Holidays in exotic countries are becoming more and more popular with Russian tourists. One of the most promising areas is Southeast Asia and, in particular, the island of Sumatra. After all, it is here that nature has remained practically untouched by man, the beaches are strewn with unusual dark sand, and the jungle is inhabited by animals that cannot be found in other parts of the planet.
Sumatra island: geographical location
In order to find the island of Sumatra, it is necessary to explore the western hemisphere. It is there, in the area between Southeast Asia and Australia, that a large archipelago is located, called the Malay archipelago, by the way, it is the largest in the world. It is not difficult to find Sumatra in this group of islands - it is enough to know two facts about it. First, its territory is divided into two equal parts by the equator. And secondly, the island has an elongated shape and stretches from northwest to southeast.
Due to the fact that Sumatra is literally at the equator, the temperature here throughout the year is kept at the same level - about 26 ° C. From the west, the island is washed by the Indian Ocean, and from the east by the Java Sea.
Scientists suggest that about 73 thousand years ago, it was in Sumatra that a powerful volcanic eruption took place, which changed the climate on the planet and became the beginning of a long ice age.
Sumatra: nationality
Sumatra is part of Indonesia, although in the middle of the last century these lands were a Dutch colony, and earlier the entire island and nearby small islets were the Sultanate of Aceh. By the way, Sumatrans are Muslim, although Buddhist temples built in the pre-Islamic period have survived in the jungle. However, here the issues of religion are not as acute as, for example, in Bali. Despite the fact that the area of Sumatra is approximately equal to the area of Belgium, its population is by no means larger - 50 million people.
Sumatra is the sixth largest island in the world. Its length is about 1,800 km and its width is about 440 km. But in terms of population, this is the fourth island on the planet.
How to get to Sumatra
The main transport hub in Sumatra is Medan, a city in the northwest of the island. There is a large seaport and airport here. However, there is no direct flight from Moscow to Medan, it accepts only local flights from the main Indonesian cities, as well as from Malaysia and from Singapore.
Therefore, it is worth planning a route with a stopover at the airports of Southeast Asia, for example, in Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Denpasar, and then transfer to a flight of local airlines. Within Indonesia, you can move freely and by water transport. Russians do not need to obtain a visa to Indonesia in advance; it opens upon arrival with a return ticket and payment of the visa fee.
