Aceh

Aceh (pronounced Ah-chay) is a special territory (daerah istimewa, or "special area") of Indonesia, located on the northern tip of the island of Sumatra. Its full name is Nanggroe Aceh Darussalam; past spellings of its name include Acheh, Atjeh and Achin.

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Aceh is known for its political independence and fierce resistance to control by outsiders, including the former Dutch colonists and the current Indonesian government. For the last 26 years, it has been torn by a seperatist conflict waged by the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka - GAM) against the Jakarta government rooted in issues over control of resources, and over cultural and religious issues. Aceh has substantial natural resources, including oil & 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.

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Aceh was the closest point of land to the epicenter of the massive 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which triggered a tsunami that devastated much of the western coast of the region, including the capital of Banda Aceh. Over 150,000 persons were listed as dead or missing , with a further 500,000 plus being made homeless. One positive aspect of this tragedy has been yet another tentative peace agreement between the government of Indonesia and GAM, with the signing of a MoU on 15th August, 2005. At the time of signing, the outlook for a successful outcome was seen as being cautiously optimistic.

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The population of Aceh is estimated at 4.01 million (2000 census), almost two percent of the Indonesian population.

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Indonesia: The Republic of Indonesia is located in the Malay Archipelago, the world's largest archipelago, between Indochina and Australia, between the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the most populous Muslim-majority nation in the world and the fourth most populous overall. It has had free elections since th...

Sumatra: Sumatra (also spelled Sumatara and Sumatera) is the sixth largest island of the world (approximately 470,000 km²) and is the largest part of Indonesia....

Dutch: Dutch usually refers to:...