NORTH SUMATRA
North Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Utara), is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the island
of Sumatra, and its capital is Medan. North Sumatra is fourth most populous province in Indonesia after West
Java, East
Java and Central Java and the most populous Indonesian province outside Java, with over 13,5 million inhabitants in 2014
History
In the days of the Dutch government,
a government of North Sumatra named Gouvernement van Sumatra with the area covering the whole of
the island of Sumatra,
headed by a governor who is based in the city of Medan.
After independence, the first
session of the National Committee of Regions (KND), Sumatra was then divided
into three sub-provinces namely North Sumatra, Central Sumatra and South Sumatra. North Sumatra province itself is an
amalgamation of three administrative regions called residency namely: Residency
of Aceh, East Sumatra Residency, and residency of
Tapanuli.
With the publication of the Law of
the Republic of Indonesia (R.I.) No. 10 Year 1948 on April 15, 1948, it was
determined that Sumatra is divided into three provinces, each of which has the
right to organize and manage their own household, namely: North Sumatra, Central Sumatra
Province, and South Sumatra
Province. Date 15 April
1948 subsequently determined as the anniversary of North Sumatra
Province.
In early 1949, the reorganization of
government back in Sumatra. With the decision
of the Government Emergency R.I. No. 22 / Govt / Emergency Government on May
17, 1949, abolished the post of Governor of North Sumatra. Furthermore, the
Government Emergency Decree R.I. on December 17, 1949, established the province of Aceh
and Tapanuli Province / East Sumatra. Then, with a Government
Regulation in lieu of Law No. 5 Year 1950 on August 14, 1950, such provisions
shall be lifted and reshaped North
Sumatra Province.
By Act R.I. No. 24 of 1956,
promulgated on December 7, 1956, established an autonomous region of Aceh
province, so the province of North Sumatra sebahagian become the province of Aceh.[2]
Geography
Lake Toba,
World's largest volcanic lake
The province
of North Sumatra stretches across the island of Sumatra between the Indian Ocean and the Strait Malacca. It
borders Aceh province on the northwest and Riau and West Sumatra provinces in the southeast. It has
an area of 72,981 km². The province contains a broad, low plain along the
Strait of Malacca on which the provincial capital, Medan, is located. In the south and west, the
land rises to the mountain range that runs the length of Sumatra; the mountains
here are dominated by Lake Toba, formed from
the caldera of an ancient volcano. Several large
islands in the Indian Ocean off the west coast of Sumatra are
currently part of North Sumatra, most notably Nias Island and the Batu Islands.
There are 419 islands in propisi North Sumatra. The outer islands is the island Simuk (Nias), and the island Berhala in the Strait
of Sumatra (Malacca).
Nias archipelago consists of the
island as the main island and other smaller islands in the vicinity. Nias Islands
located off the coast of western Indian
Ocean. Administration center located in Gunung Sitoli.
Batu Islands consist of 51 islands with four major islands: Sibuasi, Pini, Tanahbala,
Tanahmasa. Pulautelo administrative center on the island Sibuasi. Batu Islands
located in the southeast of the island
of Nias. Other islands in
the North Sumatra: Imanna, Pasu, Bawa,
Hamutaia, Batumakalele, Lego, Masa, Bau, Simaleh, Makole, Jake, and Sigata,
Wunga.
In North
Sumatra, there are currently two national parks, the Gunung Leuser National Park and Batang Gadis National Park. According to the
Ministerial Decree, No. 44 of 2005, the forest area in North Sumatra
today 3.74212 million hectares (ha). Which consists of a Natural Reserve Area /
Natural Conservation Area covering an area of 477 070 ha, 1.29733 million ha of
protected forest, limited production forest 879 270 ha, Permanent production
forest 1,035,690 ha and production forest that can be converted covering 52 760
ha.
But this figure character is de jure alone. Because as a de facto , the existing forests is not
covering it anymore. Happens a lot of damage due to encroachment and illegal
logging. So far, over 206,000 ha of forest in Sumatra
has experienced changes in function. Has been turned into plantations,
transmigration. And of the total, as many as 163,000 ha of plantations and
42,900 ha for transmigration area.
