Sabang (
Jawoë: سابڠ) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
Aceh
Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...
province,
Indonesia consisting of
Weh Island and several smaller islands off the northern tip of
Sumatra
Sumatra is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the sixth-largest island in the world at 473,481 km2 (182,812 mi.2), not including adjacent i ...
. The administrative centre is located north of
Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...
. The city covers an area of and had a population of 43,391 in the 2020 census;
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2021.] the official estimate as at mid 2021 was 42,066.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2022.] Sabang is known as the northernmost and westernmost city of Indonesia. It also has by far the smallest population of any city in Indonesia.
History
According to local mythology, the island of Weh was once connected to the mainland Sumatra. The island of Weh has been described as far as
Ptolemy in 301 BC and was mentioned as "Golden Island". During early 11th and 12th centuries, the island was often visited by Arab and Indian traders who called the island "Shabag", which arguably was the origin of the city name.
The settlement on the island was called by Acehnese "Ulee Iheuh", which means "place for crossing". During the time of
Aceh Sultanate
The Sultanate of Aceh, officially the Kingdom of Aceh Darussalam ( ace, Keurajeuën Acèh Darussalam; Jawoë: كاورجاون اچيه دارالسلام), was a sultanate centered in the modern-day Indonesian province of Aceh. It was a major ...
, the island was used as a place for exiles by the sultanate.
Before the
Suez Canal
The Suez Canal ( arz, قَنَاةُ ٱلسُّوَيْسِ, ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia. The long canal is a popular ...
was opened in 1869, the Indonesian archipelago was reached via the
Sunda Strait
The Sunda Strait ( id, Selat Sunda) is the strait between the Indonesian islands of Java island, Java and Sumatra. It connects the Java Sea with the Indian Ocean.
Etymology
The strait takes its name from the Sunda Kingdom, which ruled the weste ...
from
Africa. From the Suez Canal, the route to Indonesia is shorter via the Malacca Strait. Due to its natural harbour with relatively deep and well sheltered water, the
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
government decided to open Sabang as a quay. It changed hands to
Dutch East Indies
The Dutch East Indies, also known as the Netherlands East Indies ( nl, Nederlands(ch)-Indië; ), was a Dutch colony consisting of what is now Indonesia. It was formed from the nationalised trading posts of the Dutch East India Company, which ...
and later was operated as port and open for foreign ships in 1883 under management of "Asosiasi Atjeh" (Aceh Association). In 1883, Sabang quay was opened for ships to dock by the Atjeh Associate.
At first, the harbour was intended as a
coal station for the
Dutch navy, but later also served
merchant vessel
A merchant ship, merchant vessel, trading vessel, or merchantman is a watercraft that transports cargo or carries passengers for hire. This is in contrast to pleasure craft, which are used for personal recreation, and naval ships, which are us ...
s and for the transfer of export goods from northern Sumatra. The port was expanded on 1887 and opened again as free port in 1895 under ''Sabang Maatschaappij''. In 1899, Asosiasi Ajteh was incorporated and became ''N.V. Zeehaven en Kolenstation Sabang te Batavia''. The Japanese occupied the island in 1942 and installed numerous
bunkers,
fortifications, and gun emplacements . Their remnants can still be seen, though most have been re-purposed or removed. On 19 April 1944, the Japanese facilities were attacked by a combined Allied naval force in
Operation Cockpit.
Sabang again became a free port under Indonesia in 1963 and gained city status in 1965. In 2000, Sabang was declared a free trade zone and as a result saw a rapid growth in shipping and trade. However, this boom stopped in 2004 due
to Aceh having been declared as a military operation area, and also due to the
2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...
.
Unlike mainland Aceh where a mass exodus occurred, Sabang itself was much less affected by the military conflict and saw little tension between Acehnese and non-Acehnese.
Geography
Climate
Sabang has a
tropical rainforest climate (Af) with moderate rainfall from February to August and heavy rainfall from September to January.
Governance
Administrative districts
The city is divided into two
districts
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...
(''kecamatan''), listed below with their areas and their populations at the 2010 census and the 2020 census,
together with the official estimates as at mid 2021.
[Badan Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2022.]
Local government
As with all
Indonesian cities, the local government is a second-level administrative division run by a mayor and vice mayor, together with the city parliament, and it is equivalent to a regency. Executive power lies in the mayor and vice mayor, while legislation duties are carried out by the local parliament. Mayor, vice mayor, and parliament members are democratically elected by the people of the city. Meanwhile, head of districts are appointed directly by the city mayor on the recommendation of the city secretary.
Economy
Economic activities in the city are diverse. As of 2021, the largest economic sector in the city was construction with contribution to city's gross regional product of 33.78%, followed by administration or social security services with 15.33%, and trade and retail sector with 14.67%. The city's gross regional product in 2021 was valued at 1.12 trillion rupiah with an annual economic growth of 5.82% on 2019 before the
COVID-19 pandemic. The economy of the city shrank 1.29% in 2020 due to the pandemic before it bounced back again in 2021 with growth of 2.67.
The fastest growing sectors in the city in 2021 include the healthcare sector with an annual growth of 9.25% and the transportation sector with an annual growth of 8.13%. In terms of size, the city has the smallest economy in Aceh when compared to other cities and regencies in the province.
Infrastructure
Transport
Sabang is served by
Maimun Saleh Airport
Maimun Saleh Airport is a small airport with a runway length of and altitude of in Sabang, Pulau Weh, Indonesia. It is situated on the island right above the northern tip of Sumatra in the Andaman Sea. It is part of the Sabang city in Aceh ...
. The airport is located southeast of the central city on Weh Island and is capable of handling
ATR 72 aircraft. The airport has flights to
Kualanamu International Airport in
Medan. The airport is also a military base for the
Indonesian Air Force and also has been proposed to be an international airport.
Sabang has a deep sea port which is important to the trade in the region. India and Indonesia are jointly developing the Sabang deep sea port which also lies close to India's southernmost territory of
Andaman and Nicobar Islands. In 2002,
Indian Navy and
Indonesian Navy signed an ''"Ind-Indo Corpat"'' agreement. Indian naval ships have been regularly visiting Sabang port following the signing of this agreement.
[Eyeing Southeast Asia, India builds port in Indonesia](_blank)
Economic Times, 20 May 2019. Indonesia's minister for maritime affairs,
Luhut Pandjaitan, stated that Indonesia has given economic and military access by India to the strategic Sabang port; India will invest in the port and economic zone of Sabang city.
Pelni, state-owned shipping company, is serving the city through
Sea Toll Program which is highly subsidized to nearby cities such as
Lhokseumawe,
Banda Aceh
Banda Aceh ( Acehnese: ''Banda Acèh'', Jawoë: كوتا بند اچيه) is the capital and largest city in the province of Aceh, Indonesia. It is located on the island of Sumatra and has an elevation of . The city covers an area of and had ...
, and Medan.
The city has a total of 144.75 kilometers of road, all of which have been paved with asphalt as of 2022.
The city, unlike most of places in Indonesia, does not have any presence of
angkot, and the presence of public transportation inside the city is minimal. Online ride-hailing service such as those by
Gojek are present in the city.
Education
The city in 2022 has a total of 20 kindergartens, 30 elementary schools, 11 junior high schools, and 4 senior high schools, in addition of one vocational high school.
There are also two higher education institutions in the city, Al-Aziziyah Sabang Sharia College and Ibnu Sina Nursery Academy. Both of these institutions are private.
The literacy rate in the city is relatively high at 99.76% in 2020.
References
External links
*
Official Sabang City
{{Authority control
Populated places in Aceh
Cities in Indonesia