to Simeulue, off Sumatra. It triggered a widespread and damaging tsunami that caused at least 2,188 deaths. The low observed intensity compared to the size of the tsunami has led to its interpretation as a tsunami earthquake. Higher levels of shaking observed on Nias are attributed to a large aftershock, less than an hour later. The tsunami gave rise to the S'mong legend, which is credited with saving many lives during the 2004 earthquake.
On February 20, 2008, an earthquake with a moment magnitude of 7.4 struck off the coast of Sumatra at a hypocentre depth of 26 km. The earthquake had an epicenter located on the island of Simeulue, northwest from Sinabang, a small town on the island. Three people were killed and an additional 25 seriously injured as a result of the earthquake.
