living fossil
 

Sumatra Posters

Sumatra is the westernmost of the Sunda Islands and is the largest one entirely within Indonesia territory. The island's name derives from the ancient Sanskrit word Swamadwipa, meaning "Land of Gold" presumably for the riches found in the remotes hills. The backbone of the country runs north and south along a spine of mountains known as the Barisan Range. The diversity of life in the rich rainforests and surrounding oceans includes rare species of plants, animals and sea life found no where else on earth. Sadly more than 75% of the islands original forests have been destroyed by man. The island is home to the Sumatran tiger, orangutan and Rafflesia arnoldii, the world's largest individual flower. Sumatra also supports the single largest population of Sumatran rhinoceros living in both the wild and in captivity anywhere in the world. Four animals survive in a sanctuary in the heart of Way Kambas National Park among a small wild population and perhaps a hundred more survive in isolated pockets of intact rainforest across the island. The most populous rhino habitat is likely Bukit Barisan Selatan on Sumatra's West Coast. The name translates literally as the "Land of the Marching Hills" and it is a fitting title as the rugged mountains drop into the emerald sea. The Sumatran rhinoceros is perhaps the most endangered large mammal left on earth and deserves our understanding and protection. Information about the rhinoceros, the people, and the island are summarized in the following posters.





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