Padang Panjang, is a city located in the cool highlands of West Sumatra, inland from the provincial capital Padang. It sits on a plateau beneath the volcanoes Mount Marapi and Mount Singgalang. It has an area of 23.0 km2 and a population at the 2010 Census of 47,008 and 56,311 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 57,850 - comprising 29,978 males and 28,772 females. It is located at 0°27′S 100°25′E.

Padang is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. It had a population of 833,562 at the 2010 Census and 909,040 at the 2020 Census; the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 919,145 - comprising 461,712 males and 457,433 females. It is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. The Padang metropolitan area is the third most populous metropolitan area in Sumatra with a population of over 1.4 million. Padang is widely known for its Minangkabau culture, cuisine, and sunset beaches.