be 8.6–8.9 Mw, which occurred off Bengkulu. The shaking caused considerable damage in Padang, and due to the tsunami boats moored in the Arau river broke their anchors and were scattered. The population of Padang in 1920 was 28,754, the second largest city in Sumatra behind Palembang. At the time of independence in the 1940s the city had around 50,000 inhabitants. Coffee was still important, but copra was also a major item produced by farmers in its hinterland. The population growth since then has been partly a result of growth in the area of the city, but largely is a result of the migration to major cities seen in so many developing nations. From 1950 the Ombilin coal field developed with Padang as its outlet port. This was seen by some observers as reflecting the economic and political colonisation of Indonesia. On 30 September 2009, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake hit about 50 kilometres off the coast of Padang. There were more than 1,100 fatalities, 313 of which occurred within Padang. Geography The city of Padang is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra, with a total area of 694.96 km2, equivalent to 1.65% of the area of West Sumatra. More than 60% of the area of Padang is in the form of hills covered by protection forests. Only around 205.007 km2 of the territory is an urban area. The hills stretch in the east and south of the city. The notable hills in Padang include Lampu Hill, Mount Padang, Gado-Gado Hill, and Pegambiran Hill. The city of Padang has a coastline of 68.126 km on the mainland of Sumatra. In addition, there are also 19 small islands, including Sikuai Island with an area of 4.4 ha in Bungus Teluk Kabung District, and Toran Island covering 25 ha and Pisang Gadang Island in Padang Selatan District. Climate Padang features a tropical rainforest climate under Köppen's climate classification. Since this tropical rainforest climate is more subject to the Intertropical Convergence Zone than the trade winds and cyclones are very rare, it is equatorial. Padang is one of Indonesia's wettest cities, with frequent rainfall throughout the course of the year. The city averages roughly 4300 mm of rain per year. Padang's driest month is February, where 250 mm of precipitation on average is observed. The city temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with an average of 26 degrees Celsius.