ACEH

also spelled Acheh, Achin, or Atjeh, daerah istimewa (special district) of Sumatra, Indonesia, forming the northern extremity of the island. The district's boundary with Sumatera Utara (North Sumatra) propinsi (province) to the east extends north-south from Salahaji on the northeastern coast just north of Aru Bay to a point on the southwestern coast about midway between Singkilbaru and Barus. Aceh, covering an area of 21,386 square miles (55,390 square km), is mountainous, with Mounts Leuser and Abongabong rising to elevations of 11,092 feet and 9,793 feet (3,381 m and 2,985 m) respectively. Except in the extreme north, there is a fairly wide coastal plain, and the rivers are short and have little value for shipping. The southwestern coast is dotted with swamps. The interior volcanic mountains are covered by temperate and tropical rain forests composed of stemless palm, oak, conifers, and laurel. Mosses and herbaceous plants carpet the ground and the lower trunks of trees. Pole, a Buddhist state that flourished about AD 500 in northern Sumatra, was visited by Arab, Indian, and Chinese merchants and pilgrims. In the 13th century, Aceh became the first Muslim stronghold in the Indonesian archipelago and was later visited by English explorers (in 1591) and by the Dutch. Its power reached its height in the time of Sultan Iskandar Muda (1607-36). In that period there were frequent wars with the Portuguese at Malacca, and the Portuguese fleet was defeated at Bintan in 1614. The Dutch (1599) and the English (1602) tried unsuccessfully to establish trading settlements in Aceh. After a short-lived alliance (1641) with the Dutch, the sultanate of Aceh declined in influence. After the Napoleonic Wars, when the East Indies were restored to the Netherlands, the British tried to keep Dutch influence out of Aceh, and an 1824 treaty stipulated that no hostile actions be undertaken. This reservation was withdrawn in 1873, upon which the Dutch tried to conquer Aceh. More than 25 years of open warfare (the Achinese War) ensued between the Achinese and the Dutch. Tuanku Danel Syah, the Achinese sultan, finally surrendered to the Dutch in 1903 and was exiled in 1905. Until the end of Dutch colonial rule, however, the area was never fully pacified. Aceh became an autonomous province in 1949 and amalgamated with Sumatera Utara province in 1950. Under the Indonesian republic the people continued to be restive, with open rebellion in 1953; and the creation of Aceh as a special district, administratively equal with the country's other provinces, in 1956 did not solve the problem. The Achinese, a people of Malay stock who are devout Muslims, occupy the lowlands and adjoining hills and constitute more than 90 percent of the population. In the highlands live the Gajo, also Muslims but related to the Batak. Rice is the food staple together with corn (maize), sweet potatoes, yams, and pulses (legumes). Pepper, copra, areca nuts, and rubber are the chief exports. Bauxite and coal are mined. There are some oil fields and increasingly important natural-gas fields on the eastern coast; Lhokseumawe is being developed as a petroleum and liquefied-natural-gas terminal to facilitate the exploitation of these deposits. Industries and crafts produce processed foods, textiles, metalware, gold jewelry and filigree work, wood carvings, and engraved metal products. Principal ports are Uleelheue, Sigli, Lhokseumawe, and Idi, but large vessels can use the free port of Sabang on We Island, 50 miles (80 km) north of Uleelheue. The capital of the province, Banda Aceh (formerly Kutaradja), is on the Aceh River, 3 miles (5 km) from the sea, and is connected by a major road with Medan. The district has several wildlife sanctuaries including Mount Leuser National Park. Pop. (1989 est.) 3,296,300.