Sumatra
2 of the 7 encyclopedias on this shelf carry an entry for Sumatra. Both are reproduced below, so you can see where they agree and where they differ.
Collier's New Encyclopedia (1921)
an island in the seas immediately under the equator; sep- Indian arated from the peninsula of Malacca by the Straits of Malacca and from Java by the Straits of Sunda; greatest length about 1,000 miles; breadth, about 240 miles; area, 161,600 square miles; pop. about 4,500,000 . Banca and other islands adjoin the coast. The W. side of the island is mountainous, with peaks ranging in height from 2,000 feet in the S. to 5,000 feet further N.; and culminating in Indrapura, a volcano 12,572 feet high. The E. side spreads out into interminable plains. There are several volcanoes in the island. Copper, tin, and iron found in abundance and deposits of coal are exist. The chief rivers are the Rokan, Musi, Jambi, and Indragiri, which all form extensive deltas at their mouths. Sumatra enjoys great equability of climate, but in many low-lying parts is unhealthy; rain falls almost incessantly in the S. Mangroves coast, and at higher elevations myrtles, grow near the palms, figs, and oaks of various species are met with. The camphor tree prevails in the N., and among vegetable curiosities are the upas flesia. Pepper, rice, sugar, tobacco, intree and the gigantic giga rafdigo, cotton, coffee, are cultivated for camph export, and camphor, benzoin, catechu, gutta-percha and caoutchouc, teak, ebony, and sandalwood are also exported. ber and oil have in recent years become Rubvaluable products. In 1919 340,000 fauna includes the elephant, the tapir, acres were planted with rubber. The the rhinoceros, the tiger, the ourangoutang and other apes, some species of deer and antelope, and numerous and reptiles. Of the domestic animals birds the chief is the pig, next to which rank the cow and the horse. The island is for the most part the authority of the Dutch, and their under possessions are divided into eight provinces. The governor resides at Padang. Sumatra has a very mixed population consisting of Malays, Chinese, Arabs, and many native tribes. The Battas are a peculiar and interesting race approaching the Caucasian type. Writing has been known among them from a very early period and their ancient books are written in a brilliant ink on paper made of bark. The native tribes of Sumatra have no temples and no priests, but a form of Mohammedanism prevails among the Malays on the coast. Chief towns, Palembang and Padang. The Dutch acquired their territories in Sumatra in the 16th and 17th centuries. The British formed a settlement at Benkulen in 1685, and in 1811 seized the Dutch possessions on the island. These were restored in 1815, and by treaties in Cyc-Vo.. 18 1834 and 1871 the Dutch were allowed the right to enlarge their territories by treaty, or by conquest and annexation. The tidal wave accompanying the volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 caused great destruction on the S. coast of Sumatra.
Aiton's Encyclopedia (1910)
soo-ma'tra, an island of the Dutch East Indies . It is crossed by the equator. It is 1,000 miles in length and 260 miles in extreme width. Area, 161,000 square miles. In size it ranks next to its neighbor Borneo. The population, consisting of Malays, Hindus, Chinese, a few Arabs, and certain native tribes, is estimated at 4,000,000. The prevailing religion is Mohammedanism. Many tribes have neither priests nor temples. An ancient people known as the Battaks possesses a peculiar civilization. The priests have a style of writing and a literature of great antiquity all their own. They began at the left hand lower corner and place the letters, one above the other, in a vertical column until the top of the page is reached; then a second column is built up from the bottom. Since 1666 the island has belonged practically to the Dutch. Sumatra resembles Java. The interior is mountainous. Lofty volcanoes rise to a height of 12,000 feet. Interior forests and jungles shelter the elephant, the twohorned rhinoceros, the orang-utan, the tiger, deer, antelope, serpents, and birds of tropical plumage, as well as tribes of men still little known. The coast region yields the Dutch large supplies of timber, gutta-percha, pepper, sago, rice, tobacco, coffee, and sugar. The coast is divided into six residencies, each under a Dutch ruler. An American traveler would reach Sumatra by way of New York , London, and Singapore, or else by way of San Francisco and Manila.