Payakumbuh ( Indonesian: Kota Payakumbuh, Minangkabau: Payokumbuah, Jawi: ) is the second largest city in

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...

province,

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Gui ...

, with a population of 116,825 at the 2010 Census and 139,576 at the 2020 Census. It covers an area of 80.43 km² and is in the

Minangkabau Highlands The Minangkabau Highlands ( id, Dataran Tinggi Minangkabau, Minang: ''Minang Darek'') is a mountainous area in the province of West Sumatra, located around three mountains— Mount Marapi, Mount Singgalang, and Mount Sago—in west-central Su ...

, 120 km by road from the West Sumatran capital city of

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

and 180 km from the Riau capital city of

Pekanbaru Pekanbaru is the capital of Indonesian province of Riau, and a major economic center on the eastern part of Sumatra Island. Its name is derived from the Malay words for 'new market' ('pekan' is market and 'baru' is new). It has an area of , wi ...

. The whole area is surrounded on all sides by (but administratively independent from) the Lima Puluh Kota Regency, making it an

enclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

. It is located near the volcanoes of

Mount Merapi Mount Merapi, ''Gunung Merapi'' (literally Fire Mountain in Indonesian and Javanese), is an active stratovolcano located on the border between the province of Central Java and the Special Region of Yogyakarta, Indonesia. It is the most ac ...

Mount Sago Sago (also known as Malintang) is a mountain in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It is near to the city of Payakumbuh and the town of Batusangkar. Sago Sago () is a starch extracted from the pith, or spongy core tissue, of various tropical palm s ...

, and Bukit Barisan. Payakumbuh means "grassy swamp" in the

Minangkabau language Minangkabau (Minangkabau: , Pegon script: ; id, Bahasa Minangkabau; ms, Bahasa Minangkabau or , Jawi: ) is an Austronesian language spoken by the Minangkabau of West Sumatra, the western part of Riau, South Aceh Regency, the northern part ...

., suggesting that the area was originally swampy. In 2011, Payakumbuh had the highest economic growth of any city in West Sumatra. Innovations in sanitation, waste management, healthy traditional markets, street vendors coaching, and urban drainage resulted in this city being awarded the "Urban Innovation Management" in 2012. In 2013, Payakumbuh received the "Adipura" ('cleanest city') award in the category of small city for the seventh time. Payakumbuh is known for flying duck races, foods like ''batiah'' (small sweet rice cookies), ''gelamai'' (a sweet coconut palm sugared snack) and ''

rendang Rendang ( ; ) is a Minang dish originating from the Minangkabau region in West Sumatra, Indonesia. It has spread across Indonesian cuisine to the cuisines of neighbouring Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei and the ...

''. Payakumbuh produces a wide range of agriculture products including rice, milk, cattle and palm sugar. Payakumbuh and its surrounding villages, namely Mungka, Simalanggang and Batuhampar are the origin of the

Negeri Sembilan Negeri Sembilan (, Negeri Sembilan Malay: ''Nogoghi Sombilan'', ''Nismilan'') is a state in Malaysia which lies on the western coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It borders Selangor on the north, Pahang in the east, and Malacca and Johor to the s ...

people of

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

Transportation

Payakumbuh is connected to

and

by road; a dysfunctional railway line also exists. For inner-city transport, Payakumbuh employs a public transportation system known as "Sago", taken from name of a nearby volcano (Mount Sago) in Payakumbuh. In addition, transport within the city occurs in the form of horse-drawn carts known as bendi.

Administrative districts

The city is administratively divided into five administrative

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions ...

(''kecamatan''), 8 ''kanagarian'', and 76 villages (''kelurahan''). A mayor (''walikota'') leads the city administration. The districts are listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census and 2020 Census.

Tourism

Payakumbuh is considered as one of the most popular cities in West Sumatra for domestic and foreign tourists. The varieties of food, the Muslim clothes stores, and natural scenery are some of the attractions of city. Attractions within and surrounding the city include: * ''Harau Valley:'' A karstic valley with immense, steep cliffs and spectacular waterfalls. Rock climbing is quite popular in this area due to the ideal conditions of the precipices. * ''Ngalau Indah Caverns and Caves:'' Caves with fantastic stalactites and stalagmites and including views of Payakumbuh and its surroundings. * ''Kepala Bonda:'' Site which can be visited for bamboo river-rafting. * ''Rumah Godang Sungai Baringin'', a large and splendid rumah gadang (a traditional home of the Minangkabau people), located between rice fields * ''Koto Nan Ampek Old Mosque:'' Among the oldest mosques in West Sumatra, characterized by traditional Minangkabau architecture.Abdul Baqir Zein, Masjid-masjid Bersejarah di Indonesia, 1999 * ''Museum Rumah Kelahiran Tan Malaka'' (Museum of Tan Malaka Birthplace): the house in which Indonesian founding father

Tan Malaka Tan Malaka (2 June 1897 – 21 February 1949) was an Indonesian teacher, Marxist, philosopher, founder of Struggle Union (Persatuan Perjuangan) and Murba Party, independent guerrilla, Indonesian fighter, and national hero. ''Tempo'' credited hi ...

was born.

References

External links

Official website
{{Coord, 0, 14, S, 100, 38, E, region:ID_type:city, display=title Cities in West Sumatra Populated places in West Sumatra