Aceh Besar Regency

Great Aceh Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Aceh Besar) is a regency of the Indonesian province of Aceh. The regency covers an area of 2,903.49 square kilometres and had a population of 351,418 at the 2010 Census,^[3] 391,870 at the 2015 census and 405,535 at the 2020 Census;^[4] the official estimate as at mid 2023 was 435,298 (comprising 208,110 males and 217,180 females).^[1] The Regency is located at the northwest tip of Sumatra island and surrounds the provincial capital of Banda Aceh, many suburbs of which lie within the Regency. It also includes a number of islands off the northern tip of Sumatra, which comprise Pulo Aceh District within the regency. The seat of the Regency government is the town of Jantho.^[5]

Great Aceh Regency Kabupaten Aceh Besar
Regency
Regional transcription(s)
• Acehnese	اچيه بسر
From top left : Cut Nyak Dhien house, Indrapuri Old Mosque, Lhok Me Beach, Sultan Iskandar Muda Airport, Seulawah Agam, Lhok Mata Ie beach
Seal
Motto(s):  Putöh Ngon Meupakat, Kuwat Ngön Meuseuraya (Solved by Consensus, Strong by Together)
Location within Aceh
Great Aceh Regency Location in Aceh, Northern Sumatra, Sumatra and Indonesia Show map of Aceh Great Aceh Regency Great Aceh Regency (Northern Sumatra) Show map of Northern Sumatra Great Aceh Regency Great Aceh Regency (Sumatra) Show map of Sumatra Great Aceh Regency Great Aceh Regency (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 5°22′N 95°32′E
Country	Indonesia
Region	Sumatra
Province	Aceh
Established	1956
Regency seat	Jantho
Government
• Regent	Muhammad Iswanto
• Vice Regent	Vacant
Area
• Total	2,969.00 km2 (1,146.34 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
• Total	435,298
• Density	150/km2 (380/sq mi)
	[2]
Time zone	UTC+7 (IWST)
Area code	(+62) 651
Website	acehbesarkab.go.id

Economy

Aceh Besar Regency produces cloves, nutmeg and palm oil and rice, and also small quantities of maize, cassava, sweet potatoes and beans.^[6]

Landmarks

Museums

Aceh Besar Regency contains several museums. The Museum dan Rumoh Aceh is the State Museum, located in Banda Aceh. The museum's main building is built in the style of a traditional Acehnese house. It was installed by Dutch Governor Van Swart in 1915.^[7] Museum Ali Hasymi contains the personal collection of Ali Hasymi, a former governor of Aceh and artist and include books by the scholars of Acehnese past, ancient ceramics, the typical weapons of Aceh, souvenirs from all over the world, etc. Museum Cut Nyak Dhien was originally the home of the heroine Cut Nyak Dhien. The ancient Abee Tanoh Library, located at the foot of Mount Seulawa contains some important manuscripts.

Places of worship

Indra Puri Old Mosque is located about 20 km south of Medan. Indra Puri was a Hindu kingdom and it was a place of worship before Islam arrived. Later, Sultan Iskandar Muda introduced Islam to the public. After the people embraced Islam, the previous temple was converted into a mosque.^[8] The mosque site covers an area of 33,875 m², and is located approximately 150 metres from the edge of the Krueng Aceh River.

Fortress and tombs

Indra Patra Fortress is situated 19 km from Banda Aceh at Krueng Raya. According to history it was built under the Indra Puri Hindu kingdom, although some say that the fort was built during the Sultanate of Aceh Darussalam in an effort to resist the Portuguese. The fort had a very important function at the time of Sultan Iskandar Muda.^[9]

The Tomb of Admiral Malahayati is located about 32 km from the city of Banda Aceh.

Administrative divisions

The regency is divided administratively into twenty-three districts (Indonesian: kecamatan), which comprise 604 villages (Indonesian: gampong). The areas of the districts and their populations at the 2010 Census^[3] and the 2020 Census,^[4] together with the official estimates as at mid 2023,^[1] are listed below. These are grouped below into three geographical sections for convenience, which have no administrative significance. The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages (gampong) in each district, and its post code.

Kode Wilayah	Name of District (kecamatan)	Area in km2	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020	Pop'n Estimate mid 2023	Pop'n Density mid 2023	Admin centre	No. of villages	Post code
11.06.13	Pulo Aceh (a)	90.56	3,796	4,463	4,834	53.4	Lampuyang	17	23991
11.06.08	Peukan Bada (b)	36.25	15,462	22,654	24,070	664.0	Peukan Bada	26	23351
11.06.02	Lhoknga	87.95	14,874	16,927	17,932	203.9	Lhoknga	28	23355
11.06.22	Leupung	169.15	2,553	3,392	3,707	21.9	Leupung	6	23353
11.06.01	Lhoong	149.03	9,093	9,860	10,444	70.1	Lhoong	28	23354
	Total Western section	532.94	45,778	57,296	60,987	114.4		105
11.06.16	Kuta Cot Glie	332.25	12,388	14,075	15,135	45.6	Lampakuk	32	23364
11.06.04	Seulimeum	404.35	21,519	23,652	24,573	60.8	Seulimeum	47	23951
11.06.15	Kota Jantho (Jantho town)	592.50	8,443	9,440	9,483	16.0	Kota Jantho	13	23918 -23919
11.06.14	Lembah Seulawah (Seulawah Valley)	319.60	10,753	11,927	13,265	41.5	Lamtamot	12	23952
	Total Southern section	1,648.70	53,103	59,094	62,456	37.9		104
11.06.09	Mesjid Raya	129.93	20,864	21,231	22,195	170.8	Krueng Raya	13	23381
11.06.12	Darussalam	38.43	22,633	22,834	24,076	626.5	Lambaro Angan	29	23374
11.06.20	Baitussalam	20.84	16,590	22,943	25,176	1,208.1	Lambada Lhok	13	23373
11.06.11	Kuta Baro	61.07	23,541	25,959	28,455	465.9	Peukan Ateuk	47	23372
11.06.05	Montasik	59.73	17,732	20,261	21,480	359.6	Montasik	39	23362
11.06.23	Blang Bintang	41.75	10,723	11,811	12,649	303.0	Cot Meuraja	26	23360
11.06.03	Indrapuri	197.04	19,975	22,372	24,166	122.6	Indrapuri	52	23363
11.06.17	Kuta Malaka	22.82	5,891	6,896	7,298	319.8	Samahani	15	23365
11.06.06	Suka Makmur	43.45	13,905	15,488	16,748	385.5	Sibreh	35	23361
11.06.18	Simpang Tiga	27.60	5,360	6,269	7,072	256.2	Krueng Mak	18	23375
11.06.19	Darul Kamal	23.05	6,766	8,472	9,132	396.2	Peukan Biluy	14	23350
11.06.07	Darul Imarah (c)	24.35	46,397	54,145	58,494	2,402.2	Lampeuneurut	32	23352
11.06.10	Ingin Jaya (c)	24.34	28,064	33,993	36,398	1,495.4	Lambaro	50	23371
11.06.21	Krueng Barona Jaya (c)	6.96	14,096	16,471	18,516	2,660.3	Cot Irie	12	23370
	Total Eastern section	721.36	252,537	289,145	311,855	432.3		395

Notes: (a) comprises a group of islands off the north-western tip of Sumatra, of which the largest are Pulau Breuh, Pulau Nasi and Pulau Teunom.
(b) includes some smaller islands off the north-western tip of Sumatra but closer to the mainland than Pulo Aceh District - Pulau Bunta and Pulau Batee.
(c) comprises southern suburbs of Banda Aceh city, with 113,408 inhabitants in mid 2023.

Indra Patra Fortress in Ladong, Krueng Raya

Rusa Island

Rusa Island in Lhoong district was shaped like Rusa (deer) before the tsunami struck the island on 26 December 2004, but now that much of it has been washed away, the form of the island has changed and become smaller like a lamb embryo. The island is very important for marking Indonesia's boundaries due to its location as the most westerly island in Indonesia with Titik Dasar TD175 and Titik Referensi TR175 (Base Point TD175 and Reference Point TR175).^[10]

Bunta Island

Since the 2004 tsunami struck Bunta island, 45 minutes by traditional motorised boat from Ujong Pancu Village, Peukan Bada, there are no longer any inhabitants living there. Nowadays some people use the island as a coconut plantation, but they live in Banda Aceh. As the tsunami washed out all of the living creatures there, nowadays there are no squirrels, monkeys or snakes on the island. The island has been popularized by the documentary film Hikayat di Ujung Pesisir and is ideal for camping, but with no facilities at all, and modest snorkeling can be done there.^[11]

References

• Indonesia portal

1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Aceh Besar Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1106)
2. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2023, Kabupaten Aceh Besar Dalam Angka 2023 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1106)
3. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
4. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
5. Discussion Paper on Enhancing Community Resilience to Natural Disasters: Lives of Children and Youth in Aceh. United Nations Publications. p. 31.^{[permanent dead link]}
6. Indonesia handbook. Dept. of Information, Republic of Indonesia. 1975. p. 91. Archived from the original on 2023-09-15. Retrieved 2016-09-23.
7. "Pariwisata". Government of Aceh. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
8. Oey, Eric (1991). Sumatra. Periplus Editions. p. 191. ISBN 0-8442-9907-3.
9. "Indra Patra". Indonesia Tourism. December 20, 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010.
10. "Pulau Rusa". May 20, 2012. Archived from the original on April 23, 2017. Retrieved May 21, 2012.
11. Malvyandie Haryadi (July 15, 2015). "Pulau Bunta, Aceh Besar, Bukti Eksotisme Negeri Zamrud Khatulistiwa". Archived from the original on January 30, 2016. Retrieved July 15, 2015.