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Padang

Capital and largest city of West Sumatra, Indonesia

  • 12 min read
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Kota Padang dari Gunung Padang
Zhilal Darma · CC BY-SA 4.0

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The city had historically been a trading center since the pre-colonial era, in both pepper and gold. The Dutch made contact with the city in the mid-17th century, eventually constructing a fortress and taking over control of the city from the Pagaruyung Kingdom. Save for several interruptions of British rule, Padang remained part of the Dutch East Indies as one of its major cities until Indonesian independence. In 1906, Padang, along with Palembang, became the first populated places in Sumatra to achieve city status (gemeente).

History

Padang has been a trade centre since the 16th century, having been controlled by the Pagaruyung Kingdom and the Aceh Sultanate. During the 16th and 17th centuries, pepper was cultivated and traded with India, Portugal, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands. In 1663, the city came under the authority of the Dutch and a trading post was built in 1680. The city came under the British Empire twice, firstly from 1781 to 1784 during the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War and again from 1795 to 1819 during the Napoleonic Wars. In 1819 the city was transferred back to the Netherlands. Up to circa 1780 the most important trade product was gold originating from gold mines in the region. When the mines were exhausted, the focus turned to other products such as coffee, salts, and textiles.

In 1797 Padang was inundated by a tsunami with an estimated flow depth of 5–10 metres, following an earthquake, estimated to be 8.5–8.7 Mw, which occurred off the coast. The shaking caused considerable damage and the deaths of two people, while the tsunami resulted in several houses being washed away and several deaths at the village of Air Manis. Boats moored in the Arau river ended up on dry land, including a 200-ton sailing ship which was deposited about 1 km (0.62 mi) upstream. In 1833, another tsunami inundated Padang with an estimated flow depth of 3–4 m (9.8–13.1 ft) as a result of an earthquake, estimated to be 8.6–8.9 Mw, which occurred off Bengkulu. The shaking caused considerable damage in Padang, and due to the tsunami boats moored in the Arau river broke their anchors and were scattered.

In 1837, the Dutch East Indies government made Padang the seat of government of the West Coast of Sumatra (Sumatra's Westkust) which included present-day West Sumatra and Tapanuli. Subsequently the city became a gemeente area since 1 April 1906 after the issuance of an ordinance (STAL 1906 No.151) on 1 March 1906. Until World War II, Padang was one of the five largest port cities in Indonesia, apart from Jakarta, Surabaya, Medan, and Makassar.

The population of Padang in 1920 was 28,754, making it the second largest city in Sumatra after Palembang. At the time of independence in the 1940s, the city had around 50,000 inhabitants. Coffee was still important, but copra was also a major item produced by farmers in its hinterland. Since then, the population growth has been partly a result of growth in the area of the city, but largely a result of the migration to major cities seen in so many developing nations. From 1950 the Ombilin coal field developed with Padang as its outlet port. This was seen by some observers as reflecting the economic and political colonisation of Indonesia.

Upon the entry of the Japanese army on 17 March 1942, Padang was abandoned by the Dutch due to their panic. At the same time, Sukarno was detained in the city because the Dutch at that time wanted to take him with them to escape to Australia. Then the commander of the Japanese Army for Sumatra met him to negotiate the fate of Indonesia. After the Japanese were able to control the situation, the city was then used as an administrative city for development and public works during their occupation of West Sumatra.

On 30 September 2009, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit about 50 km (31 mi) off the coast of Padang. There were more than 1,100 fatalities, 313 of which occurred within Padang.

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