West Sumatra

West Sumatra Sumatera Barat
Province
Province of West Sumatra
Coat of arms
Nickname(s):  Ranah Minang (Minangkabau) Land of Minangkabau
Motto(s):  Tuah Sakato (Minangkabau) Agree to Implement the Consensus Result
Location of West Sumatra (red) in Indonesia (beige).
OpenStreetMap
Coordinates: 1°00′S 100°30′E / 1.000°S 100.500°E / -1.000; 100.500
Country	Indonesia
Region	Sumatra
Province status	10 August 1957
Capital and largest city	Padang
Government
• Body	West Sumatra Provincial Government
• Governor	Mahyeldi Ansharullah (PKS)
• Vice Governor	Audy Joinaldy [id]
Area
• Total	42,119.54 km2 (16,262.45 sq mi)
• Rank	16th in Indonesia
Highest elevation (Mount Kerinci)	3,805 m (12,484 ft)
Population  (mid 2022 estimate)[1]
• Total	5,640,629
• Rank	11th in Indonesia
• Density	130/km2 (350/sq mi)
Demographics[2]
• Ethnic groups	90% Minangkabau 4% Javanese 3% Batak 3% others (Mentawai, Mandailing, Chinese, etc.)
• Religion	97.4% Islam 2.20% Christianity 0.35% Hinduism 0.06% Buddhism
• Languages	Indonesian (official), Minangkabau, Mentawai
Time zone	UTC+7 (Indonesia Western Time)
ISO 3166 code	ID-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]	4.36%
HDI	0.737 (9th) – high
Website	sumbarprov.go.id
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Ombilin Coal Mining Heritage of Sawahlunto
Criteria	Cultural:
Reference	1610
Inscription	2019 (43rd Session)
Area	268.18 ha (662.7 acres)
Buffer zone	7,356.92 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 2022 was 5,640,629.^[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 southern region of North Sumatra, 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.