West Aceh Regency

West Aceh Regency
Kabupaten Aceh Barat
Meulaboh great mosque
Meulaboh great mosque
Coat of arms of West Aceh Regency
Location within Aceh
Location within Aceh
West Aceh Regency is located in Aceh
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency
Location in Aceh, Northern Sumatra, Sumatra and Indonesia
West Aceh Regency is located in Northern Sumatra
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency (Northern Sumatra)
West Aceh Regency is located in Sumatra
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency (Sumatra)
West Aceh Regency is located in Indonesia
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency
West Aceh Regency (Indonesia)
Coordinates: 4°27′N 96°11′E / 4.450°N 96.183°E / 4.450; 96.183
Country Indonesia
RegionSumatra
Province Aceh
Established1956
Regency seatMeulaboh
Government
 • RegentMahdi Efendi
 • Vice RegentVacant
Area
 • Total2,927.95 km2 (1,130.49 sq mi)
Population
 (mid 2023 estimate)[1]
 • Total205,108
 • Density70/km2 (180/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+7 (IWST)
Area code(+62) 655
Websiteacehbaratkab.go.id

West Aceh Regency (Indonesian: Kabupaten Aceh Barat) is a regency in the Aceh special region of Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra. The regency formerly covered a much larger area, but on 4 October 1999 the island districts of Simeulue were separated out to form their own regency, and on 10 April 2002 two additional regencies - Aceh Jaya and Nagan Raya - were created from parts of West Aceh; the residual regency currently covers an area of 2,927.95 square kilometres and had a population of 173,558 at the 2010 Census[2] and 198,736 at the 2020 Census;[3] the official estimate as at mid 2022 was 205,108 (comprising 103,7687 males and 101,340 females).[1]

The town of Meulaboh remains the seat of the regency government (notwithstanding incorrect reports that on 8 July 2013 it was separated out as an independent city). The regency is a palm oil-producing area.[4] Some of the people of the regency are Minangkabau-descended Aneuk Jamee.[5]

The regency was among the hardest-hit areas during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake.[citation needed]

The regency is bordered by the regencies of Aceh Jaya to the west, Pidie to the north, Central Aceh to the northeast, and Nagan Raya to the southeast, and by the Indian Ocean to the southwest.

  1. ^ a b Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 28 February 2024, Kabupaten Aceh Barat Dalam Angka 2024 (Katalog-BPS 1102001.1105)
  2. ^ Biro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011.
  3. ^ Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.
  4. ^ Indonesia. Departemen Penerangan; Japenpa Foreign Languages Publishing Institute (1975). Indonesia handbook. Dept. of Information, Republic of Indonesia. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  5. ^ Davies, Matthew N. (2006). Indonesia's war over Aceh: last stand on Mecca's porch. Taylor & Francis. pp. 21–. ISBN 978-0-415-37239-8. Archived from the original on 15 September 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2010.