The name Minangkabau means triumphant buffalo. It leads a community and family life based on a matrilineal system which clusters around mosques and the traditional adat houses. As it is the women who own the properties, the men are known for their wanderlust and entrepreneurship. Proof of this is the many Minang or Padang restaurants, serving very spicy food, found in all major towns in the nation. The people are hospitable and eloquent in a poetic style of speech and ceremonies.
Festivals are colourful occasions.
West Sumatra has a coast line where the capital is situated. The hinterland is a range of high mountains which dip into picturesque valleys and lakes. Padang's Tabing Airport is the main gateway to West Sumatra. Aceh - Northwestern end of Sumatra Of all the regions in Indonesia, Aceh, at the northwestern end of Sumatra, is the first to have come into contact with the world outside. Chinese chronicles of as early as the sixth century A.D. spoke of a kingdom on the northern tip of Sumatra named Po-Li.