345 
A GENERAL .SKETCEI OF SUMATRA. 
By 3i R, Logan, F. G. S , 
Corresponding Member of the Ethnological Society, 
POSITION AKD EXTENT, 
Sumatra, leaving ont of view its modern alluvial accessions, 
consists of a rectilinear belt of elevation, stretching from the 
parallel of Pin an g to that of bantam, and shutting in the Ma¬ 
lay Peninsula and China Sea from the Indian Ocean. Its 
extreme northwest and southeast points differ 10° 30’ in longi¬ 
tude and 11° 40’ in latitude, the former being in 5o 45’ N. L., 
95° 10’ E Long and the latter in5° 55’S.L., 105° 40’ E-Long. 
The belt thus makes an angle of about 36° with the meridian, 
its direction being a little VV. of N. W. by N., which gives it 
a length of about925 geographical miles. Its average breadth 
appears to be rather more than 90 miles, as it nowhere ex¬ 
pands to a much greater breadth for a considerable space 
save in the middle region, nor contracts to a less save at the 
northern and southern extremities. The area covered by 
it is about 85,000 square miles. The true limits and confi¬ 
guration of this mountain region on the east have not been 
ascertained, but it probably forms a vast number of systems 
of low hills as on the west coast, and as in the Malay Penin¬ 
sula on the margins and in the depressions of the belt of 
mountain groups. The body of the Sumatran zone dors not 
appear to consist of elevated chains of great length,but of 
numerous short ranges and isolated mountains varying ex¬ 
tremely in all their dimensions. The circumstance of the 
belt being partly plutonic and partly volcanic forms its pecu¬ 
liar character. itt> configuration is in fact a combination of 
that of the Malay Peninsula with that of Java, with this 
difference that its middle region is more elevated and ex¬ 
panded than any part of the Peninsula, several of its masses 
being about thrice the height of the highest summits of 
that range. If a number of volcanic mountains rose here 
and there amongst the Peninsular groups, and in great¬ 
est number in Pera’, Tiaugganu and Patani, where it is 
broadest, it would be identified in character with Sumatra. 
The greater elevation of the mountains of the latter is 
however accompanied by a greater expansion of the plains 
and vallies which lie amongst them. In crossing it any¬ 
where, save towards its northern and southern extremities. 
