West Sumatra

West Sumatra
Sumatera Barat
Province of West Sumatra
Provinsi Sumatera Barat
Coat of arms of West Sumatra
Nickname(s): 
Ranah Minang (Minangkabau)
Land of Minangkabau
Motto(s): 
Tuah Sakato (Minangkabau)
Agree to Implement the Consensus Result
   West Sumatra in    Indonesia
OpenStreetMap
Map
Coordinates: 1°00′S 100°30′E / 1.000°S 100.500°E / -1.000; 100.500
CountryIndonesia
RegionSumatra
Province status10 August 1957
Capital
and largest city
Padang
Government
 • BodyWest Sumatra Provincial Government
 • GovernorMahyeldi Ansharullah (PKS)
 • Vice GovernorAudy Joinaldy [id]
Area
 • Total42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi)
 • Rank16th in Indonesia
Highest elevation3,805 m (12,484 ft)
Population
 (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
 • Total5,757,210
 • Rank11th in Indonesia
 • Density140/km2 (350/sq mi)
Demographics[2]
 • Ethnic groups88% Minangkabau
4% Javanese
4% Batak (mainly Mandailing)
3% others (Mentawai, Chinese, etc.)
 • Religion97.4% Islam
2.20% Christianity
0.35% Hinduism
0.06% Buddhism
 • LanguagesIndonesian (official)
Minangkabau (native)
Mentawai
Time zoneUTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
ISO 3166 codeID-SB
GDP (nominal)2022
 - Total[3]Rp 285.4 trillion (13th)
US$ 19.2 billion
Int$ 60.0 billion (PPP)
 - Per capita[4]Rp 50.6 million (22nd)
US$ 3,407
Int$ 10,632 (PPP)
 - Growth[5]Increase 4.36%
HDIIncrease 0.737 (9th) – high
Websitesumbarprov.go.id
Official nameOmbilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto
CriteriaCultural: 
Reference1610
Inscription2019 (43rd Session)
Area268.18 ha (662.7 acres)
Buffer zone7,356.92 ha (18,179.3 acres)

West Sumatra (Indonesian: Sumatera Barat[6]) is a province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau to the northeast, Jambi to the southeast, and Bengkulu to the south. The province has an area of 42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi), or about the same size as Switzerland, with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 census.[7] The official estimate at mid 2023 was 5,757,210 (comprising 2,900,270 males and 2,856,940 females).[1] The province is subdivided into twelve regencies and seven cities. It has relatively more cities than other provinces outside Java,[8] although several of them are relatively low in population compared with cities elsewhere in Indonesia. Padang is the province's capital and largest city.

West Sumatra is home to the Minangkabau people, although the traditional Minangkabau region is actually wider than the province's boundaries, covering up to the western coast of North Sumatra, the southwestern coast of Aceh, the western region of Riau, the western region of Jambi, the northern region of Bengkulu, and Negeri Sembilan in Malaysia. Another native ethnic group is the Mentawai people, who inhabit the western islands of the same name. Islam is a predominant religion in the province, with about 97.4% of the total population.

West Sumatra was the centre of the Pagaruyung Kingdom, founded by Adityawarman in 1347. The first European to come to the region was a French traveler named Jean Parmentier who arrived around 1523. The region was later colonised by the Dutch Empire and became a residency named Sumatra's West Coast (Dutch: Sumatra's Westkust), whose administrative area included the present-day Kampar Regency in Riau and Kerinci Regency in Jambi. Before becoming a province in 1957, West Sumatra was a part of the province of Central Sumatra (1948–1957), alongside Riau, Jambi, and the Riau Islands.

  1. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Provinsi Sumatera Barat Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.13)
  2. ^ Indonesia's Population: Ethnicity and Religion in a Changing Political Landscape. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. 2003.
  3. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik (2023). "Produk Domestik Regional Bruto (Milyar Rupiah), 2022" (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Badan Pusat Statistik.
  4. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik (2023). "Produk Domestik Regional Bruto Per Kapita (Ribu Rupiah), 2022" (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Badan Pusat Statistik.
  5. ^ Badan Pembangunan Nasional (2023). "Capaian Indikator Utama Pembangunan" (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Badan Pembangunan Nasional.
  6. ^ "Law No. 17 of 2022 on West Sumatra Province". bpk.go.id (in Indonesian).
  7. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  8. ^ Tan, Khee Giap; Mulya Amri; Low, Linda; Tan, Kong Yam (2013). Competitiveness Analysis and Development Strategies for 33 Indonesian Provinces. Singapore: World Scientific. doi:10.1142/9789814504867_0033. ISBN 978-981-4504-85-0. Archived from the original on 2022-03-06. Retrieved 2022-03-02.