West Halmahera Regency

West Halmahera Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Halmahera Barat) is a regency (on Halmahera Island) in North Maluku Province of Indonesia. The regency was created on 25 February 2003 from the western districts of the former North Maluku Regency, and is now bounded by North Halmahera Regency to the north and east, while to the south it borders both East Halmahera Regency and that portion of the city of Tidore on the mainland of Halmahera. It covers an area of 2,239.11 km², and it had a population of 100,424 people at the 2010 Census^[2] and 132,349 at the 2020 Census;^[3] the official estimate as at mid 2024 was 139,764 (comprising 71,695 males and 68,069 females).^[1] The capital lies at Jailolo (town).

West Halmahera Regency Kabupaten Halmahera Barat
Regency
Coat of arms
Motto:  Ino Fo Makati Nyinga
West Halmahera Regency Location in Maluku, Halmahera and Indonesia Show map of North Maluku West Halmahera Regency West Halmahera Regency (Halmahera) Show map of Halmahera West Halmahera Regency West Halmahera Regency (Indonesia) Show map of Indonesia
Coordinates: 1.4171°N 127.5526°E / 1.4171; 127.5526
Country	Indonesia
Province	North Maluku
Capital	Jailolo
Government
• Regent	James Uang [id]
• Vice Regent	Djufri Muhamad [id]
Area
• Total	2,239.11 km2 (864.53 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2024 estimate)
• Total	139,764
• Density	62/km2 (160/sq mi)
	[1]
Time zone	UTC+9 (IEST)
Area code	(+62) 922
Website	halbarkab.go.id

Administration

At the time of the 2020 Census the regency was divided into eight districts (kecamatan), but a ninth district - Loloda Tengah - has subsequently been created from the northern part of Loloda District. The districts are tabulated below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 Census^[2] and 2020 Census,^[3] together with the official estimates as at mid 2024.^[1] The table also includes the locations of the district administrative centres, the number of administrative villages (all classed as rural desa) in each district, and their postal codes.

Kode Wilayah	Name of District (kecamatan)	English name	Area in km2	Pop'n Census 2010	Pop'n Census 2020	Pop'n Estimate mid 2024	Admin centre	No. of villages	Post codes
82.01.05	Jailolo Selatan (a)	South Jailolo	221.01	14,144	24,409	25,094	Domato	22	97751
82.01.01	Jailolo	(North) Jailolo	305.60	27,541	34,757	37,659	Acango	34	97752
82.01.04	Sahu	(West) Sahu	125.87	9,223	11,842	12,560	Susupu	19	97753
82.01.09	Sahu Timur	East Sahu	266.29	8,015	11,066	11,533	Akelamo	18	97758
82.01.08	Ibu Selatan	South Ibu	375.38	10,335	15,004	15,824	Talaga	16	97756
82.01.03	Ibu	(Central) Ibu	114.62	9,351	12,280	12,920	Tongute Sungi	17	97754
82.01.07	Tabaru	North Ibu	207.97	7,773	9,335	10,107	Duono	16	97757
82.01.02	Loloda (b)	(South) Loloda	359.02	10,626	13,656	9,219	Kedi	27	97755
82.01.10	Loloda Tengah (b)	Central Loloda	177.28	(c)	(c)	4,685	Barataku	(c)	97755
	Totals		2,239.11	100,424	132,349	139,764	Jailolo	169

Notes: (a) including 37 offshore islands. (b) including 80 offshore islands in Loloda and Loloda Tengah Districts together.
The largest islands are Nusa Kahatola (west of Kedi village) and Sidua . (c) included in the figure for Loloda District, of which it was formerly a part.

Demography

Most inhabitants speak languages of the North Halmahera language family, including (from south to north) the Sahu, Waioli, Gamkonora and Ibu languages, and the less closely related Lolodarese in the north.