Pasaman Regency

Pasaman Regency is a land-locked regency (kabupaten) in the north of West Sumatra province of Indonesia. It has a land area of 3,947.63 square kilometres (1,524.19 sq mi) and had a population of 252,981 at the 2010 Census and 299,851 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as of mid 2025 was 322,930 (comprising 163,130 males and 159,810 females). The regency seat is the town of Lubuk Sikaping. Pasaman is located in the north of West Sumatra. The town of Bonjol, birthplace of Tuanku Imam Bonjol, is notable for being the area where the Trans-Sumatran Highway crosses the equator. Although the majority ethnic group in West Sumatra is Minangkabau, in Pasaman Regency there is another substantial ethnic group, the Mandailing from North Sumatra; this is particularly true of the most northern districts within the regency which together form a geographical projection into North Sumatra, namely Rao, Rao Utara, Rao Selatan and Mapat Tunggul Districts. Consequently the name "Pasaman" means "equality" between the two groups in the Minangkabau language (Indonesian: Persamaan). The first Vice-Regent of Pasaman was H. Ahmad Dahlan Nasution from Duo Koto, King of Sontang (kingdom of Mandailing in Pasaman).