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Jambi

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Jambi is a province located in Indonesia. It sits on the east coast of central Sumatra. The land stretches from the coast to the Barisan Mountains in the west.

Uprising-mount kerinci
Uprising-mount kerinci

The province is bordered by several other places. To the north is Riau and to the west is West Sumatra. It also neighbors Bengkulu to the southwest and South Sumatra to the south. To the east, it shares a sea border with the Riau Islands and the Pacific Ocean. The land area is 49,026.58 square kilometers. This is a size similar to the country of Slovakia.

Global Forest Change tree-cover loss year in Jambi, 2001-2024
Global Forest Change tree-cover loss year in Jambi, 2001-2024

Nature in this region is very grand and diverse. One special place is the Kerinci Seblat National Park. It is the second largest national park in Southeast Asia. This park is a vital home for the Sumatran tiger.

Uprising-mount kerinci
Uprising-mount kerinci

Inside the park, you can find Mount Kerinci. This is the highest active volcano in Southeast Asia. The province also has ancient sites like the Muaro Jambi temples. These brick temples were a center for Buddhist learning in the 7th and 8th centuries.

Candi Tinggi
Candi Tinggi

The government is working to make this site a World Heritage Site.

Jambi has a very long and busy history. A Melayu kingdom once lived here. They traded goods throughout the Strait of Malacca. In 644 CE, they even sent a mission to China.

COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Moskee Djambi TMnr 10016664
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Moskee Djambi TMnr 10016664

Later, the area was part of Srivijaya. In the 1800s, the Dutch became involved in the region. They wanted to control the trade of pepper. This led to conflicts with the local Sultanate. Sultan Taha even fled upriver to avoid the Dutch forces. By 1906, the Dutch had brought the entire area under their direct control.

Today, Jambi is divided into many smaller parts. It has nine regencies and two cities. The two cities are Jambi and Sungai Penuh.

Kain Batik Tulisan, Sumatera
Kain Batik Tulisan, Sumatera

The population has grown steadily over the years. In 2010, there were about 3 million people. By 2020, that number rose to over 3.5 million. Official estimates for 2026 suggest there will be about 3.8 million people. This includes about 1.89 million males and 1.83 million females. The province is also split into 141 districts.

Many different groups of people call Jambi home. Because of migration, people from Java, Borneo, and Sulawesi live here too. This makes the culture very rich. About 38% of the people are Jambi Malay. Another 20% are Javanese.

Kain Batik Tulisan, Sumatera
Kain Batik Tulisan, Sumatera

Many people also follow Islam. About 96% of the population practices this religion. Other groups follow Christianity, Buddhism, Confucianism, or Hinduism. This mix of people and history makes Jambi a very interesting place to learn about.

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🖼️ Images & Media (5)
File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Moskee Djambi TMnr 10016664.jpg
COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Moskee Djambi TMnr...
File:Global Forest Change tree-cover loss year in Jambi, 2001-2024.png
Global Forest Change tree-cover loss year...
File:Uprising-mount kerinci.jpg
Uprising-mount kerinci.jpg
File:Candi Tinggi.jpg
Candi Tinggi.jpg
File:Kain Batik Tulisan, Sumatera.png
Kain Batik Tulisan, Sumatera.png
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