Geography Now! Indonesia (Mei 2024)
West Sumatra, Indonesische Sumatera Barat, propinsi (of provinsi; provincie), west-centraal Sumatra, Indonesië, aan de westkant van de Indische Oceaan en begrensd door de provincies Noord-Sumatra (Sumatera Utara) in het noorden, Riau in het noordoosten, Jambi in het zuidoosten en Bengkulu in het zuiden. Het omvat de eilanden Siberut, Sipura, North Pagai (Pagai Utara) en South Pagai (Pagai Selatan), allemaal in de Mentawai-groep, gelegen in de Indische Oceaan aan de overkant van de Mentawai-straat vanaf het centrum van Sumatra. De hoofdstad Padang ligt in het midden van de kust van het vasteland van de provincie. Gebied 16.221 vierkante mijl (42.013 vierkante km). Knal. (2010) 4.846.909.
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Aardrijkskunde
Het Barisan gebergte loopt noordwest-zuidoost; ze worden geflankeerd door laaglanden in de zuidelijke helft en door moerassen aan de noordelijke helft van de westkust. Aan de oostkant van de bergen strekken de Padang Highlands zich bijna uit tot aan de oostgrens van de provincie. Het bergsysteem zelf bestaat uit verschillende parallelle bergkammen met daarop tal van actieve en uitgestorven vulkanen, waaronder de berg Talang (8520 voet [2597 meter]), Marapi (9.485 voet [2891 meter]) en Singgalang (9.439 voet [2.877 meter]). Zoetwater moerasbossen zijn op veel plaatsen langs de kust te vinden. De laaggelegen regenwouden van dennen, teak en mahonie strekken zich uit tot in het heuvelachtige hoogland.
Minangkabau people constitute the great majority of the population. Notable minorities includeBatak and Javanese peoples as well as smaller numbers of South Asians and Chinese. Islam is the dominant religion.
The mainstay of the economy is agriculture, with rice, corn (maize), cassava, tea, coffee, rubber, pepper, tobacco, coconuts, and soybeans among the principal products. Various manufacturing establishments yield processed foods and beverages, cement, textiles, rubber products, chemicals, and transport equipment. Roads run the length of the province, and railway lines cross the central part.
History
Western Sumatra, long inhabited by Minangkabau peoples, started to be settled by immigrants from India in the 2nd century ce. The region subsequently became part of the Buddhist Srivijaya empire, which flourished in southern Sumatra from the 7th to the 13th century. With the decline of Srivijaya, the Hindu-Malay kingdom of Minangkabau rose to power in the region, and in the 16th century the Minangkabau king converted to Islam. Shortly thereafter, in 1596, the Dutch entered the area and began to establish a firm foothold in western Sumatra. In the early 19th century, control of the island passed temporarily to the British. The Dutch managed to reestablish themselves in the region after intervening on behalf of the Minangkabau royal family during the civil war known as the Padri War (1821–37). Dutch rule was then imposed throughout the domain of the Minangkabau (roughly coextensive with what is now West Sumatra province).
The Japanese occupied Sumatra (1942–45) during World War II. After the war, Indonesian nationalists declared the formation of the Republic of Indonesia; following a period of intense anticolonial struggle, West Sumatra was incorporated into the Republic of Indonesia in 1950, as part of the province of Central Sumatra. In 1957 Central Sumatra was split into the provinces of Riau, Jambi, and West Sumatra. Early the following year, West Sumatra was a seat of rebellion against the Sukarno government, and the Revolutionary Government of the Indonesian Republic was formed in the province, with its headquarters at Bukittinggi. The rebellion was crushed by Indonesian forces in mid-1958 after aerial attacks on Padang and Bukittinggi.
