Aceh

Aceh (/ˈɑːtʃeɪ/; [ʔaˈtɕɛh]); (Jawi : اچيه); Atjeh (Dutch); or Acheh is a special region of Indonesia. The territory is located at the northern end of Sumatra. Its capital is Banda Aceh. It is close to the Andaman and Nicobar Islands of India and separated from them by the Andaman Sea.

There are 10 indigenous ethnic groups in this region, the largest being the Acehnese people, accounting for approximately 80 to 90% of the region's population.

Aceh is thought to have been the place where the spread of Islam in Indonesia began, and was a key factor of the spread of Islam in Southeast Asia. Islam reached Aceh (Kingdoms of Fansur and Lamuri) around 1250 AD. In the early seventeenth century the Sultanate of Aceh was the most wealthy, powerful and cultivated state in the Malacca Straits region. Aceh has a history of political independence and resistance to control by outsiders, including the former Dutch colonists and the Indonesian government.

Aceh has substantial natural resources, including oil and natural gas; some estimates put Aceh gas reserves as being the largest in the world. Relative to most of Indonesia, it is a religiously conservative area. It has the highest proportion of Muslims in Indonesia, who mostly live according to Sharia customs and laws.

Banda Aceh

Banda Aceh or Banda Acèh is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of 35 meters. The city covers an area of 64 square kilometres and had a population of 219,070 people, according to the 2000 census. Banda Aceh is located on the northwestern tip of Indonesia at the mouth of the Aceh River.

The city was originally established as Bandar Aceh Darussalam Kandang and served as a capital and hub for the Sultanate of Aceh upon its foundation in the late 15th century. Later its name was changed to Bandar Aceh Darussalam, and then became popularly known as Banda Aceh. The first part of the name comes from the Persian bandar (بندر) meaning "port" or "haven." The city is also dubbed the "port to Mecca," or the "porch of Mecca" (Indonesian: Serambi Mekkah) in reference to the days when hajj pilgrims travelled by sea from Indonesia and would make a stop over in the city before continuing their journey to Mecca.

Cut Nyak Meutia

Cut Nyak Meutia (1870 – 24 October 1910), also known as Cut Meutia, is an Indonesian national hero from Aceh.

Life

Meutia was born in 1870 in Perlak, Aceh. When she grew into adulthood, she married Teuku Sam Searah. They divorced not long afterward.

Against the Dutch

Cut Nyak Meutia's new husband was Cut Muhammad or Teuku Cik Tunong. Differing from his brother, Cut Muhammad did not obey the Dutch because he didn't accept their colonization of Aceh. Cut Muhammad and his wife worked hand in hand with the Acehnese to fight against the Dutch.

In 1899 Teuku Cik Tunong led a successful attack against the Dutch. In the beginning, the Dutch troops were at a loss as to what to do. In the following two years, however, Cik Tunong and his troops had not made any movements. The Dutch thought that they might have lost their spirit. Yet in 1901, Teuku Cik Tunong and his troops made a sudden attack and succeeded in destroying the Dutch defense there.

For his success, Teuku Cik Tunong was soon appointed District Chief of Keureutoe by the Sultan of Aceh. From 1901 to 1903 Teuku Cik Tunong had been the commander of some battles in the northeast of Aceh. There, he and his troops killed 10 of soldiers of the Dutch and seized 67 guns from them. Mubin and Pang Gadeng, two surrendered spies, had made Cut Nyak Meutia and her husband successful in the battles.

Kereta api

Kereta api is an Indonesian and Malay word referring to railway trains. The word may thus refer to: