What is the name of the stretch of water that separates Java and Sumatra?
Sumatra Strait of Malacca separates the island from the Malay Peninsula, which is an extension of the Eurasian continent. In the southeast the narrow Sunda Strait separates Sumatra from Java. The northern tip of Sumatra borders the Andaman Islands, while off the southeastern coast lie the islands of Bangka and Belitung, Karimata Strait and the Java Sea. The Bukit Barisan mountains, which contain several active volcanoes, form the backbone of the island, while the northeastern area contains large plains and lowlands with swamps, mangrove forest and complex river systems. The equator crosses the island at its center in West Sumatra and
North Sumatra North Sumatra North Sumatra () is a province of Indonesia. It is located in the northwest of the island of Sumatra, and its capital is Medan. North Sumatra is fourth most populous province in Indonesia after West Java, East Java and Central Java and the most populous Indonesian province outside Java, with over 13.5 million inhabitants in 2014. The last seafarers that made it to Sumatra were the Dutch. A government of North Sumatra named "Gouvernement van Sumatera" with the area covering the whole of the island of Sumatra, headed by a governor who is based in the city of