Aceh Besar Regency

Great Aceh Regency is a regency of the Indonesian province of Aceh. The regency covers an area of 2,969 square kilometres and according to the 2010 census had a population of 351,418; the latest official estimate (for 1 July 2019) is 418,467.[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] The regency is divided into 23 districts (Indonesian: kecamatan) with 618 villages (Indonesian: gampong).

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 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	Mawardi Ali
• Vice Regent	Husaini A. Wahab
Area
• Total	2,969.00 km^2 (1,146.34 sq mi)
Population  (mid 2019)[1]
• Total	418,467
• Density	140/km^2 (370/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 618 villages. The areas of the districts and their populations at the 2010 Census are listed below:[8]

Name	Area (in km^2)	Population Census 2010	No of villages
Pulo Aceh	90.8	3,796	17
Peukan Bada	40.0	15,462	26
Lhoknga	87.5	14,874	25
Leupung	169.5	2,553	6
Lhoong	149.2	9,093	28
Total Western section	537.0	45,778	102
Kuta Cot Glie	331.9	12,388	32
Kota Jantho	592.5	8,443	12
Lembah Seulawah	326.0	10,753	12
Seulimeum	396.6	21,519	41
Total Eastern section	1,647.0	53,103	97
Mesjid Raya	130.7	20,864	13
Baitussalam	15.7	16,590	13
Darussalam	43.9	22,633	29
Kuta Baro	60.5	23,541	52
Blang Bintang	41.7	10,723	25
Montasik	59.7	17,732	53
Indrapuri	198.4	19,975	52
Kuta Malaka	16.9	5,891	15
Suka Makmur	47.9	13,905	35
Simpang Tiga	27.8	5,360	18
Darul Kamal	23.9	6,766	14
Darul Imarah	23.5	46,397	32
Ingin Jaya	24.4	28,064	55
Krueng Barona Jaya	6.9	14,096	12
Total Central section	721.9	252,537	418

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 the form of the island changed and become smaller like a lamb embryo. The island is very important for marking Indonesian boundaries due to its location in the outer-most west island in Indonesia with Titik Dasar TD175 and Titik Referensi TR175 (Base Point TD175 and Reference Point TR175).[9]

Bunta Island

After the tsunami struck Bunta island, a 45 minutes sail by traditional machine boat from Ujong Pancu Village, Peukan Bada, there are no inhabitant live there anymore. Nowadays some people use the island as coconut plantation, but they live in Banda Aceh. Due to the tsunami washed out all of the living creature there, so nowadays there are no squirrel, monkey or snake in the island. The island is popularized by documentary film "Hikayat di Ujung Pesisir" and ideal for camping with no facilities at all, and modest snorkeling can be done there.[10]

References

1. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2019.
2. Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2019.
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. Archived from the original on 24 November 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2010.
8. Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
9. "Pulau Rusa". May 20, 2012.
10. Malvyandie Haryadi (July 15, 2015). "Pulau Bunta, Aceh Besar, Bukti Eksotisme Negeri Zamrud Khatulistiwa".