The city of Padang is the largest city on the west coast of Sumatra Island as well as the capital city of the West Sumatra province, Indonesia. This city is the western gate of Indonesia from the Indian Ocean. Padang has an area of ​​694.96 km² with geographical conditions bordering the sea and surrounded by hills with an altitude reaching 1,853 masl. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in Padang City in 2016, the city has a population of 902,413 people. Padang is the core city of the development of the Palapa metropolitan area.

The history of the city of Padang is inseparable from its role as the Minangkabau seacoast area, which originated from a fishing village in the Batang Arau estuary and developed into a bustling port city after the entry of the Netherlands under the Vereenigde Oostindische Compagnie (VOC) flag. This city anniversary was set on August 7, 1669, which was the day of the upheaval of the Pauh and Koto Tangah communities against the VOC monopoly. During the Dutch occupation, the city became the center of trade in gold, tea, coffee and spices. Entering the 20th century, coal and cement exports began to be carried out through Teluk Bayur Port. At present, the infrastructure of the city of Padang has been completed by the Minangkabau International Airport, as well as the railway lines that are connected with other cities in West Sumatra.

The city's commercial center is in Pasar Raya Padang, and is supported by a number of modern shopping centers and 16 traditional markets. Padang is one of the leading education centers outside Java, supported by the existence of dozens of universities, including three state universities. As a city of art and culture, Padang is known for its legends Malin Kundang and Sitti Nurbaya, and annually organizes various festivals to support the tourism sector. Among the Indonesian people, the name of the city is generally associated with Minangkabau ethnicity and their typical cuisine which is commonly known as Padang cuisine.


History

This city area was once part of the rantau area which was established by Minangkabau migrants from the Minangkabau Plateau (darek). Their first settlement was a settlement on the southern outskirts of Batang Arau in what is now Seberang Padang. The new villages were then opened to the north of the initial settlements, all of which included the Kenagarian Padang in the Nan Dalapan Suku custom; namely the Sumagek ​​tribes (Chaniago Sumagek), Mandaliko (Chaniago Mandaliko), Panyalai (Chaniago Panyalai), and Jambak from Bodhi-Chaniago Harmony, and Sikumbang (Tanjung Sikumbang), Mansiang Hall (Tanjung Balai-Mansiang), Koto (Tanjung Piliang ), and Malayu from the Solubility of Koto-Piliang. There are also migrants from other coastal rantau, namely from Painan, Pasaman, and Tarusan.

Padang became a bustling port city for trading gold, tea, coffee and spices. In subsequent developments, on August 7, 1669 there was a struggle between the Pauh and Koto Tangah communities against the VOC monopoly. Although it could be muted by the VOC, the event was later enshrined as the year of birth of the City of Padang.

Some European nations took over in the city of Padang. In 1781, due to a series of Fourth Anglo-Dutch War, Britain succeeded in taking control of this city. However, after the signing of the Paris Agreement in 1784 the city was returned to the VOC. In 1793 the city was looted and controlled by a French pirate based in Mauritius named François Thomas Le Même, whose success was appreciated by the French government at that time by giving it an award. Then in 1795, the city of Padang was again taken over by the British. However, after the Napoleonic era war, in 1819 the Dutch reclaimed this area which was later confirmed through the London Treaty, which was signed on March 17, 1824.

In 1837, the Dutch East Indies government made Padang the center of government in the West Coast region of Sumatra (Sumatra's Westkust), which now covers West Sumatra and Tapanuli. Furthermore, this city became a gemeente area since 1 April 1906 after the ordinance was issued (STAL 1906 No.151) on 1 March 1906. Until World War II, Padang was one of the five largest port cities in Indonesia, in addition to Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar.

Towards the entry of the Japanese army on March 17, 1942, the City of Padang was abandoned by the Dutch because of their panic. At the same time Sukarno was held back in this city because the Dutch wanted to take him along to flee to Australia. Then the commander of the Japanese Army to Sumatra met him to negotiate Indonesia's future fate. After Japan could control the situation, the city was then used as an administrative city for development and public works.

Geography

Even though it has a total area of ​​694.96 km², more than 60% of the city of Padang is in the form of hills covered by protected forests.

The city of Padang is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra, with a total area of ​​694.96 km², equivalent to 1.65% of the area of ​​West Sumatra province. More than 60% of the area of ​​Padang City is in the form of hills covered by protected forests. Only around 205,007 km² of area is an effective urban area. The hilly area stretches in the east and south of the city. The famous hills in the city of Padang include Bukit Lampu, Gunung Padang, Gado-Gado Hill, and Pegambiran Hill. The city of Padang has a coastline of 68.126 km on the mainland of Sumatra. In addition, there are 19 small islands, including Sikuai Island with an area of ​​4.4 ha in Bungus Teluk Kabung Subdistrict, Toran Island covering 25 ha and Banana Gadang Island in Padang Selatan District.

In 1833, Resident James du Puy reported an earthquake estimated at 8.6–8.9 on the Richter scale in Padang which caused a tsunami. Earlier in 1797, it was also estimated by experts that an earthquake measuring 8.5–8.7 on the Richter scale had occurred, which also caused a tsunami on the coast of Padang City and caused damage to the Air Manis Beach area. On September 30, 2009, the city was again hit by an earthquake measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, [34] with the epicenter at sea at 0.84 ° LS and 99.65 ° East with a depth of 71 km, which caused the destruction of 25% of infrastructure in the city this.

The altitude in the mainland area of ​​the city of Padang is very varied, which is between 0 m to 1,853 m above sea level with the highest area being Lubuk Kilangan District. The air temperature is quite high, which is between 23 ° C-32 ° C during the day and 22 ° C-28 ° C at night, with humidity ranging from 78% -81%. The city of Padang has many rivers, namely 5 large rivers and 16 small rivers, with the longest river, which is Batang Kandis, 20 km long. The rainfall level in Padang City reaches an average of 405.58 mm per month with an average of 17 days of rainy days per month. The high rainfall makes the city quite vulnerable to flooding. In 1980 2/3 of this city area was flooded because the city drainage channel which empties mainly to Batang Arau was no longer able to accommodate the overflow of water.