The Karo, or Karonese, are a people of the Tanah Karo (Karo lands) and part of the Batak people from North Sumatera, Indonesia. The Karo lands consist of Karo Regency, plus neighboring areas in East Aceh Regency, Langkat Regency, Dairi Regency, Simalungun Regency and Deli Serdang Regency. In addition, the cities of Binjai and Medan, both bordered by Deli Serdang Regency, contain significant Karo populations, particularly in the Padang Bulan area of Medan. The town of Sibolangit, Deli Serdang Regency in the foothills on the road from Medan to Berastagi is also a significant Karo town. Karoland contains two major volcanoes, Mount Sinabung, which erupted after 400 years of dormancy in 27 August 2010 and Mount Sibayak. Karoland consists of the cooler high lands, and the upper and lower lowlands. The Karolands were conquered by the Dutch in 1904. In 1906, roads to the highlands were constructed, ending the isolation of the highland Karo people. The road linked Medan and the lowlands to Kabanjahe and from there to both Kutacane in Aceh and Pematangsiantar in Simalungun. The first Christian evangelism was conducted among the Karo people in 1890 by the Netherlands Missionary Society. Due to the perceived association with the colonialism of the Dutch East Indies, only a minority of the Karo converted initially and it was not until after Indonesian independence in 1945 that Christianity acquired significant support among the Karo people. In 1911, an agricultural project began at Berastagi, now the major town in Karoland, to grow European vegetables in the cooler temperatures. Berastagi is today the most prosperous part of Karoland, just one hour from Medan, while towns further in the interior suffer from lower incomes and limited access to healthcare. The administrative centre of Karo Regency is Kabanjahe. Karo identity The Karo people speak the Karo language, a language related to, but not mutually intelligible with, other Batak languages, in addition to Indonesian. These Karo people are divided up into clans or Merga. The Karo Merga are Karo-Karo, Ginting, Sembiring, Perangin-Angin, and Tarigan; these Merga are then divided up into sub-clans and finally families. In 13th to 16th century, the Karo people believed has established Aru Kingdom (also spelled Haru), located in modern day Medan city and Deli Serdang Regency. It was one of the earliest kingdom in Sumatra. The population of Aru Kingdom adhered native animism, Hinduism and Islam. Islam slowly gained influence in coastal