Simeulue
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simeulue is an island in the Indian Ocean, 150 km off the west coast of Sumatra. Administratively, it is a regency (kabupaten) of Aceh, Indonesia.
With its isolated geographic location, it is not affected by the turmoil of conflicts in mainland Aceh between the Indonesian government and Free Aceh Movement (GAM). There is no activity of the GAM on these islands.
Contents |
[edit] Administration
Simeulue was once a part of West Aceh regency but broke away in 2000 with the hope that the region's development would improve. The seat of the regency is Sinabang.
The regency is divided into 8 subdistricts (kecamatan).
[edit] Demographics
Its people are similar to the people in the neighboring Nias Island, with a language that differs from mainland Aceh. Most of people of Simeulue are Muslim.
[edit] Flora and fauna
The regency is known for its cloves. One of its signature mainstays is the Simeulue buffalo, a small animal whose meat is sweeter than the mainland buffalo. The buffalo is often sold outside Simeulue Island and has a high price for its prime quality. In the island's center, much of the original prime rainforest has been felled to give way to palm oil plantations.
[edit] Earthquake
It was close to the epicenter of the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, but loss of life was surprisingly low, mainly as the people are familiar with earthquakes and tsunamis in this seismically active region and so knew to leave the coast after the earthquake. Local folklore has it that a huge earthquake and tsunami hit Simeulue in 1907, killing many of its inhabitants. Many died when people rushed to the beach when they saw the water recede, exposing the coral and fish. They went to collect the fish not realising that the water would come back with a vengeance. Those who survived told the story of the 1907 semong, the local word for tsunami, to their children. It is largely because of this oral history that many in Simeulue say that they instinctively knew what to do when the December 26th 2004 earthquake and tsunami struck. Simeulue rose at least 6 feet on the eastern coast, during the 2004 earthquake, leaving the flat top of its coral reefs above high tide level and dry and dead. On the west coast, the land was submerged, seawater flooding fields and settlements.[1]
[edit] References
| Regencies and cities of Aceh | |
|---|---|
| Regencies: Aceh Besar | Aceh Jaya | Aceh Singkil | Aceh Tamiang | Bener Meriah | Bireuen | Central Aceh | East Aceh | Gayo Lues | Nagan Raya | North Aceh | Pidie | Simeulue | South Aceh | Southeast Aceh | Southwest Aceh | West Aceh | |
| Cities: Banda Aceh | Langsa | Lhokseumawe | Sabang | |
