Minangkabau Highlands

The Minangkabau Highlands (Indonesian: 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 Sumatra, Indonesia.

[2] Wet rice cultivation probably evolved in the highlands long before it appeared in other parts of Sumatra, and predates significant foreign contact.

[4] The Dutch began exploiting the gold reserves in the highlands in the 1680s.

[5] They dominated the trade in the area, severely restricting the trade outlets between the highlands and the ports on the coast between 1820 and 1899, bringing about a marked decrease in rice production.

[7] The village of Belimbing in the highlands is well known for its examples of surviving Minangkabu architecture.