South Sumatra 6.95

South Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It is located in the southern part of Sumatra Island, east of the Bukit Barisan Mountains. It spans 91,592.43km2 and had a population of 7,450,394 at the 2010 Census; the latest official estimate is 10,675,862 . The capital of the province is Palembang.HistoryPrehistoric eraSouth Sumatra has been settled by humans since the Palaeolithic era. The evidence of those settlements is proven by some discoveries of Palaeolithic tools in the riverbed of Saling and Kikim rivers in Bungamas Village, Lahat Regency. Seventy eight skeletons dating back to 3,000-14,000 years ago, presumably of Austronesian and Austromelanesoid race have been excavated from the site of Harimau Cave in Padang Bindu Village, Ogan Komering Ulu Regency. Relics of seven stone chambers believed to be about 2,500 years old were found near a coffee plantation in Kotaraya Lembak, Lahat Regency. Around 300 BC, the Deutero-Malay people arrived in this region and pushed the native people inland.Srivijaya eraAround 7th century AD, an ancient Buddhist kingdom of Srivijaya was established in an area known today as Palembang. It once controlled a large part of what is now Indonesia, Malaysia and Southern Thailand, effectively ruled the Malacca Strait, and controlled the trade in that region. In 1025, it was defeated by the Chola Empire (during the period of Emperor Rajendra Chola I) of southern India. Srivijaya's capital eventually moved northward to Jambi. After its eventual fall in 14th century AD, some small kingdoms were established in South Sumatra. However, there was virtually a power vacuum in the region since there was no prominent power to hold the region except for the waning Majapahit Empire, itself centered in Java island. The vacuum allowed pirates to flourish in the region.