Aceh Tourism

Aceh is rich of events, attraction and unique cultures that it will fascinate anyone. Aceh is also rich in natural beauty, waves and sea garden, which is suitable for diving. Some of most beautiful Aceh tourism and historical sites and beaches have been damaged by the massive earthquake and Dec '04 Tsunami. The name of Aceh Darussalam is come from Aceh language means the welfare and peace Aceh country. Aceh is located in the Northwestern of Sumatra Island with the area of approximately 57,365.57 km square or 12.26 % of size of Sumatra Island. It consists of 119 islands, 73 major rivers and 2 lakes.

Geographically
Aceh is surrounded by:
North side: Malacca Strait
East Side: North Sumatra Province
South and the west Side: Indian Ocean.
The capital of Aceh is Banda Aceh. The Special Province of Aceh with its area of 57, 365.57 square kilometers covering 1.17 per cent of Indonesia is situated at the northern tip of Sumatra Island, between latitudes 2-N-6°N and longitudes 95°E-98°E.
In the central part of this province runs Bukit Barisan Mountain ranges with Tangse, Gayo, and Alas uplands. Also, there are several mountains found in the region such as Pasee Mountain with its peak, Geureudong" (2,595 m), and Peut Sagoe (2,708 m), Gayo Mountain range with its peak Burni Telong (2,566 m), and Ucap Malu Mountain range (3,187 m). Other mountains include: Alas mountain with its peak Abong-abong (3,015 m) Leuser (3,466 m), Aceh" Raya Mountain range with its peak Seulawah Agam, (1,762 m) and Seulawah Inong Mountain (868 m).
The area also has several lakes such as Laut Tawar Lake in Central Aceh with an area of 60 square kilometers and a height of 1,225 meters above sea level, and also lake Aneuk Laot in Sabang (Weh Island).
Besides the mountains and lakes, there are also several major and lesser rivers, which run into both of Malacca Strait or into the Indonesian Ocean. Among the rivers running into Malacca Straits are: Krueng Aceh (Aceh River) in the Greater Aceh Regency, Krueng Peusangan and Krueng Jambo Aye in North Aceh Regency, Krueng Baro in Pidie Regency, and Krueng Peureulak and Krueng Tamiang in East Aceh Regency; The rivers running to the Indonesian Qcean are Krueng Teunom and Krueng Meureubo in West Aceh Regency, Krueng Kluet, Krueng Simpang Kiri and Krueng Simpang Kanan in South Aceh Regency.
On the west and south coasts, there are both large and small islands, some of which are inhabited and others, which are uninhabited. These islands are Weh Island, Breuh Island, Nasi Island, Simeulue Island and Tuangke Island (A lot of Island).
Weather & Climate
The dry season in Aceh usually lasts from March through August. The rainy season starts in September to last until February. The average annual rainfall ranges from 2,000 mm to 3,000 mm, with temperatures ranging from 25 to 30° Celsius. In the highlands, the average temperature is 200 Celsius. The amount of rainfall varies between all parts of Aceh. The western and southern coasts have more rainfall than the other parts. The weather along the coastal areas is usually warm. In the mountains tend to be cooler. The humidity varies from 65 to 75 percent. The wind from the west begins in June through November while the wind from the east begins in December through May.

North Sumatera

North Sumatra is one of Indonesia's last surfing frontiers. "North Sumatra" consists of 5 islands or island groups: Hinako Islands, Nias, Telos and 2 other obscure island groups to the north. North Sumatra receives similar swell to Mentawais and enjoys its peak swell season from May to September. Despite Indonesia's reputation for hollow lefts, in North Sumatra right-handers are slightly more prevalent. While Lagundri Bay at Nias has been surfed for decades, it is the more obscure rights like Bawa (a Sunset-like right bowl that holds up to 15 feet) and Treasure Island (a long, hollow, mechanical right peeling for 200 meters) that have attracted the attention of late. Throw a mix of hollow and bowl lefthanders into the picture like Asu, Afulu, the Machine, and many more obscure rights and lefts.

In contrast to the small island of Bali, North Sumatra province is large with one of the biggest lakes in the world, Toba Lake, at its navel. The continuous mountain of Bukit Barisan, which extends from Aceh at the tip of Sumatra island to Lampung at the bottom of the island, guards the province on the west side, providing home for thick, tropical jungles and lush vegetations. As you go down the western mountains towards the beaches of the east, mountain streams, strong rivers, and gorgeous waterfalls will accompany you.

Along the length of this province crosses Bukit Barisan Mountains with peaks of numerous volcanoes. The land has thick virgin forests, lush vegetation, rice fields, mountain streams, rivers, waterfalls and sandy beaches. It has a rich flora and fauna. An abundance of birds, butterflies, buffaloes, deer, mouse deer, orangutans and many other export commodities make North Sumatra one of the richest provinces in Indonesia, as it produces more than 30 % of Indonesia's exports. The province offers the visitors, especially nature lovers, beautiful tropical panoramas, terraced rice fields, blue mountains, jungle covered hills, white sandy beaches, music, dance and folk arts.

Relative to Bali, North Sumatra has very heterogeneous ethnic groups, and thus, cultures. The people of the eastern coasts, also known as the Malays (Melayu) have markedly different traditions and culture from Batak highlanders who live around Toba Lake and Samosir Island. Further south, the Mandailings and Angkolas, and Nias Island, have yet more flavors of traditions and culture. Besides them, there are several ethnic groups who live in Medan and other towns of North Sumatra. Its largest groups are Chinese and Indian, who being naturalized Indonesian citizens. Other Indonesian tribes like Acehnese, Minangkabau, Javanese, etc also live in many parts here. Each of the mentioned tribes as well as the ethnic groups has its own dialect, religion, beliefs, traditional customs, etc. Arts and cultures make this region, a paradise for social scientists. Among the ancient Indonesian cultures, which can be seen at Samosir Island, are the centuries old tombs of Batak Toba kings and a stone-table with its benches, where the Siallagan chiefs formerly held meetings.
Geographically
North Sumatra province has 70,787 sq km width. Geographically, it is located between 1o and 4o North Latitude and between 98o and 100o East Longitude. The area is Borders with:
* North side: the special territory of Aceh
* South side: West Sumatra Province and Riau Province
* West side: Indian Ocean
* East side: Malacca Strait
Administratively
North Sumatra Province is divided among 11 regencies, 6 municipals, and 3 administrative towns with Medan as its capital city.
Geology
Composed of coastal areas, lowlands, plateaus, and mountains.
Humidity: Varies between 79% and 96%.
Climate
As one of Indonesia islands, North Sumatra has rainfall of 1,100-3,400 mm per year. It temperature is range between 18o C and 34o C.
Demography
Historically, North Sumatra Province has a migration flow of population either from other provinces because of the existence of heavy plantation in this province or migration to other areas for studying and expanding business. Since population mobility is high, there are multi ethnics on the community. In 1994, the population density of North Sumatra Province reached 157 people per Km2. Compared to the average national population growth (2.144% per year), this province was on the lower level with 1.53% per year. The projection population composition in 1997 can be seen on the following table.

Riau Tourism

Riau province is one of the fastest growing parts of Indonesia in terms of economic, population and tourism. Riau Province occupies the central part of eastern region on Sumatra Island, which straddles between Malacca Straits, South China Sea and Berhala Straits. The Province is a strategic region as it directly faces Malacca Straits and Singapore, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

Riau is one of the richest provinces in Indonesia. This province is rich with natural resources, particularly petroleum and natural gas, rubber, and palm oil. The majority of the province is heavily forested lowland; logging is a major industry in the province.
Geographically
Geographically, Riau Province lies on 445' North Altitude up to 115' South Longitude or 10003' up to 10919' Greenwich and 650' up to 145' West Longitude Jakarta, with natural borders as follows:
North side: North Sumatra Province, Malacca Straits
South side: Jambi Province
West Side: West Sumatra Province
East side: Riau Archipelago
Administratively
Riau Province is administratively divided into 9 Regencies (Bengkalis, Indragiri Hilir, Kampar, Kuantan Singingi, Pelalawan, Rokan Hilir, Rokan Hulu, Siak) and 2 cities (Pekanbaru, Dumai), with Pekanbaru as the capital city.
Climate
This region is dominantly characterized by the sea climate with average temperature of 30°C at day and 23°C at night throughout the year. Rainy season falls on November (sometimes October) up to April while dry season begins in July. Riau has tropical climate and in general is classified into climate type "A" with relatively high rainfall, ranging from 2,000 to 3,000 mm per year in average.
Topography
Most areas in Riau are lowland plain, including alluvial islands scattered along coastal line with average elevation less than 200 m above sea level. In mainland region, there are four big rivers, i.e. Rokan River, Siak River, Kampar River and Indragiri River. These rivers spring from Bukit Barisan mountain range stretching along the border Riau Province and West Sumatra Province, and flow down to Malacca Straits. The rivers play an important role as the means of transportation, sources of irrigation, energy, and clean water as well as fishery resources. Archipelagic region of Riau, on the other hand, is formed of volcanic formation in the form of islands, big and small. The soil is in general of Organosol type (Histosol), containing much organic substance.
Wide Area
The territorial size of Riau Province is 329,867.16 km consisting of land area 94,561,61 Km2 and water area 235,306,00 Km2. Riau population is 4,948,000 (2000 census).