​West Sumatra (Sumbar) province is located on the western coast of the island of Sumatra.  The geographic features include plains and mountainous volcanic highlands formed by the Barisan mountain range.  The province covers an area of 42,297.30km² and is bordered by the provinces of North Sumatra, Riau, Jambi and Bengkulu.  Of the total land area, 54.67% is used for agricultural cultivation and 45.32% is protected forest land.  The entirety of the 2,420,357km coastline of West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean.  The province is subdivided into 12 regencies and seven autonomous cities, after districts in all regencies (excluding the Mentawai Islands) were called nagari, as the smallest administrative unit.  The region has a tropical monsoon climate and the air temperature varies from 22.6°C to 31.5°C. The equator crosses West Sumatra at Bonjol city in Pasaman.  The province has 29 mountains, with Mount Kerinci in South Solok regency the tallest at 3,085m.  In addition to Mount Kerinci, West Sumatra has a number of other active volcanoes, including Mount Marapi, Mount Tandikat and Mount Talang.  Furthermore, Sumbar province has numerous lakes, including Lake Singkarak in Solok and Tanah Datar regencies as well as Lake Maninjau in Agam regency.

​The major economic sector in West Sumatra is Agriculture, Plantation, Livestock, Forestry and Fishing, accounting for 22.3% of the economic structure in the province.  The agricultural subsector is dominated by rice, soybean, peanuts, green beans and sweet potato.  The plantation subsector produces rubber, coconut, coffee and tobacco.  The forestry subsector produces logs and processed wood, while the livestock subsector produces broiler chickens and purebred chicken eggs as well as free range chickens.  The fishing subsector is characterised by the local habitat with an abundance of pelagic fish, including tuna, skipjack tuna, mackerel tuna and Spanish mackerel.  In addition, West Sumatra province has vast tourism potential with beautiful natural vistas and a deep cultural heritage.

​West Sumatra has nearly all types of ecotourism destination, including the ocean, beaches, lakes, mountains, valleys and canyons.  In addition, West Sumatra also promotes its unique culture, featuring the Tabuik Festival, Rendang Festival, traditional Minangabau big houses, Talempong music, piring dance and songket weaving. On top of the eco and cultural tourist destinations, West Sumatra is famous for its culinary treats, including rendang, gulai itiak, dendeng balado, soto and satay padang. 

​The Bank Indonesia Representative Office in West Sumatra occupies a complex of buildings at the intersection between Jalan Ahmad Yani and Jalan Sudirman in Padang.  Prior to 1977, Bank Indonesia occupied the old De Javasche Bank building on Jalan Batang Arau, close to Muara Port, which is now known as the Bank Indonesia Muaru Building, a repository of information with two main functions, namely a mini museum and a songket weaving house.