Simeulue
Island in Indonesia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Simeulue /sɪməˈluːeɪ/ is an island of Indonesia, 150 kilometres (93 mi) off the west coast of Sumatra. It covers an area of 1,754 square kilometres (677 square miles), including minor offshore islands. It had a population of 80,674 at the 2010 census[1] and 92,865 at the 2020 census.[2] The official estimate as at mid 2021 was 93,762.[3] Its capital is Sinabang.
 Topographic map of Simeulue | |
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| Geography | |
|---|---|
| Location | South East Asia |
| Coordinates | 02°37′48″N 96°05′24″E |
| Area | 1,754 km2 (677 sq mi) |
| Highest elevation | 567 m (1860 ft) |
| Highest point | unnamed |
| Administration | |
Indonesia | |
| Province | Aceh |
| Regency | Simeulue Regency |
| Largest settlement | Sinabang |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 93,762 (mid 2021 estimate) |
| Pop. density | 51.0/km2 (132.1/sq mi) |
Simeulue was once a part of West Aceh Regency but was split off in 1999 and became a separate Simeulue Regency.
From the ethnic point of view the inhabitants of Simeulue are similar to the people of neighboring Nias Island. Two languages and a number of dialects are spoken on the island: Simeulue and Sigulai, which are different from the languages spoken in the north of Sumatra.[4] The majority of the island's population is Muslim.
In the 17th century Tengku Di brought Islam to the island and the first mosque was built in Salur villiage[5] .
Simeulue was historically known to European mariners as "Hog Island"[6] and served as a landfall for ships seeking ports on the west coast of Sumatra for the pepper trade. It was also known as "Pulo Oo", or "Coconut Island".[6] Some historians suggest the fictional islands of Lilliput and Blefuscu in Gulliver's Travels (1726) might be described as two of Simeulue's remote islands in the Indian Ocean: Devayan and Sigulai.
In 1901 during the Aceh War the Dutch colonial empire government took control of Simeulue[5]. During World War II the Dutch admitted to Japan and there was set up a regiment made up the Simeuluean population.
On the 4th of January 1907 the 1907 Sumatra earthquake with a 7.5-8 magnitude earthquake shook the seabed off the West coast of Simeulue and caused a tsunami with waves reported to be 10-15 meters high[7]. This tsunami led to the death of more than 50% (some report as high as 70%) of the Simeulue population.
Simeulue was close to the epicenter of the 9.3 magnitude 26 December 2004 earthquake.
On 28 March 2005, an 8.7 magnitude earthquake struck with its epicenter just off the south end of the island.[8] During the earthquake, Simeulue rose at least 2 metres (6 ft) on the western coast; this left the flat top of its coral reefs above high tide. On the east coast, the land was submerged, with seawater flooding fields and settlements.[9]
Although Simeulue Island was only 60 kilometers from the epicenter of the 2004 earthquake, whereas Banda Aceh – the city that was hit hardest by the tsunami – was about 250 kilometers away, only seven residents on Simeulue died, while the remaining 70,000 survived[10]. This has been argued to have been due to local wisdom of the 'smong' (meaning Tsunami) that educates the listener in the warning signs of a tsunami and advises them to seek higher ground[11][12][13][14][15].
Historically, Simeulue society, culture and practices are guided by ancestral indigenous wisdom which are past down through oral tradition. These oral traditions include Nandong (humming with kedang and or violin)[16], nanga-nanga (sung storytelling) and mananga-nanga (lullabies)[17]. These traditions have allowed for stories such as the 'smong' to be passed down generationally[10]
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Over the past ten years Simeulue has become a popular surfing destination. The southwest-facing portion of the island is home to surf resorts.
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