Aceh Besar Regency

Great Aceh Regency is a regency of the Indonesian province of Aceh. The regency covers an area of 2,903 square kilometres and according to the 2010 census had a population of 351,418; the latest official estimate (for 1 July 2019) is 425,216.[2] The Regency is located at the northwest tip of Sumatra island and surrounds the provincial capital of Banda Aceh. It 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.[3]

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
Location within Aceh
Great Aceh Regency Location in Aceh, Northern Sumatra, Sumatra and Indonesia Great Aceh Regency Great Aceh Regency (Northern Sumatra) Great Aceh Regency Great Aceh Regency (Sumatra) Great Aceh Regency Great Aceh Regency (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 5°22′N 95°32′E
Country	Indonesia
Region	Sumatra
Province	Aceh
Established	1956
Regency seat	Jantho
Government
• Regent	Mawardi Ali
• Vice Regent	Husaini A. Wahab
Area
• Total	2,903 km^2 (1,121 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2019)[1]
• Total	425,216
• Density	150/km^2 (380/sq mi)
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.[4]

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.[5] 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.[6] The mosque site covers an area of 33,875 m², and is located approximately 150 meters from the edge of 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.[7]

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[8] are listed below, together with the recent official estimates for mid-2019.[9] The table also includes the number of administrative villages (gampong) in each district, and its post code.

Name	Area (in km^2)	Population Census 2010	Population Estimate mid 2019	No of villages	Post code
Pulo Aceh	90.56	3,796	4,576	17	23991
Peukan Bada	36.25	15,462	18,871	26	23351
Lhoknga	87.95	14,874	17,931	28	23355
Leupung	169.15	2,553	3,095	6	23353
Lhoong	149.03	9,093	10,981	28	23354
Total Western section	532.94	45,778	55,454	105
Kuta Cot Glie	332.25	12,388	14,931	32	23364
Seulimeum	404.35	21,519	26,110	47	23951
Kota Jantho (Jantho town)	592.50	8,443	10,216	13	23918 -23919
Lembah Seulawah (Seulawah Valley)	319.60	10,753	12,990	12	23952
Total Eastern section	1,648.70	53,103	64,247	104
Mesjid Raya	129.93	20,864	25,227	13	23381
Baitussalam	20.84	16,590	20,024	13	23373
Darussalam	38.43	22,633	27,417	29	23374
Kuta Baro	61.07	23,541	28,419	47	23372
Blang Bintang	41.75	10,723	13,071	26	23360
Montasik	59.73	17,732	21,405	39	23362
Indrapuri	197.04	19,975	24,064	52	23363
Kuta Malaka	22.82	5,891	7,123	15	23365
Suka Makmur	43.45	13,905	16,754	35	23361
Simpang Tiga	27.60	5,360	6,419	18	23375
Darul Kamal	23.05	6,766	8,180	14	23350
Darul Imarah	24.35	46,397	56,400	32	23352
Ingin Jaya	24.34	28,064	33,921	50	23371
Krueng Barona Jaya	6.96	14,096	17,091	12	23370
Total Central section	721.36	252,537	305,515	395

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

1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2020.
2. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2020.
3. Discussion Paper on Enhancing Community Resilience to Natural Disasters: Lives of Children and Youth in Aceh. United Nations Publications. p. 31.
4. Indonesia handbook. Dept. of Information, Republic of Indonesia. 1975. p. 91.
5. "Pariwisata". Government of Aceh. Archived from the original on 12 December 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
6. Oey, Eric (1991). Sumatra. Periplus Editions. p. 191. ISBN 0-8442-9907-3.
7. "Indra Patra". Indonesia Tourism. December 20, 2010. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010.
8. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
9. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2020.
10. "Pulau Rusa". May 20, 2012.
11. Malvyandie Haryadi (July 15, 2015). "Pulau Bunta, Aceh Besar, Bukti Eksotisme Negeri Zamrud Khatulistiwa".