South Sumatra

South Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Selatan, Surat Ulu: ꤼꥈꤸꤳꥎꤽꤼꥎꤾꤳꥐ, Jawi: سومترا سلاتن) is a province of Indonesia, located in the southeast of the island of Sumatra. Notwithstanding the name, it is not the most southern of the provinces on Sumatra island (Lampung is to its south). The capital and largest city of the province is the city of Palembang, and the province covers territory historically administered by the Palembang Sultanate. The province borders the provinces of Jambi to the north, Bengkulu to the west and Lampung to the south, as well having a maritime border with the Bangka Belitung Islands to the east. It is the largest province in the island of Sumatra, and it is slightly smaller than Portugal, the department of Boquerón in Paraguay, the Altai Republic in Russia or the U.S. state of Maine. The Bangka Strait in the east separates South Sumatra and the island of Bangka, which is part of the Bangka Belitung Islands province. The province has an area of 86,771.92 km2 (33,503 sq mi) and had a population of 8,467,432 at the 2020 census; the official estimate as at mid 2025 was 8,837,301 (comprising 4,542,623 males and 4,385,892 females), which was projected to rise to 9,017,142 at mid 2026. The province is rich in natural resources, such as petroleum, natural gas and coal. The province is inhabited by many different Malay sub ethnic groups, with Palembangese being largest ethnic group. Most speak the Palembang language, which is mutually intelligible to both Indonesian and local Palembang Malay. Other ethnic groups include the Javanese, Sundanese, Minangkabau and Chinese. Most are concentrated in urban areas and are largely immigrants from other parts of Indonesia.