FACTBOX: Key facts about the earthquake-hit West Sumatra region
(Reuters) - Aftershocks shook Indonesia's Sumatra island on Thursday, a day after an 8.4 magnitude quake, the world's most powerful so far this year, hit an area southwest of Bengkulu killing at least eight people and burying many more under buildings.
Here is some background on the areas hit by the quake.
PROVINCES
-- The western area of Sumatra includes the provinces of Bengkulu (whose provincial capital has the same name), and West Sumatra (provincial capital Padang).
-- The adjacent, western-most part of Jambi province (provincial capital also called Jambi) was also hit by Wednesday's earthquake.
POPULATION
-- Bengkulu province has 1.57 million people (of which 261,602 are in Bengkulu city). West Sumatra province has a population of 4.63 million, of which 819,765 are in Padang.
-- Jambi province has a population of 2.68 million.
SCENERY
-- With its dramatic canyons, lakes and volcanoes cloaked in lush jungle, this area is home to the Sumatran rhinoceros, Sumatran elephant, Sumatran Tiger, tree leopard, tapir and gibbon, although illegal logging and plantations threaten their natural habitat.
-- The rare Rafflesia flower -- the largest in the world, with a diameter of about one meter -- which was named after Sir Stamford Raffles and smells of rotting meat, is also found in this region.
ECONOMY
-- Bengkulu province in western Sumatra, along with Lampung and South Sumatra provinces, is a key area for growing robusta coffee used to produce instant coffee.
-- Coffee output from these three provinces accounts for three quarters of Indonesia's total coffee bean output, which is forecast to reach 300,000 tones this year.
CULTURE
-- One legend has it that West Sumatra's indigenous Minangkabau (meaning "triumphant buffalo") people are descended from Alexander the Great, but anthropologists believe they originated in the Malay peninsula and moved to Sumatra between 2000-1000 BC.
-- The staunchly Islamic Minangkabau are also thought to be Indonesia's largest matrilineal society -- with property and land passing from mother to daughter while men frequently travel to other areas for work before returning home. Their buildings typically have high sweeping roofs in the shape of giant buffalo horns.
FOOD
-- Padang cuisine is famous across Indonesia: like Spanish tapas, it consists of numerous small dishes, including beef rendang and spicy curries.
TRADE & HISTORY
-- The British controlled Padang port from 1781-84, and from 1795-1816, shipping coffee from the area to America. The Dutch later developed the area for coffee plantations, and for coal production.
Source: Reuters, Lonely Planet, Rough Guide
