Pasaman is a regency (kabupaten) of West Sumatra

West Sumatra

West Sumatra is a province of Indonesia. It lies on the west coast of the island Sumatra. It borders the provinces of North Sumatra to the north, Riau and Jambi to the east, and Bengkulu to the southeast. It includes the Mentawai Islands off the coast...

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. It has an area of 3,947.63 km² and a population of approximately 243,000 people. The capital is Lubuk Sikaping.

Pasaman is located in the northeast of West Sumatera. The town of Bonjol, birthplace of Tuanku Imam Bonjol

Tuanku Imam Bonjol

Tuanku Imam Bonjol , also known as Muhammad Syahab, Peto Syarif, and Malim Basa, was a hero in the Indonesian struggle against Dutch rule. He was born in the village of Tanjung Bunga in the Pasaman regency of West Sumatra. His father's name was Buya Nudin...

, is notable for being the area where the Trans-Sumatran Highway

Trans-Sumatran Highway

The Trans-Sumatran Highway is a primarily north-south road in the Indonesian island of Sumatra, 2,508.5  km long, and connecting the north of the island in Banda Aceh to Bandar Lampung in the south, running through many major cities, including Medan and Padang on the way.The road is a major...

 crosses the equator. Although mayority tribe in West Sumatra is Minangkabau

Minangkabau

The Minangkabau ethnic group is indigenous to the highlands of West Sumatra, in Indonesia. Their culture is matrilineal, with property and land passing down from mother to daughter, while religious and political affairs are the responsibility of men...

, but in Pasaman there is another big tribe, that is Mandailing

Mandailing

The Mandailing is a traditional cultural group in Southeast Asia. They are found mainly in the northern section of the island of Sumatra in Indonesia. They came under the influence of the Kaum Padri who ruled the Minangkabau of Tanah Datar. As a result, the Mandailing were influenced by Muslim...

 from North Sumatra, so Pasaman means is "Equality" between two tribe (Pasaman is in Minangkabau language, in Indonesian is "Persamaan"), like the first Vice of Regent of Pasaman is H. Ahmad Dahlan Nasution from Duo Koto, King of Sontang (kingdom of Mandailing in Pasaman).

Administration

The regency is divided into 12 subdistricts (kecamatan):

• Tigo Nagari
• Bonjol
• Simpang Alahan Mati
• Lubuk Sikaping
• Duo Koto
• Panti
• Padang Gelugur
• Rao
• Rao Utara
• Rao Selatan
• Mapat
• Tunggul
• Mapat Tunggul Selatan